Scanners (Without Exploding Heads)

Tonight, I went to see the (as it turned out) very bizarre movie A Scanner Darkly. I hesitated to even mention it here, because I truly didn't know what I was going to say about it.

I didn't dislike the movie. At the same time, there's really only one thing about it I can point to and say I definitely liked about it -- Robert Downey Jr.'s performance. But even that was channeling Brad Pitt's character in 12 Monkeys much of the time. Actually, the acting in general wasn't bad, but you'd expect that this group of actors (quite known for real life drug problems) would be able to realistically bring "drug addicts" to life on the screen.

The story was hard to find any anchors in, and intentionally crafted to be that way to put the viewer in the same perspective as the central character. So you can chalk that up as a visceral and emotional success, while at the same time as a narrative disaster.

The rotoscope animation style in which the film is presented is either going to annoy you, or not impact on you in any way. If you're at all skeptical about this aspect of the film before seeing it, I suggest you don't. It's not at any point going to win you over. In fact, the animation quite calls attention to itself from time to time. Some moments are rendered so broadly they look like an amateur's paint-by-numbers portrait. Other moments have flashes so detailed that you think for an instant you're looking at real photography with no animation layered on top of it. And as with the disjointed approach to the storytelling, this inconsistency is also likely intentionally included to induce disorientation.

Lots of funny dialogue, but not often of the quotable variety, so don't feel like you need to see it to "join the club."

In short, if you'd noticed this movie, wanted to go, but just hadn't gotten around to it -- it's probably your thing, and you would get at least a little something out it. If you were on the fence, or unfamiliar with it, it's probably not for you.

Me, I give it a C+.