A Scanner Darkly
Scanner Darkly Screening Reviews
The good people over at AICN
have received a couple of new early reviews for the upcoming Richard Linklater
adaptation of the Phillip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly. As expected,
both the reviews enjoyed the film and throw tons of love towards the unique
animation technique applied on the film.
Among the many things to admire about the film
is the animation technique. Unlike Waking Life, where the art went
abstract early and often, the art style in A Scanner Darkly first
provides a layer of realism and solid ground, a place where the laws of
physics are mostly normal. This allows the more "trippy" visions to have
full impact. But the relatively increased realistic animation isn't dry
or boring, it's a very effective impressionist style. Backgrounds are allowed
to drift and sway in just subtle enough ways to bring the viewing experience
into the subjectivity of a protagonist whose mind has been altered by substances.
Performances are freed from the confines of starkly rendered reality. Moods
and emotions flow in an original and fresh way.
I expected all of that, quite frankly, from the trailer. What I didn't expect was the excellent supporting performances and the amount of humor in the film. Robert Downey Jr's performance is fascinating. As with Andy Serkis's groundbreaking work as Gollum, Downey's performance proves that performance capture is just as expressive as "true acting" and deserves recognition. Perhaps this is another angle Warner can target to bring people to this film that demands attention, and that's by highlighting the fact that in an age of entertainment glut, here is something that truly makes you say I Haven't Seen That Before. A collaboration between thespians and visual animators, something you quite haven't seen in this way before.
The second review received is a bit more critical
of A Scanner Darkly and makes a point to mention that the film may not be
accepted by the mainstream. However, by the end of the review the person
admits that A Scanner Darkly is a great film.
Im really interested in how they are
going to promote this film, as it takes on the same style as Waking
Life, only it seemed a bit more cell shaded. It looks amazing, although
some parts werent quite done. But with such big actors (Keanu Reeves, Robert
Downey Jr, Winona Ryder and Woody Harrelson), I just dont see it playing
strictly in art-house cinemas, and I also dont see it being embraced by
the mainstream.
Aside from that, not that it would really hinder my opinion, I thought it
was a pretty good movie. It kind of integrated the awesome dialogue that
Linklater uses in Slacker and Waking Life into a structured
story. It is kind of hard to explain, but basically, its the standard undercover
cop getting too deep in his cover. Now throw in some sci-fi identity shields,
and hemisphere deteriorating drugs and you have A Scanner Darkly.
Hopefully positive reviews such as these will allow
A Scanner Darkly to shake off the negative stigma placed on it
by having the film's release date pushed back twice now. To read both of
the entire reviews, head over to AICN.
The Scanner Darkly had its recent release date, September 16th,
pushed back to some time in March, 2006.
For the trailer, movie stills, and synopsis, go to The
Scanner Darkly Movie Page.
Stay tuned for updates.
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