Starts slow, but that's not entirely the fault of the actors (although Steven Lack can be wooden). The script doesn't present us with any strong characters to latch onto making the first forty minutes, which are laden with expository dialogue, feel very sluggish aside from one famous head explosion. From the art gallery scene and on things really start to pick up as Vale has finally been given a mission/purpose and I found myself engrossed for the remaining run time, all the way through to a truly spectacular ending. Loved the tone of this movie. It felt like an unpublished Philip K Dick novel with all the tropes: psychic corporate espionage, drugs as tools/weapons, meditation and transcendentalist themes, a scanner used to hunt scanners -- even the film's own title. Maybe it's just the direction SciFi was heading circa late '70s/early '80s. Many of the sequences are bolstered by great cinematography and a soundtrack with lots of lovely analogue synths. Just wish the first 3rd of the movie was a little tighter. 7/10

Nothing good about this movie except the scenes with the exploding heads.

Weird ass movie, only watched it in my Film Story Analysis class

Very nice effects, story, thrills, action and direction. Though, with the sole exception of Michael Ironside as the antagonist, everyone's acting is pretty bad and actively hurts the film.

Decent thriller movie that really gets better in the final scene of the movie. It could have benefited from more of that throughout the rest of the movie.

A classic Cronenberg film, he again gives us his signature grotesque body horror done amazingly well. This film is famous for it's great head explosion scene at the start, and memorable for it's shocking and grotesque ending. The sound design is also amazing. Scanners may not be the best film, but it's definitely worth a watch

Favorite sci-fi horror of all time

A classic sci-fi/horror movie. They don't make them like this anymore. I would love to see a good remake or reboot of the series. The special effects are nice and gory and great for the time. Great story and you find yourself rooting for your favorite...mine was Michael Ironside, he delivered a great performance in this one.

This movie was kinda boring, but the story was well written and I like how the end of the film is up to interpretation. The acting wasn’t all that bad neither, definitely watch this at least once. 2.5:5 stars.

Scanners est un sympa divertissement avec des effets spéciaux bien réussis et agréablement gore. Ce film dénonçant le confort que s'accorde l'humain, propose quelques séquences culte comme la confrontation finale et la scène de la tête qui explose. En revanche certain choix scénaristique ne sont pas très originales et faciles comme l'idée du "gentil frère" et du "méchant frère".

An interesting concept with quite a silly execution(expected for its age) and some weird/bad acting which makes it ironically more enjoyable to watch. Definitely give it a try if you are up for some old school movies!

Absolutely epic film and feel.

Alloy of organic and psychological terror that reveals that the most sinister thing is inside our minds. Not a classic but quite useful for a weekend afternoon. And it gave a new meaning to "losing your mind."

This Movie was so believable in 1981. The Special effects were awesome. I highly recommend it.

With the exception of Michael Ironside, the cast doesn't quite have the chops to make the characters engaging in any way. Still Cronenberg's bizarre and often intriguing narrative shines through and who doesn't enjoy a gratuitous head explosion every now and then?

The concept is a difficult one to pull off in in an effective cinematic way, but the talents of David Cronenberg succeed in making an entertaining feature. The plot and storyline seemed a bit too constrained in scope for my liking. An internationally-significant issue is handled internally by insider organizations. Further exploration of the implications could have taken the plot to greater heights. But it was entertaining. I would only watch it again if there were nothing better to choose from.

3 & 1/4 stars. The idea behind the script was ingenious, The special effects were darned good for 1981. I think making it shorter would have helped.

Some very fantastic performances from the supporting cast (Michael Ironside, Jennifer O'Neill, & Patrick McGoohan), with an eerie score by Howard Shore, and a lot of unforgettable practical effects. In a nutshell, this film is almost like a horror movie's take on X-Men - If instead of magnetism, Magneto was psychic like Professor X and both are in a race to find all the other "gifted" like themselves. Highly recommend checking this one out, it definitely caught me by surprise.

A idéia de roteiro é bem interessante, mas um pouco rasa, podendo ser mais aprofundada sobre as situações dos personagens principais. As cenas inicial e do confronto são muito interessantes. O ator Michael Ironside tem ótimas expressões faciais.

Scanners came out at a time when David Cronenberg was just starting to break through into the Sci-fi mainstream, spearheading his own particular brand of what we now call body horror. It's not as gripping as other films of his I've seen, such as The Fly or A History Of Violence, but it demonstrates the talents of a man who is comfortable mixing the routine with the extraordinary, creating a world where individuals blessed with special powers simply exist within society, but not automatically as villains. Michael Ironside, a man whose smile and eyebrows make him destined to play movie baddies, dominates the screen whenever he appears, which isn't nearly enough, and his antagonism is made all the more uncomfortable when you consider his motivation. Stephen Lack, who plays our hero, turns in a fairly bland performance, reading much of his lines like he just learned them and doesn't want to forget anything. But the hero of the film is the makeup and effects. The iconic exploding head sequence, which occurs in the first 15 minutes, is still rightly remembered for its shocking and gruesome nature, and when you look at Cronenberg's subsequent filmography, it's not hard to see why his films have become so popular. It's languid and confusing in places, but as a demonstration of incredible practical effects, and for a conflict that isn't simply good guy vs bad guy, I'd say it's definitely worth a watch.