(Mauro Lanari) I've never found any other author who has been able to respond to Klimov's adherence to the eschatological implication of the biblical idea of a reversal of the arrow of time ("History will be rolled back like a scroll": Isaiah 34:4 || Revelation 6:14). As far as we know, it's as Russell suggests: a complete regression, i.e., cosmogenetic (back to the Big Bang or whatever preceded it), psychogenetic (back to before the zygotic sexual fertilization), and mythopoetic (back to before Adam and Eve), would lead us to annihilation. We wouldn't rewrite the historical course but, by erasing it, we would also lose our own historical identities. Back then, cinema still dared to confront the most serious, profound, and challenging research and studies of human culture.

Impressive horror sci fi head trip. As the movie goes along, so does the amping up of the surreal visuals and makeup fx, Movie gets silly at times, with too many scenes of an ape man running loose, and the wacky visions start going overboard, But holding it all together is a commanding performance by William Hurt. Also nice seeing early film roles by Drew Barrymore and John Larroquette.

Ken Russell’s “Altered States” is a psychotic, hallucinogenic, surrealistic experience. It’s consistent in pace, and the visuals are just stunning in every way. The intelligence behind not only the story but the scientific logic just throws this one bounds ahead of where a lot of sci-fi films get stuck, and John Corigliano’s score is just absolutely iconic. This borders and even reaches Kubrick levels of fantastical quality, especially with its own take on “absolute truth”. Absolutely insane stuff from Russell, definitely cannot wait to delve more into his filmography.

This makes zero sense.

This was one of my favorite sci-fi flicks in the 80's due to a great plot and groundbreaking special fx. It's definitely worth the watch.

I went along on the trip and didn't regret it.

William Hurt explains to his wife how they have to break up so he can immerse himself in his work and be fulfilled as a scientist. Then the next time we see him at home he's banging grad students. I can only assume it's part of his research methodology. It's Ken Russell, so you know this movie is going to be a trip; Altered States is basically the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey but seen through a psychedelic, transhumanist lens. Hurt's Eddie Jessup is a socially-limited academic experimenting with sensory deprivations and hallucinations, diving deeper into mental anguish to experience earlier stages of evolution and consciousness, eventually managing to experience the earliest stages of life itself. Intense psychedelia, visions of intensely lurid color and formative chemical reactions; the kind of self-reflection that destroys concepts of identity and transcends our notions of reality. And also, one time it turns him into a literal caveman and he runs around the city before eating a goat in the zoo. It's very creative and unlike most science fiction films of its era. Russell is well-known for his innovative and dense style, and uses it to great effect here, but I'm also not really blown away by anything that the film has to say thematically; exposure to unknown states of being basically just ends up turning Hurt's character into an early-2000s emo boy with his talk of "a darkness growing within me, even now." There's a strange combination of heady sci-fi and body horror combined with an almost Woody Allen-esque stream of academic, slightly comedic dialogue. It's certainly an interesting and unusual combination, but it feels just as often that the characters are just flapping their lips hoping they'll arrive at some meaning as it does that there was intent behind the events on the screen. I don't know why, but Hurt has always acted as if his face were made of stone, he keeps a neutral expression constantly even when there's fear or levity in his voice. As a result, he ended up cast in a lot of emotionally drained roles that earned him substantial acclaim, but it's hard to remember a time where he cracks a grin on camera. (3/5)

I'll be honest, reading about the production of this movie was far more interesting, than actually watching it. Chayefsky's insistence on following his dialogue to a tee and Russell's clear distain for said dialogue, as he makes actors mumble scientific mumbo jumbo, or just act drunk while saying it. Makes way more sense in retrospective. This butting of heads, in my opinion did not hinder the movie. Because actors actually manage to make it seem natural and as Russell claims, everything characters said was straight from the script with zero revisions. So, somehow in the pursuit to make "80's mad scientist does an oopsie" we get a really misguided Chayefsky's externalist body horror. That is very competently shot, even if some hallucinations scene just don't hold up. And a great soundtrack. This movie also has a reputation of that "dmt Hollywood picture", which it isn't. But people who gobbled that stuff in college won't really take anything else from it anyway. In reality, this movie desperately yells its theme at you. That it is pointless to look for meaning of our existence and that soul searching won't lead to anything but an harmful obsession, no matter how many drugs you take. And in the end life is about, wouldn't you guess: Love and Family. And that's what it means to be human. And if I made fun of Interstellar for a Hathaway's corny and sappy power of love, that transcends time and space. I can't good faith not do the same for the ending of this film and not look like a hypocrite in my of eyes.

I have a special taste for weird film that gives a lot of hallucinations, surrealism etc. This film is one of them. But, apart from the elements, this is not a perfect picture. It lacks totality and looses pace towards the end. You can give it a try to see how they pulled out some visual effects during early 80's.

This movie is very fascinating! the plot is interesting and I love the psychedelic scenes.

While definitely not for everyone, I can agree with this but I can't agree with the special effects... cringe-eee.

Unexpected. Straight up classic sci fi

I have been trying to find and watch this movie forever and I’m glad I finally got around to it 3.5

Please, burn this movie.

Russell's "Altered States" brings to light some very interesting sci-fi topics in man's evolution and limits of mental sanity. It's just too bad that he laboriously smears these ideas through a heavy molasses of religious intentions and final statements. The result is a sci-fi that takes itself too seriously under special effects that are anything but serious.

Christ there's a lot to unpack here, genetic memory and epigenetics, messiah complexes, original sin, what makes us human. I think it's pretty clear on the last issue that the film is telling us that it's love, but unpacking thwe rest is quite a task. It's all very Freudian/Ballardian (in the sense of Ballard's early "lizard brain" novels) and I'm pretty sure there is something about the three scientists representing the id, the ego and the super-ego, and this is wrapped up with all the schizophrenia stuff at the beginning. Looking forward to reading a few other interpretations that's for sure!

Wild, weird and impossible to get through without thinking about if/how many times Joe Rogan's watched it, Ken Russell's "Altered States" hurls the classic "mad scientist" horror formula down the rabbit hole of psychedelic drugs, churning it all together with some truly impressive visual effects, evocative imagery and appropriately frenetic editing. There's another genre element in play here that I won't spoil, but once you realize the filmmakers at hand are serious about its implementation, it makes for quite the provocative development. It's not a profoundly satisfying watch on the whole, with the film's ending leaving more questions (and not the right ones) than answers, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a whacky, trippy, less character-focused stimulation of the senses.

While not always consistent, Altered States is a visually dazzling and creepy sci-fi horror movie that reminds me of a cross between a John Carpenter and David Cronenberg movie that has a decent feature debut for William Hurt, impressive cinematography, and nightmarish surreal imagery.

Not only is this sadly reflective of the self-absorbed incompetent man that made it, its a disappointing take on psychedelic research and mystical science. If you're looking to be uncomfortable, fell dumber, and waste your time, be sure to watch this film.

Some of it's aspects are rushed,(like the deliverance of the dialogue), but all is forgiven for it's visually dazzling display and depth. A mesmerizing examination of the relationship between consciousness, religiosity, and the collective knowledge of our accumulated past. Unconventional in almost every sense, spellbinding in deliverance.