should probably watch this movie sober sometime so i remember the plot

🍀 4.9/10 I feel like this movie requires you to smoke marijuana while watching it. Unfortunately I did not understand it and that’s OK. Still stacked cast and some pretty good performances, it’s definitely different but just not really my thing.

Animation is fascinating enough on its own to make this worthwhile. Funny and serious.

I always trust Linklater to make interesting choices, and go for the high concept ideas, as he chews on weightier material. And this is no different. I love the concept of tackling this story with rotoscoping animation, but it was a little distracting here. Which is unfortunate, as he probably could've had a sci-fi classic if he just made the same thing, but with traditional filmmaking...

A true to the source material adaptation that’s engaging and entertaining by making you think while also hooking you with its almost animated cinematography. The film just pops like a moving graphic novel and with a great cast telling the story, Dick fans and sci-fi enthusiasts will certainly be pleased by this gem!

A Scanner Darkly holds both a microscope and outstretched hand towards drug addiction. It is also a masterful use of this particular style of rotoscoping --- probably one of the best to this day. It's ability to blend fantasy and reality perfectly fits the film, in both plot and theme. Richard Linklater has proven he is a talent in multiple genres.

I mean... this is what a boring version of trainspotting would be. Rather slow, doesn't really seem to go anywhere, and the ending is entirely predictable. The only saving grace is the 'art' overlay. Just wish that could have been used on a better done movie.

Visually interesting but lacking a story to match.

"A Scanner Darkly" is a visually stunning and thought-provoking film that expertly explores the complexities of addiction, identity, and government surveillance. Directed by Richard Linklater and based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, the film employs a unique animation technique called rotoscoping, which gives the characters a dreamlike quality and emphasizes the surreal nature of the story. The film's cast, including Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., and Woody Harrelson, deliver powerful performances that capture the desperation and confusion of their characters. The story follows Reeves' character, an undercover police officer, as he becomes increasingly entangled in a dangerous drug culture while struggling with his own addiction. "A Scanner Darkly" is more than just a cautionary tale about drug use; it's a commentary on the dangers of living in a surveillance state, and the toll it takes on our individuality and freedom. The film's themes are particularly relevant in today's world, where privacy and personal freedom are constantly being threatened. Overall, "A Scanner Darkly" is a remarkable film that challenges its viewers to think deeply about important social issues while also providing a visually stunning and

Did anybody ever wonder why it is called "Orwellian", when it should be "Dickian"? Linklater adapted Dicks narrative (fueled by Dicks drug-culture experiences) with passionate preciseness and visual splendor. I find it odd, that this flick moves below the radar of culture industry. Did nobody out there recognize the ingenious perfomances of the paranoia-triangle Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson?

disappointing format

A noteworthy lineup of actors coupled a fascinating visual style don't make the experience remarkable on all other fronts.

Can't think of what exactly was going on even though I'm deep into an hour.

Philip K. Dick gets the Richard Linklater "Waking Life" treatment and it. is. STUNNING. 8.75/10

I have mixed feeling about the movie. Yeah I understand the message it's trying to convey but at the same time I don't really get it why there are shapeshifters (maybe I don't pay enough attention).

I simply don't understand why this and Richard linklaters previous animated movie a waking life are both animated. You can tell that they filmed it regularly and did the animation afterwards. It doesn't make for an interesting story but does make it an interesting film overall and will be talked about more compared to if being filmed regularly. Anyway I legit almost fell asleep during this movie. I was bored out of my mind and the story was all over the place. It does have a lot of huge names like Keanu but this movie didn't have anything new.

I simply don’t understand why this and Richard linklaters previous animated movie a waking life are both animated. You can tell that they filmed it regularly and did the animation afterwards. It doesn’t make for an interesting story but does make it an interesting film overall and will be talked about more compared to if being filmed regularly. Anyway I legit almost fell asleep during this movie. I was bored out of my mind and the story was all over the place. It does have a lot of huge names like Keanu but this movie didn’t have anything new.

This movie looks like vomit, the plot is a convoluted mess, and I was nauseous throughout the duration of the film. They try to quantify this contrived mess as "art", despite it being a bloated, visually offensive, bloated mess.

Linklater's adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel has a risky, well-crafted vision of the source material's enthralling yet inescapably impossible-to-film multilayered narrative. The choice of rotoscoped/ cel-shaded animation is more than aesthetic choice, it carries that visual shift of abstract storytelling. I do feel an overwhelming urge however time-amplified to deck him squarely in the face for including Alex Jones' very self-serving and clearly impromptu blather in the mix with such committed character-focused performances by Reeves, Downey and Winona Ryder.

To be honest, you may have to read the book or a detailed plot line to understand what's going on. You may get the gist of what's going on, but the particulars, like Arctor observing himself or why he doesn't recognize himself in doing so, will be difficult to pick up on. And sometimes the characters played by RD Jr and Harrelson, become downright annoying to the point of distraction. Overall, it's a well-written story and the movie sticks pretty close to the original. The voice acting of the stars is standard fare for them.