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[Fudgepuppy]

I saw this a couple of years back, and could barely remember anything from it, probably because of my young age and relative stupidity.

So I rewatched it, and, it's a tough one.

Maybe it's just me being slow and all, but the philosophical aspects of previous Dick-adaptations, have for the most part felt so much more prevalent. The most active theme of the movie is the concept of oneself and identity, but because in the framework of the movie is because of drugs, it's not as tangible as say the concept of memories and reality from Total Recall.

My biggest gripe is just that most scenes who have any pivotal affect on the story, just aren't very standout or obvious as important plotpoints. When the movie's done you think back, and what you remember the most are the scenes that just establish the world and the characters, and not the scenes where their actions have the most effect on the story.

Gotta say though, in 1080P, this is probably the most beautiful thing I've seen on my 55" tv. Some scenes are obviously not as detailed or carefully drawn as others, but the crisp and fantastic close-ups are enough to leave a fantastic impression.

Overall, I definitely recommend it. Its mood is great and unique, the characters are well acted, the visuals are great, and if you're a smarter man than me, you can probably derive some philosophical weight from it.

 

[sn00zer]

DIdnt like it the first time I saw it...really liked it the second

 

[daviyoung]

All I remember is a farce to do with some dude's bike. Would have expected a film with this pedigree to leave a stronger impression.

Should rewatch this and Waking Life at some point.

 

[AkuMifune]

It's flawed, but has a special place in my heart. Love it and the ambiguous ending (from what I remember)

Spoiler

whether or not Arctor will "realize" what he was tricked into doing and redeem himself.

 

[hal9001]

I really liked Robert Downey jr in the film. I loved the conspiracy/paranoia themes and aspects of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0qRct_Ep1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN_VBc98dzg

 

[Lumpy Onion]

DIdnt like it the first time I saw it...really liked it the second

Same here. Saw it in the theater when it was first released and almost fell asleep. Saw it again last year and absolutely loved it. I found it to be quite a thought provoking movie.

I really liked that one scene that had that dude with all the eyeballs.

 

[teruterubozu]

It's the best PKD adaptation on film. I love it.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

It's flawed, but has a special place in my heart. Love it and the ambiguous ending (from what I remember)

Spoiler

whether or not Keanu will "realize" what he was tricked into doing and redeem himself.

It's not really ambiguous.

Spoiler

The monologue he has at the end regarding his friends while he puts the flower in his boot pretty much says he will prevail.

 

[AkuMifune]

It's not really ambiguous.

Spoiler

The monologue he has at the end regarding his friends while he puts the flower in his boot pretty much says he will prevail.

Ah. For some reason I didn't remember the monologue and thought

Spoiler

the fact he put it in his boot was a kind of instinct, some kind of memory that he knew the flower was important, not that he knew (or we knew) he intended to hand it over.

 

[SystemShock2]

I've watched it a few times, but it's been awhile since my last viewing, so I'm a little hazy. what you said sounds kinda right though, about how a lot of the movie is just little character vignettes, like the car breaking down, or Barris and the silencer, or Barris and the bike.

At least that's what stuck with me the most. I only vaguely remember certain plot points, like when Bob hits his head on the cabinet or is in the offices.

I like the universe and group of characters they live in, and I'm pretty sure I liked the story too, but I can't really remember too much of it now.

I'll do a rewatch to see what I think about the story and philosophical content. On a side note, I feel that Total Recall is pretty devoid of philosophical content. I mean it asks questions about what reality is to us, but it's not really emphasized much throughout the movie.

 

[Thug Waffle]

Ah. For some reason I didn't remember the monologue and thought

Spoiler

the fact he put it in his boot was a kind of instinct, some kind of memory that he knew the flower was important, not that he knew (or we knew) he intended to hand it over.

I got that, too. I think that in seeing

Spoiler

the flower/boot, we are led to believe his instincts will carry him through to that realization at some point. I also didn't get the impression Keanu was completely conscious of his predicament at the film's end (even with the monologue).

 

[fierrotlepou]

It's the best PKD adaptation on film. I love it.

Blade Runner disagrees.

 

[teruterubozu]

Ah. For some reason I didn't remember the monologue and thought

Spoiler

the fact he put it in his boot was a kind of instinct, some kind of memory that he knew the flower was important, not that he knew (or we knew) he intended to hand it over.

It ends exactly the same as the book, on a slightly unambiguous note. Except in the book,

Spoiler

he puts the flower in his shoe and thinks to himself, "a present for my friends".

So yeah, you're right.

Blade Runner disagrees.

It's the best "intro to PKD" but the rabbit hole goes deeper.

 

[Minus_Me]

Love A Scanner Darkly and its my favorite overall adaptation of his works. Can't wait to see the TV adaptation of The Man in the High Castle.

 

[speculawyer]

It is interesting . . . . good but not great. A good adaptation though. But not one of PKD's better works, IMHO.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

It ends exactly the same as the book, on a slightly unambiguous note. Except in the book,

Spoiler

he puts the flower in his shoe and thinks to himself, "a present for my friends".

So yeah, you're right.



It's the best "intro to PKD" but the rabbit hole goes deeper.

That's also what he says in the movie. I would personally call that a hint to him succeeding at the end.

 

[NervousXtian]

Fuck I hated this movie. At least the effect wasn't as jarring and headache inducing was Waking Life... which really is one of the worst movies I've ever (tried) to watch (on multiple occasions).

 

[teruterubozu]

That's also what he says in the movie. I would personally call that a hint to him succeeding at the end.

Ah Ok, forgot that he voiced that in the movie.

But yeah, after that there's a final "Author's Note" chapter where PKD says "This has been a novel about some people who were punished entirely too much for what they did." And goes on to list all the friends he lost to drugs. Scanner Darkly is basically a semi-autobiography about PKD's post-divorce days when his house turned into a flophouse.

 

[Sickboy007]

Amazing movie, love it to bits. Keanu's monologues are something else.

edit: oh and the soundtrack is amazing.

 

[methane47]

I remember watching it and liking it,
But right now... trying to think about it.. i have absolutely no idea what it was about, i dont remember any characters, dont remember the story, absolutely nothing.

I remember there was a giant cockroach, thats is.

 

[UrbanRats]

i've seen it only once, and wasn't blown away.
I would like to give it another shot, though, i think i'll get the blu ray.

 

[neorej]

The Blu is on my wishlist for a while now, WB seems reluctant to release it in the Netherlands. I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in cinema's since The Lion King.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

The Blu is on my wishlist for a while now, WB seems reluctant to release it in the Netherlands. I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in cinema's since The Lion King.

It's region-free

 

[Tacitus_]

The movie really fucks with your head. I loved it.

 

[Nappuccino]

It's not a bad movie, and would never have been made if it weren't for Linklater.

But I really wish Linklater wasn't the director. Something about his movies just feel stilted to me, and this was no different.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Love the book. Thought the movie was really poor.

 

[SD-Ness]

I think it's pretty awesome. I'm a huge PKD fan though. And somewhat of a fan of Linklater.

Nonetheless, I love the cell shading (if that's what it's called) but I can't tell if positively influences my opinion of the film too much. In other words, without those effects would it have felt bland?

I remember my friends hating this movie but they're pretty tasteless when it comes to things. Typical American bros. But I feel like PKD work is hard to adapt for a mass audience; he was just too weird and thoughtful and didn't adhere to the "ships and aliens" scifi the masses are used to.