Plot: What’s it about?
In the not so distant future, mankind is imprison by addiction, a dependence more powerful than any known addictions that had been documented. This addiction plagues over one fifth of the population, a trend that threatens to decimate mankind if it continues untouched. The source is Substance D, also known as Death, a drug that once taken, is almost impossible to give up and destroys the brain. The process is slow however, so the user’s mind degrades a little at a time, sometimes to the point that the person has no idea what is happening. In order to battle the Substance D menace, a police state is granted and a special squad of undercover agents is let loose to shut down the dealers and sources. One such agent is Fred (Keanu Reeves), who has been assigned go undercover and obtain as much information possible about a dealer known as Bob Arctor. What should be a routine mission is complicated, as Fred and Arctor are the same person. But because of extensive use of Substance D, his brain has separated into two different personas, each unaware of the other. As his mind holds on by a thread and more Substance D is poured into his system, what will become of either of his personalities?
Although Philip K. Dick was one of the world’s greatest science fiction writers, overall his work hasn’t been adapted well to the screen. This is no fault of Dick’s, more to blame are unskilled directors and writers, who take great concepts and turn them into mediocre or downright miserable motion pictures. Now we can add A Scanner Darkly to the short list of effective Dick adaptations, as this is a faithful and well crafted take on the material. Richard Linklater took some minor liberties here and there, but these served to update, not reinvent. Linklater handles the story with great skill, keeping the same tone and bringing the plot to life on screen with wonderful style. As great as the story is and as well as Linklater transfers it to film, the incredible visuals are what push the movie to the next level. The technique of painting over live action works quite well for this concept, as if this is a living graphic novel. The style just seems to suit the material so well, as if it were designed to be produced in this fashion. Dick’s storytelling matched with this cutting edge, sometimes dream like visuals creates a striking presentation. The cast is impressive too, with Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Downey, Jr., all in fine performances. A Scanner Darkly is a great movie in all respects, so I am left to give it a most high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
Warner has given “A Scanner Darkly” a VC-1 HD transfer that is nothing short of stunning. For those that have never seen this film, it’s a pretty unique visual experience. The movie employs a technique called interpolated rotoscoping. That’s a mouthful, right? Essentially this movie was shot digititally and then “traced” by a computer to give it an animated look and feel. Walt Disney used this technique for some of the early Disney movies like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Cinderella.” Still, the look of the film is more concurrent with that of an animated movie. Colors are bold and they pop. There’s no artifacting to speak of and any and all debris, grain, dirt and so forth aren’t in existence. This is perhaps one of the most unique Blu-ray’s I’ve had the chance to watch and it’s worth every minute.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track from the DVD has been replaced by a DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that adds a bit more to it. Granted the audio isn’t nearly as impressive as the video, but it’s still a fairly robust track. Surrounds kick in at a few key points during the film, but director Richard Linklater’s films have been more about dialogue than anything else. There are some scenes in which the background noise does shine though and gives the scene a very unique perspective. Dialogue is crisp and clear, as we might expect.
Supplements: What are the extras?
All of the supplements that were on the standard DVD are again present here (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?). The included commentary with Keanu Reeves and director Richard Linklater give some good insight into the production material. In addition to the usual production anecdotes, the group talks at length about Dick’s work and his ideas in general. You can tell Linklater has a passion for the material and this was a very personal project, which I think shows on screen as well. You can also watch two featurettes, one on the animation process and the other a general behind the scenes piece, but both are rather brief. This disc also includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
