Editor’s Note:
Looking Through A Scanner Darkly

Friday, July 07, 2006
By: Ryan Ball

In recent months, we’ve seen a virtually endless parade of animated movies targeting family audiences with loveable, anthropomorphic characters in light-hearted, comedic adventures. And while that sort of thing certainly has its place, it’s also nice to get something different ever once in a while. That need has been nicely filled by Warner Independent Pictures with the release of director Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly. Though mainstream audiences will largely take a pass, this brilliant film is sure to become a cult classic and may even garner a few nods come Oscar time.

A Scanner Darkly is based on the novel by famed science-fiction author Phillip K. Dick, who wrote the source material for the hit films Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. The film takes place seven years in the future as a new designer drug sweeps the nation and causes an epidemic of addiction. Keanu Reeves stars as Fred, a drug enforcement agent whose own use of Substance D has caused a split personality disorder. Half of the time, Fred thinks he’s Bob Arctor, one of the junkies occupying a suburban California home he’s been assigned to infiltrate. Robert Downey Jr. turns in another Oscar-worthy performance as Jim Barris, a fast-talking, paranoid member of Arctor’s motley crew of burnouts, filled out by Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson) and Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane).

The film was originally shot live-action on digital video and then turned over to a core group of 50 animators who painted over the scenes with RotoShop, the interpolated rotoscoping software Bob Sabiston developed for Linklater’s innovative 2001 feature, Waking Life. Whereas Waking Life presented a dream-like, painterly world, Scanner is more grounded in reality but tilts things just enough to immerse the viewer in a state of altered reality, much like its drug-addicted characters.

Unlike Blade Runner and Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly is not heavy on action. As with Linklaters previous films, Slacker, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, the pic deals mostly in dialogue that is at times humorous and often cryptic, but always engaging. Viewers expecting another Animatrix will be disappointed, but others will find this unpredictable neo-noir ride trippy on a whole different level.

Inspired by Dick’s own experiences with drug addiction, the story is a cautionary tale for a society that is growing more chemically dependent by the day. “There are no weekend warriors on the D,” Barris says at one point. “You’re either on it, or you haven’t tried it.” As the movie goes on, the characters slip deeper into paranoia and the audience is never quire sure what’s really going on until the big reveal, which is difficult to see coming.

Sources close to Linklater say he may be finished with animation because he finds the long process frustrating, but that would be a shame. One can only hope that this film is successful enough to create a demand for more animation that caters to adult sensibilities and takes risks rather than sticking to tried–and-true formulas.

While not recommended for everyone, A Scanner Darkly is the perfect prescription for adult moviegoers who need a break from wise-cracking forrest critters and talking automobiles. As Barris might say, there are no weekend warriors on the Scanner. Either you get it or you don’t.

A Scanner Darkly opens today in select cities before rolling out wider over the next couple of weeks. More details on the making of the movie can be found in the August issue of Animation Magazine, now available at Barnes & Noble locations and other booksellers.

Reader Comments

• morphit :

  Monday, July 17, 2006

  This film is totally engrossing, fascinating, eye candy and serious. Some of the dialogue had me laughing out loud in the theatre - mostly alone. Didn't anybody else think it was funny that the Harrelson character thought the screw would turn in a different direction if they drove north? The performances were fast, funny and believable for their quirky world. The comic book paintovers enhanced and dazzled. The message came through: business and government make so much money from the drug trade that they just can't stop it, no matter how many people get hurt.

• Dubsiren :

  Tuesday, July 18, 2006

  I thought it was absolutely hillarious when Harrelson's character thought the screw would turn a different direction of they drove north!! My date and I seemed to be the only ones who laughed at this as well. The other gut-busting scene in which we found ourselves alone in uncontrollable laughter was the unexpected cameo scene of Alex Jones in true form bull-horning his ranting against the police state! However it came with bittersweetness as it saddened us that living here in Austin and being in an "alternative" Austin theater, we seemed to be the only ones who recognized this character as Alex Jones, who is headquartered here in Austin!!! Evidently we still have a long way to go, folks, even here in the INFOWARS.COM capital. Please everyone visit this website as well as his PRISONPLANET.COM, but most importantly ScholarsFor911Truth.Org.

• Dubsiren :

  Tuesday, July 18, 2006

  I thought it was absolutely hillarious when Harrelson's character thought the screw would turn a different direction of they drove north!! My date and I seemed to be the only ones who laughed at this as well. The other gut-busting scene in which we found ourselves alone in uncontrollable laughter was the unexpected cameo scene of Alex Jones in true form bull-horning his ranting against the police state! However it came with bittersweetness as it saddened us that living here in Austin and being in an "alternative" Austin theater, we seemed to be the only ones who recognized this character as Alex Jones, who is headquartered here in Austin!!! Evidently we still have a long way to go, folks, even here in the INFOWARS.COM capital. Please everyone visit this website as well as his PRISONPLANET.COM, but most importantly ScholarsFor911Truth.Org.

• Pr0F1t rE\/El@t10|\|$ : $00tHe-$@Yer : Ye Eyes o' Spiritus

  Sunday, August 06, 2006

  Drugs are good... mmmkay...

• latebeat : Bodybuilder :

  Saturday, February 24, 2007

  MHTSO TON PARNEIS RE!!

• Martin Montiel : grafic designer in proces : any

  Friday, June 12, 2009

  for me its a greath movie just look all that amazing animayions is a really a greath experince but i need more information about this kind of animation thanks for had this space for people that enjoy the art