Film Review: A Scanner Darkly

“What does a scanner see? Into the head? Into the heart? Does it see into me clearly? …Or darkly?”

The somewhat chilling words of Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) echoed in my head as I drove home from seeing the film. One side of me sees clearly what the movie was saying, and one side is utterly confused. Much more than your typical drug journey film, A Scanner Darkly ventures deep into the mind behind the user, and we as the audience are taken along for a trip on the road named Substance D.

A Scanner Darkly tells the story of Arctor and his experience with Substance D, a very powerful drug in the not too distant future. The difference here is that it isn’t just a trippy drug sequence, but instead a psychological puzzle that actually takes itself apart over the course of 100 minutes.

The visual style of the film, obtained by a process called ‘rotoscoping’ gives it a very unique look, and honestly I cannot imagine Scanner without it. It creates an atmosphere that is absolutely perfect for the feel of the movie. The dialogue is also wonderful; Robert Downey Jr. gives an excellent performance with his sharp wit and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-esque humor.

The movie isn’t all clarity, and in fact we see some parts, as Bob would say, “darkly.” Scanner is often confusing, and the movie moves very slowly at some points. However though I have several problems with it, the movie gets huge points for its spectacular ending. Most films these days are great, but cannot end properly; Scanner, to me as a lover of film, has a fantastic finale that is really the best part of the whole journey.

The movie is a blend of innovative style and just an average story, but the two combined make for a film that is greater than the sum of its parts. I would love to see how the film looks in HD. If you are interested in creative films I would recommend this one.

7.5/10