Movie Review: A Scanner Darkly (2006)

In the near distant future, America has lost the war on drugs and the police maintain constant surveillance under their citizens. And this plot, of Richard Linklater's 2006 A Scanner Darkly, a film starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder, is the fun and entertaining science fiction that asks, "what if"? Filmed in live action first, then transferred into animation (Linklater wanted to give the film a trippy effect) the movie focuses on a group of drug addicts, one of whom works for the government, and their building paranoia about which one of them is "the rat". That is more or less the story, for A Scanner Darkly is a very dense movie. It covers a wide range of themes and ideas throughout it's 100 minute run time. Robert Downey Jr and Woody Harrelson are by far the greatest performances. Stealing every scene they're in, these characters are given far more of a role than one would expect from a film about lazy, drug addicts. Winona Ryder does shine in the few scenes where she's on screen. That leaves Keanu Reeves, and while he is far from bad, his performance doesn't have as much life to it as we've come to expect from him. The animation is so perfect for a film about paranoid drug addicts that it almost feels impeccable in places (especially the opening scene). The color is grimy and gives this film a dirty, used look. For the entirety of 'A Scanner Darkly' the entertainment value was high, and most importantly, the story keeps asking you to think. This isn't a popcorn movie as some science fiction flicks become. Linklater's movie (based off the Philip K. Dick novel) continuously poses questions about morality, government control, drug addiction, and the existence of reality itself. It's a very deep, extremely thought-provoking movie with stellar animation. As for the negatives, this movie has two flaws that contradict themselves. On one hand, there's a little bit too much exposition. Especially in the beginning where the scientists are reciting, what sounds like, paragraphs about 'Substance D'. In other areas, the film feels as though we're missing essential details. This is not the trippy, incoherent style that was done intentionally, but A Scanner Darkly does occasionally seem to only be speaking to fans of the novel. When this film first came out, some critics did label this as being exclusively for fan's of Dick's book, but it doesn't go that far. Yes there are moments where more explaining would be good, and yes there are other times where far less exposition is needed, but the movie doesn't burn itself in these attempts. The film is never great, but it is a fun and enjoyable movie that succeeds in being more than just eye candy. Overall, A Scanner Darkly is a fun ride, but it does have some issues when it comes to exposition and sometimes only speaks to fans of the source material. Three stars= B