Tonight I saw the much anticipated fim A Scanner Darkly. I think I need to see it again to truly rationalize my final decision, but I'll give it a 6.8/10
for the time being. Unfortunately as one would expect, Keanu
Reeves' acting is as one dimensional as the flat colors that align to
form his face in his animated form. The story is interesting both as a science fiction
tale and as a metaphor for the domestic effect of experimental drug use, however I rarely felt like I was firmly on
the same page with the characters or the plot. Perhaps this was
the overarching intention, but in that case it didn't translate as
clear as I would have wanted.
The animation however is pretty fantastic for the first hour or
so. One becomes a little adjusted to the style รก la Waking Life
after a period of time, but I think they did a fantastic job taking
advantage of the animated style, truly evoking a wonderfully
disorienting mediated world. Robert Downey Jr. plays his part almost too
well. He was wildly entertaining, and his performance was the
only thing that really kept me on my feet. Officially, his
character, Baris, is my new favorite
substance-d-drug-addict-of-the-near-future to date!
Edit: I saw it again yesterday evening and while Keanu Reeves still fails to perform, the movie in general was more enjoyable. Maybe it was because I wasn't being so critical while I was watching the second time around, but I also tried to take it in at its face value and became more captivated, particularly by the conversation scenes between the men. So, while I personally don't think it's an entirely stellar movie all together, it is a good watch. Just don't expect anything profound (as one may have encountered in Waking Life)
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