Newspaper Article

MOVIE REVIEW: ANIMATION HELPS LIGHTEN 'SCANNER DARKLY'

LINDSEY W. FLATT, PHOTO: WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT

2006

Overview

When the movie hits the halfway mark, it becomes hard to follow, not only because of plot twists, but also because, by this time, one becomes so entrapped in the animation that the dialogue has ceased to capture any attention. And now the creepy-crawly feeling will return. Some of the situations are all too real, perfectly capturing that turn toward insanity that druggies take. The involvement of various government and drug agencies in the epidemic of addiction also rings chillingly true. The animation alone is worth the ticket price; it leaves viewers with the distinct feeling that they have just been on an intense trip into an alternate universe. Richard Linklater's latest feature contains the same animation style he experimented with in Waking Life. Although not the darkly philosophical kind of movie Waking Life was, A Scanner Darkly will not disappoint. It will, however make you think.

• Publisher: Santa Fe New Mexican