Scanners
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Movie Reviews of Scanners
Movie Review: We're going to do it the scanner way . . .
Summary: 4 Stars
A small number of humans have been endowed with superhuman telepathic power and are, amongst other things, able to read ordinary human minds. For most of these people, they have been driven to depression and insanity. Thus starts the story for the main character, Cameron Vale, of this early 80s horror flick. Cameron is rescued by Dr. Paul Ruth, who explains some of his unique powers to him. Vale, and others like him, are called Scanners, and possess powers far beyond simple mind reading. Ruth recruits Vale to help battle Darryl Revok, a powerful but insane Scanner who is trying to find and either co-opt or destroy all other Scanners. Ruth wants Vale to penetrate Revok's organization and ultimately destroy him. Vale encounters other Scanners, battles some of Revok's minions, and learns that things are not quite what they seem . . .
This 80s era horror flick has actually aged pretty well. It is most famous for the head blowing scene in which Revok kills another scanner by exploding his head using his telepathic powers. There are plot holes that you can drive a truck through, and some of the acting is really poor (particularly by the two main characters - Stephen Lack and Jennifer O'Neil), but the story is sufficiently compelling (and gory) to hold one's interest. Michael Ironside has some pretty crazy face gestures! I certainly wouldn't put this film into the `classic' category, but it is fairly entertaining if you like horror films, particular from the 70s-80s. If you haven't seen it before, you've got to watch it at least once, just for the head blowing scene and the climactic battle at the end - those two scene are all-time classics!
Movie Review: Heads Will Explode When The Scanners Come To Town
Summary: 4 Stars
The seventies gave birth to psychokinetic horror films such as the blockbusters "Carrie" and "The Fury." In 1980, David Cronenberg (director of such science fiction horror classics as "The Brood," "Rabid," and "The Fly") brought us "Scanners."
Scanners are humans who can read your thoughts and manipulate your actions. Most of them are emotionally dysfunctional because the multitude of thoughts that bombard them can produce insanity. Therefore, they live in isolation. The drug Ephemerol is used to block thoughts.
Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) is a good scanner who must find and destroy an evil scanner, Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside). Revok is intent on creating a group of scanners that will rule the world. This plot will be repeated numerous times in future sequels and in such horror hits as the "Firestarter" series.
Cameron encounters many dangerous obstacles during his quest to locate his nemesis. There is much death and bloodshed. Beautiful Kim Obrist (Jennifer Oneill of Lucio Fulci's "The Psychic") is another scanner who befriends Cameron. Together, they make an adorable couple and you can't help but cheer them on in their dangerous quest.
Eerie music and wintry Canadian scenery provide an excellent background for this high tech chiller. The acting is superb, the plot is fast paced, and the ending is quite shocking. "Scanners" is a must see for fans of telekinetic horror.
Movie Review: Mind Reading Can Be Murder
Summary: 4 Stars
Michael Ironside is head of an underground group of Scanners - mutants whose thoughts can literally kill. He's got a major grudge match going on with the government goons who made him, and the two groups have been engaged in a private little war that slipperily elusive Patrick McGoohan wants to end. McGoohan brings in unaware Scanner Stephen Lack and clues him in as to what he is, and why he keeps hearing other people's voices in his head. Lack becomes McGoohan's secret agent, sent out to be recruited by Ironside's group and get the goods on them from the inside.The film is uneven and a bit slow, but heavy on suspense and pretty good special effects - which are extraordinarily shocking and violent. Lack is a little wooden as the hero of the piece, but is credible and sympathetic. McGoohan plays the role he always plays - the less-than-forthcoming, smoothly sly double-dealer - and he does it well. The ever-lovely Jennifer O'Neill is Lack's fearful and reluctant helper and love interest. Ironside, who frequently plays underspoken heavies, is at his quietly unsettling best as Lack and McGoohan's psychotic quarry.
This is a very well done Canadian low-budgeter, as effective today as when it was made almost a quarter of a century ago. It was the first of the government-created-human-psychic-weapons pieces to follow The Fury, the one that started it all, and is generally better than that film though not as slick.
Movie Review: David Cronenberg Distinctive "Body Horror" in Full Form
Summary: 4 Stars
Canadian filmmaker, David Cronenberg, films are generally quite entertaining. As in most of Cronenberg's films, his distinctive "Body Horror" style, will cause you to wince numerous times throughout the flick. Michael Ironside steals the show. This method actor is terrifying on screen, even in his very last scene at the end of the film.
If I could say something that may annoy many of you out there, the film does not carry over so well to today, given the dated musical score and the seemingly over used concept of "telekinesis" and the not-so-scary premise. However, put yourself in 1981 and this film was at the forefront of the Sci-Fi genre. A clear example of this is when Stephen Lack (who plays Cameron in the film), uses a pay-phone to "go online" by tapping into the line telekinetically. This scene obviously preceding The Matrix by almost twenty years. There are many a scenes like this.
Back to the music, Howard Shore's (who has since done the Lord of the Rings trilogy) score is fantastic and classic 1980's techno horror, but along with Bowie's album "Low" with Brian Eno (amongst a few other films and albums), this score basically set the stage for the wave of electronica music from the late-80's to today.
All in all, this film will be loved by those seeking a nostalgic feel for the 80's techno/Sci-Fi/horror feel in the light of Blade Runner.
Movie Review: Cronenberg's claim to fame
Summary: 4 Stars
Scanners is the story of a scanner (one who has telekinetic abilities such as blowing others' heads off) by the name of Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) whom doctor Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan) enlists to help him seek out an evil scanner, Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside), who wants to lead his own army of psychotic scanners to world domination.
This was the film that put David Cronenberg on the map. It's one of his best and 25 years later, it still works; it actually fits this millennium like a glove, with all the experiments going on in science these days. As with all of Cronenberg's movies, he explores multiple themes and the film has more depth than it appears to have at first glance. It's a great blend of sci-fi and horror, at times unsettling, and features awesome special effects (the exploding head at the beginning, the final confrontation between Vale and Revok) and leads to a powerful climax. On the downside, the acting is a bit stiff and uninspired by the majority of the cast (save for Ironside who oozes evil in this role as in all his other roles).
If you're a fan of Cronenberg, what are you waiting for? You should have seen this already! If you like horror and/or sci-fi films, this one's a real treat. It's got a great plot, suspense, cool action scenes and Cronenberg's unique vision. See it today before the remake comes out next year!