Warner Bros. | 2006 | 100 mins. | R
Note: Warner Brothers released A Scanner Darkly on Blu-ray in 2007. This 2010 reissue appears to be identical to that disc save for the fact that it omits a featurette from the special features. If you have the older release, there’s really little reason to invest in this disc.
Based on the story of the same name by renowned author Philip K. Dick (probably best known for writing Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? on which Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was based), Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly was shot as a live action picture and then handed over to a team of animators who worked some rotoscoping magic over top of the film and gave it a very distinct and appropriately ‘trippy’ look and feel.
Reflective of a period when the writing essentially stooped and drugs took over, Dick’s story is set in near future Orange County, California. Keanu Reeves plays an undercover agent (his real name is Bob Arctor, his codename, Fred)), charged with living the lifestyle of a full-time drug user in order to trace a deadly drug named Substance D back to its source. Away from his job, he wears a suit that makes him look like a faint blur of faces and features. Even his superiors don’t know which of the suspects in his circle of friends he is; only his addict pals (Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder) get to see his true face.
Fred must also track his own activities, because one of his co-workers, James Barris (Robert Downey Jr.), has reported him for some rather serious offenses. Fred’s boss, Hank, aware of what Fred’s has been up to, but is willing to overlook it as a necessary part of getting the job done.
A lot of excellent Dick prose makes its way to the screen via writer/director Richard Linklater’s screenplay and the cast is well chosen. The characters are never completely covered up the animation. Each individual is still able to add their own flair of personality to the character. Linklater’s take on the material is insightful and true to its source. The novelist’s theme of technology stripping us of some humanity (through the scanner suit, in this case) is a major part of the story and gives it the science fiction feel, but the drug induced paranoia grounds the picture in reality
A Scanner Darkly is a VC-1 encode, presented in 1.85.1 widescreen that looks very good. Colors are remarkably bold and well defined and the film’s interesting visual style is made all the more impressive thanks to the higher bit rate and lower compression that the Blu-ray format offers. Black levels are strong, while brighter hues are distinct and never bleed over top of one another. Compression artifacts print damage, dirt or debris aren’t a problem, nor is there any grain. What we’re left with is a very clean, detailed transfer that beautifully replicates its source material. Contrast is perfect, and the entire film looks remarkably vibrant.
The only audio is presented in a 48 kHz 640 kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track, in English. No lossless option is provided. English, French and Spanish subtitles are included, but no alternate language dubs are provided. There is some good surround activity here and the dialogue is well balanced and easy to discern but a lossless option certainly would have afforded the music and effects work in particular a lot more punch. Bass is present but never rumbles like a good full force track can. The mix sounds fine, but it could and should have been better.
By far, the most interesting special feature on the disc is a commentary track featuring director Richard Linklater, producer Tommy Pallotta, author Jonathan Lethem, and Philip K. Dick’s daughter, Isa Dick Hackett. This is a solid track that fans of both film and the novel will enjoy, as it gives Linklater a chance to talk about the challenges of adapting a story like this one for a mass audience. The participants discuss the themes that Dick’s story and other works deal with, casting, technology, and the production.
Also included a featurette entitled The Weight Of The Line: Animation Tales (20:46) in which the animation team involved in the project discuss what went into taking the filmed footage and transferring it into animated footage. Aside from that, look for a trailer, and a simple menu. Previous releases of this film have included a featurette entitled One Summer In Austin: The Story Of Filming A Scanner Darkly, but for some reason, it’s not here on this reissued Blu-ray.
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