This movie adaptation of the Phillip K. Dick novel by director Richard Linklater is much more faithful to the source material and very timely. I think what works best is that all of the actors appear as if they are animated (a type of rotoscoping effect), which creates a surreal feeling and allows some special effects that probably would not work otherwise. Wynona Rider gives a decent performance as does star Keanu Reeves, who portrays a government official who ends up having to spy on himself.
The movie takes place "seven years in the future", where the majority of the populace is addicted to a new drug which eventually turns your brain into potatoes. An entire police force is dedicated to eliminating this problem but they ironically end up being the source of it. Problems arise when Reeves becomes addicted to the pills himself and can't distinguish what is reality.
Don't rent this movie if you think you'll see exploding heads as in Cronenberg's classic SCANNERS. On the other hand, if you want a movie to think about then by all means go ahead and check it out.
This movie adaptation of the Phillip K. Dick novel by director Richard Linklater is much more faithful to the source material and very timely. I think what works best is that all of the actors appear as if they are animated (a type of rotoscoping effect), which creates a surreal feeling and allows some special effects that probably would not work otherwise. Wynona Rider gives a decent performance as does star Keanu Reeves, who portrays a government official who ends up having to spy on himself.
