Could this be the new Blade Runner, people will laugh but most people despised Blade Runner upon it's initial release, look at it now, a cult phenomenom. Could this happen with A Scanner Darkly? please don't give me the crap about "You're kidding right, Blade Runner is a masterpiece" because people didn't think so back then just try and be open minded and answer the question, they are both based on novels by Dick so, why not?
I already think this is a brilliant film and, for me, perhaps the most unerrated film of the decade.
It works on every level for me - but personally I don't think it will have the same cult following as Blade Runner. You never know I guess, but I wouldn't think so. It's harder for cult followings to gather momentum after the event in these over saturated days we live in. Also, a big film like Blade Runner (when I say big I mean well advertised, big stars in the context of when it was made) is going to hold a much wider general awaareness than something like A Scanner Darkly. The average schmo had probably heard of Balde Runner when it came out, even if they hadn't seen it - I don't think A Scanner Darkly quite fits the same bill. But you never know.
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Agreed. It will certainly age well - because it's a great film!
shareMuch as I love both films, I seriously doubt Scanner Darkly will ever reach Blade Runner status. BR has too much going for it (notably top-notch cinematography and set design) that is simply lacking in SD. SD also has the "Keanu stigma" - I know a fair amount of people who refuse to watch this simply because of him. I was able to force a few of them to watch it, and they admitted they liked it despite Keanu, but the average person (whatever that is) who has negative predispositions probably won't give it the benefit of the doubt.
SD will almost certainly become an underground cult classic, but I don't think it'll ever achieve mainstream cult status like BR. Which is too bad, but then again, BR is a far superior film on almost every level. And remember, I say all this as a fan of both films.
Honey tastes sweeter when you anger the bees.
I like Blade Runner too - but, for me, it is not 'a far superior film on almost every level' in comparison to A Scanner Darkly. For example, in my opinion, A Scanner darkly is a much better written film. They are very different films though, and I very much like both, but for very different reasons.
I agree with you about the cult status though - like I said before, Blade Runner was quote high profile before it came out - A Scanner Darkly was not. It will be cult, but not like Blade Runner. In fact you could argue now that Blade Runner is no longer really a cult film - it mananged to cross over into the mainstream over the years really.
Scanner Darkly is certainly more "quotable" and stays truer to PKD's source material/vision. Plus the first half of it is just a genuine hoot, where Blade Runner is somber throughout. But as a huge fan of film noir, Blade Runner really spoke to me in terms of its lighting and camera work.
Aside from "high profile" (i assume you mean marketing) Blade Runner had a much higher budget, which allowed them to really let loose with things like set design and presenting a dystopian "used future." Scanner was a low-budget indie film, though it did a good job with its budget.
I agree with your statement "I very much like both, but for very different reasons."
Honey tastes sweeter when you anger the bees.
Meh, Blade Runner is given most of its credit for its aesthetic appeal, which was truly groundbreaking. None of the consumer-driven-future themes appear in DADOES. Well, I guess the book is consumer-driven with animals, but that theme isn't present in the film and seems to have been somewhat replaced with brands.
ASD has a unique aesthetic style, of course, but it's much, much, much more story driven.
I think ASD receives more credit for being a relevant work today and will into the future. It won't be "rediscovered" or re-released with different storylines up to five times until just the right mix of visuals and narrative come together as was the case with Blade Runner.
They are each noteworthy films on their own merit and are probably two of the best film adaptations of PKD's works, even though Blade Runner only bears a vague resemblance to DADOES.
I'd indicate Tyrell is displayed as a figure fit for the top of the tallest pyramid, maybe head of technological totalitarianism as he holds the power to create life. The way I saw it manifest is a section in Roy's monologue about subjugation and the concept of owning another living thing. Rachael's remark that she "is" the business, also strikes at the plot point that artificial life is regarded as commodity, uncared for slaves to human masters.
There seems to be a lot Rydley Scott had to approach very vaguely to cover evenn half of the themes and concepts presented in DADOES.
What does anyone think?
Scanner wins out on story, Blade Runner on visuals. Overall I'd have to say Scanner Darkly is the better movie.. I do give credit to Blade Runner for still holding up visually as one of the best looking movies around to this day, but I also still get bored with watching it about halfway through.
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It's hard to be objective about this. But since you can make a bomb into a cult phenomenon simply by bashing it enough, I won't say anything about "A Scanner's" quality vs. "Blade Runner." No, I didn't like "A Scanner Darkly," but I was one of the lonely few who thought "Blade Runner" was a great movie when it first came out.
We all know "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is a cult classic because it is so bad. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" became a cult hit because it was so awful, heckling became fun.
You can no longer say "Blade Runner" is a cult phenomenon, because the mainstream genuinely recognizes it as a great movie. I never thought of it as a cult film. A cult classic to me is "Sante Sangre" or "Little Shop of Horrors." Movies that are too flawed for mainstream acceptance, and which only contained gold if you forgave their flaws.
A cult classic in the next several decades is going to have stiffer competition than cult classics today, and so much of it is luck. So, no, I don't think "A Scanner Darkly" is going to rise to the top. There's going to be other bizarre animations that will crowd it out.
Its not because people wont like it, they do. its because this movie is nothing similar at all.
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All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for enough good men to do nothing.
Blade Runner in the mainstream seems to be praised for its visuals, and less attention is paid to what really makes it great. A Scanner Darkly has a more obvious raison d'etre; you understand by the end that this was a brilliant anti-drug movie, where the evils of substance addiction are such that even combating them takes evil. The animation, cast, and overall meditative feel scream 'art house,' which critics respond to with real analysis, but with Blade Runner they say "ooh shiny," and "oh yeah I guess it was pretty smart
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