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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By D. Barlass
Format:DVD
William Hurt is fantastic in this film as the brilliant scientist (Dr. Eddie Jessup) who is disillusioned with 'normal' life & seeking a greater truth beyond the boundaries of science & religion. The supporting cast are also brilliant. Blair Brown as Jessup's long suffering & concerned wife, Bob Balaban as his friend & colleague, Arthur (a familiar face from films such as close Encounters of the third kind & 2010) & Charles Haid as the highrate a initially highly sceptical (and it his to be said hugely entertaining) Mason Parish.
Often these types of films can come across as cheesy & more comical than frightening. This is more often than not accompanied by poor acting, which doesn't help matters as the actors rarely come across as convincing given the situations they find themselves in. No such problems with Altered States. I think it's a classic example of the genre & demonstrates that as weird & unlikely as a plot might be it can still come across as convincing genuinely eerie if handled right i.e. good acting, good script, compelling story line & maybe some decent special FX. All to often these days the special FX seem to be put before everything else & as such films of this genre lack substance & usually don't amount to much outside of the box office. For me the special FX in this film still stand up & look good. They are of the kind that's become something of a lost art in the world of digital CGI FX overkill! The trip sequences are extremely surreal & somewhat disturbing in parts but there are some great sequences that definitely start to mess with your head! The part where Dr.Jessup regresses into primitive man is very eerie & convincing.
IMO a classic of the genre. They simply don't make them like this anymore. I'd give this film 4 stars overall but I'm stretching to a 5 because it's a personal favourite.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Are you looking for something different? This film is most definitely that. I am writing this in a post-hypnotic buzz after just watching this film and I'm still a little spaced out.
I think I just sat through 90 minutes of people yelling at one another in a mad demented professorial kind of way. The acting was real and everything fitted well. This movie keeps you thinking all the way through; it grabs your mind and sucks, then keeps on sucking.
This is not a horror movie, but it has a sharp edge of horrific to it. Jessup walks that edge throughout, in his passionate search for answers. This film has the feel of 'too good to be true', where you are aware that something is enjoyable but it could all go horribly wrong at any moment. Jessup keeps you balanced at that point, not knowing whether his next experiement will destroy him. Expertly done.
This is certainly not a 'live happily ever after' kind of movie. It will leave you with questions, but not the usual sort of 'huh, so what was that about?' which you get after some particularly bad script writing. Prepare to question life, the nature of the universe and existence.
I think I just sat through 90 minutes of people yelling at one another in a mad demented professorial kind of way. The acting was real and everything fitted well. This movie keeps you thinking all the way through; it grabs your mind and sucks, then keeps on sucking.
This is not a horror movie, but it has a sharp edge of horrific to it. Jessup walks that edge throughout, in his passionate search for answers. This film has the feel of 'too good to be true', where you are aware that something is enjoyable but it could all go horribly wrong at any moment. Jessup keeps you balanced at that point, not knowing whether his next experiement will destroy him. Expertly done.
This is certainly not a 'live happily ever after' kind of movie. It will leave you with questions, but not the usual sort of 'huh, so what was that about?' which you get after some particularly bad script writing. Prepare to question life, the nature of the universe and existence.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Tony
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I saw this movie when I was fifteen. Still like it. Blu ray is straight forward nothing special. But its about the content. Its Carlos Casteneda meets Tim Leary. If you dig these cats, you can't go wrong with this disc
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Koreaanse DVD
Dit is een Koreaanse dvd, met geen ondertitels in geen enkele taal, wel engels gesproken.
Regio 2 moeten er dan niet alle ondertitels zijn voor die regio?
Regio 2 moeten er dan niet alle ondertitels zijn voor die regio?
Published 4 months ago by Richard Meert
4.0 out of 5 stars
Acid
Great movie.The plot may be a little out there,but it stll holds water.
The effects may begin to show it's age but still great.
The effects may begin to show it's age but still great.
Published 5 months ago by Ole
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bipolar film about schizophrenia
William Hurt is researching treatments for hospitalised schizophrenics. He decides to take a walk on the wild side by coming to experiencing those very same disturbed,... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Tim Kidner
5.0 out of 5 stars
What is he on?!!
When i first saw this in the cinema i staggered outside in a state of total bewilderment/bliss. without doubt Ken Russell's most out there (like pluto) production and coming from... Read more
Published 20 months ago by pleeb
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scary
I bought this DVD because William Hurt was in it, and because I never got to see it in the 80s. So, a bit of nostalgia there. 'Scanners' came out around the same time. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Puss
3.0 out of 5 stars
The definition of a curate's egg
"Good in parts" is hardly the most ringing endorsement one can give a film, but as anyone who has seen anything else from Ken Russell's career will attest, you don't get cuddly Ken... Read more
Published 22 months ago by S. James
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful hallucinogenic experience
Beautiful movie, great direction by Ken Russell and with a young William Hurt in a real state of grace. A+
Published on 1 Jan 2011 by Marco Tomada
3.0 out of 5 stars
interesting journey
i found this sci-fi fantasy/horror film to be interesting.it has all the earmarks of a David Cronenberg film,but it isn't a Cronenberg film. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2010 by falcon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take a trip!
Well,i've seen this over and over again since it came out,and it still works for me! This film demands your attention,and should not be watched when tired and worn out. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by S. Robinson
2.0 out of 5 stars
Russell does Cronenberg
This film feels very much like an early work of David Cronenberg.
William Hurt plays Eddie Jessup who starts to dabble into isolation tank experiments in the 60s. Read more
William Hurt plays Eddie Jessup who starts to dabble into isolation tank experiments in the 60s. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2009 by Simon D. Jones
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