- Actors: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid, Thaao Penghlis
- Directors: Ken Russell
- Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English, French
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- DVD Release Date: 29 Dec 1998
- Run Time: 102 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- ASIN: 6305133131
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 103,886 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
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 17 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.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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 the man who brought you The Devils,Tommy and Lair of the White Worm that's really saying something. The story concerns the efforts of an experimental (mostly on himself) scientist to try and link the effects of strong psychotropic drugs to physical regression into a primordial state. Sounds a bit highbrow? Don't worry this is Ken Russel so there's lashings of kinky sex,weird religious imagery and some of the best visual interpretations of tripping off your tits you'll ever see. Oh, and William Hurt is ace in it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 9 months ago by Puss
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 10 months ago by S. James
Powerful hallucinogenic experience
Beautiful movie, great direction by Ken Russell and with a young William Hurt in a real state of grace. A+
Published 17 months ago by Marco Tomada
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
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
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
Unparalleled Strangeness
I could only give this movie three stars because I dont think it has much rewatch value, I'd recommend rental rather than buying it, unless you've seen it and are a fan. Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2008 by Lark
One of the silliest films I have ever seen
This is one of the silliest films I have ever seen. Set against that, I rarely watch American films so there are probably worse. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2008 by Peter Scott
Still scares me 25 years later
This film first scared me about 12 months before I saw it - there was an article in OMNI magazine featuring a selection of stills, which freaked me out. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2006 by Rob KB
Stands the Test of Time
Altered States not only is a very important "coming out" of actor William Hurt, but his portrayal of Dr. Jessup is exsquisitely understated just as it needs to be. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2005 by "kiddoctor1960"
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