Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Film - With A Small Asterik
Review: A film powered by a fascinating subject, Ken Russell's Altered States has a number of redeeming and entertaining qualities that make it stand-out.A classic sci-fi intelligent horror film, Altered States is full of visual symbolism, as well as religious and social overtones. The special effects were ground-breaking, especially the metamorphsis scenes of Hurt's various body parts buckling and swelling like something out of "Alien." The theme of the story is nothing new, good old Love and affection can conquer all and is what the main character is really looking for all along, etc.., Hurt's character, Eddie Jessup, is a research scientist at his local University who believes that memory is passed on through genes. By shutting himself into an isolation tank full of water, naked, in total darkness, under the influence of a psychotic drug he obtained from Mexico, Jessup believes he could unlock the mysteries of man's origin. The grandfather of all experiments, the ultimate scientific goal. Jessup's obsession turned out to be his tragic flaw and led him to his ultimate satori. The acting, especially by Blair Brown, can be a bit on the Hollywood side, with stereotypical characterizations and some cliche'd dialogue. But this film is powered by it's subject matter utimately, and it's directing. This one is shown in various Film Arts classes throughout the country, with good reason. This movie is...for just about anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Be Visually Exercised
Review: If you want to be put through your paces, visually, look no further: Director Ken Russell's 'Altered States' will do just that, leaving you feel that you've gone through some of the same drug trips this movie's major character does!As with most of Russell's films ('Lair of the White Worm,' 'Gothic'), he's more concerned with TEXTURE, COLOR and SPACE than he is with plot. As a result, you'll find the movie a bit lacking in that department -- almost as if he stitched the first half of the film to the second.Nonetheless, there are some good aspects beyond the visuals: Bill Hurt as the very focused scientist (his first major film role), the solid and beautiful actress Blair Brown as his wife, and Charles Haid as the always cursing and bombastic thorn in the Hurt character's side (this was before Haid's 'Hill Street Blues' days, by the way).End note: If strong religious/anti-religious visuals offend you, you may want to avoid this film. Part of the plot line involves Hurt's character addressing God and heaven, and Russell takes these visuals to their fullest tilt.
Rating: 
Summary: Deplorable Main Character Gives Nobody to Root For
Review: The main protagonist of this movie (Hurt) is so extremely selfish that it is impossible to root for him; thus, at the end, in the semi-famous climax scene which inspired nothing less than the ending of the infamous "Aha" video: when the protagonist is throwing himself at opposing hallway walls in order to stave off becoming less than human again, the viewer can't get it out of his head that this egoist has already been less than human all movie long.
You'd like to see his loving wife saved (who's life he's imperiled), but the main character (Hurt), well, that guy can go to hell. Nothing in him is redeemable, and his sudden, verbal "conversion" to his wife, his plea for entry back into feeling humanity--right before all this bad stuff went down--is less than believable.
The special effects are terribly dated, but the character flaws in the protagonist are the real terrible thing about this movie.
There's no one to root for. You just hope nobody gets hurt by this idiot. Of course, even this hope is in vain, as he does hurt others, both physically and emotionally, and shows very scant remorse about it.
The character's personality type is also off: they portray him as a rational stoic, but in real life those types are not the ones who are driven to pursue the things that this man is pursuing. He needed to evince more passion and spiritualism, not rational stoicism. For those familiar with Myers-Briggs, you will understand the following: his character needed to be an INFP; this movie mistakenly portrays him as INTP.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Movie with an Excellent Score
Review: The plot of the film centers on Professor Eddie Jessup who explores different states of consciousness by using a sensory deprivation tank and hallucinogenic drugs. It has a well-developed plot for a Science Fiction/Horror movie with the right mixture of realism and fantasy. The sound quality of the DVD is far superior to the VHS. The intricacies of the score, composed by John Corigliano, and the various sound effects are better appreciated on the DVD. Without the technology to create realistic sound effects, Corigliano instead used various orchestration techniques such as harmonics and microtonality; this interconnects the score to the plot of the film. Since 1980, no film composer's score has been equaled in this respect. It's a trite expression but they don't make them like they used to. Overall, the movie is at its best during the supernatural scenes of horror. During the more dramatic scenes, the acting is overdone and unbelievable especially in scenes with Professor Jessup and his wife. Despite that, this movie is a landmark film in the horror movie genre with one of the best scores of any movie. It is definitely a film to see and a DVD worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Something you should know about Altered States
Review: by most reviews on here, i bought this DVD thinking it was some movie about the psychedelic trip of an experimental scientist and all the good fun he had with going back in time. FALSE. im going to be a little bit of a spoiler here, so if you dont wanna know exactly what the movies about, dont read the rest of this.
altered states is about a scientist/psychologist who is wandering about the reality of schizophrenia. that maybe its a connection that is not of insanity, but pure gift of the mind (my theory from day one). so he ends up in this dark water tank with some f-cked up voodoo LSD or sumthin from mexico. he goes back in time and evolves into an ape-man. he escapes from the tank and kills a man and eats a goat to be found sleeping naked (returned to his human form) in the zoo. his wife agrees to let him try it again. this time, it makes his face bubble up and deforms his entire body. the light and gas from the tank (how the hell it got their? some supernatural sh-t i guess) knocks out his wife and 2 scientists. the wife awakes, finds her husband, the experimenting scientist, in a swirling portal and he is screaming with an extremely disfigured face/body. she saves him from the portal of nothingness and they go back to the house only for him to turn into the deformed master of nothingness again and make her one of them (some fire girl---accident by the way), then he saves her from her nothingness. he tells her he loves her and thats the end.
yes, the movie has some trippy drug sequences but thats not what its about, really. its very impossible. i thought i was in for some good ol psychidelic fun and a guy with altered states of conciessness. i gues thats what i get for buying a movie before i see it.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Sci-Fi/Thriller.
Review: A young scientist (William Hurt in his First Role) playing wanting to be God. When he finds a Unique Way to Hallucinatory by using Mind Alterting Drugs to Execurstions the Former Life, he had to Sheer Terror to Experience Disturbing Physical Changes in his body that point toward an Evolutionary Regression. This is one of these movies, at times, you can`t help but to be Swept Along... and almost overwhelmed. Directed by Ken Russell (Gothic) had made a Unique film. Strong Performances by Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban and Charles Haid. Watch Quick for a young:Drew Barrymore, John Larroquette and George Gaynes. This film has Unique Visual Effects, and fine Make-Up Effects. This film recieves Oscar Nomination for Sound Effects and Best Music Score. DVD`s has an strong anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer (Pan & Scan also alivable) and an terrific Digitally Remastered Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (One of the Best Sounding Dolby Digital Tracks on a DVD). An bizarre, unusual film. Grade:A-.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining visual extravaganza...
Review: ... with a rather interesting, engaging plot and a liberal dash of mysticism. I have to wonder about some of the other reviewers who've commented on this film... they seem to me to be about at the level of the ape-creature halfway through the film. That's not even touching on the great unwashed masses who are unable to comprehend a film like this on *any* level, let alone those people with an ability to write an amazon review (or perhaps spell correctly -- and those who cannot crawl forth from underneath the proverbial rock). At what evolutionary level are they? Whether we ever find out or not, this classic film will continue to engage and entertain those have dared questioned the meaning of existence, asked themselves "who am I?" or pondered anything deeper than a McChicken sandwich or beer & a football game.
Rating:
Summary: My first experience with drugs and movies...
Review: Okay I know I am going to get a little more than my fair share of wacking for this but I want to relate my experience of watching this film while smoking a bit of pot the first time and then doing some mushrooms for the second. I have to say the mushrooms where a bit much but this is one of the best movies to watch if you like to vaporize on a bit of pot because this movie is all about ethogens and how mankind has developed through a synthesis of using drugs as part of its cultural evolution. This film is all about the opposite of that as William Hurt plays a doctor researching psychic connections with his own mind's past and he believes that ethogens will help him devolve into a primordial state of awareness in conjunction with using an isolation tank! THIS FILM BLEW MY MIND! I highly recommend this movie, bar the last 10 minutes which is just your typical Hollywood control ending to help keep the masses happy, but if you want to see a film that THINKS and has it fair share of trippy moments then this will bend your mind for all that it is worth. If you like cultural films, ethogens and directors that can create some remarkable imagery then this is well worth watching. For the doubters who think that drugs+films have nothing to do with movies then I will only point you in the direction of Kubrick and Clarke with their production of 2001 and the ending that was designed for the 60s trippers and what do you get? Probably one of the best sci-fi movies ever made and an instant classic! So put that in your pipe and smoke it! (wink)
Rating:
Summary: Put down the camera, Mr. Russell....
Review: ...and no one will get hurt. How anyone gives Ken Russell the money to make a film is beyond me. I guess stranger things do happen in the world of film beyond Hollywood. Altered States is silly, dumb tat masquerading as metaphysical cinematic art. "Lair of the White Worm" at least had more entertaining camp.
Rating:
Summary: Think twice before you eat magic mushrooms...
Review: This is not for everyone; it's also one of those movies that you'll probably either love or hate (don't rely on reviews -- just watch). Its biggest fault is that a wild crescendo gives way to a less-than-dazzling finale. I was hoping for less of the typical Hollywood Happy Ending, since Altered States covers ground that most other films don't dare walk a mile near.
The psychedelic theme of the film is amusing, especially for those of us who have had some experience in that realm. While William Hurt's hallucinations are sometimes over the top, the imagery is nonetheless disturbing (almost frightening) at times. I don't know if the anthropologically diverse mishmash of the Mexican scene was intentional (or if they just thought nobody would notice), but at least it made for parts of the soundtrack being intriguing, such as the use of a European remix of a Tibetan Buddhist Evening Ritual (which probably would never be otherwise heard by most of us).
When I played this film for a friend, she really hated William Hurt's cocky, selfish character; regardless of which ones you like or dislike, you can rest assured that they are well portrayed by an outstanding cast. One of the fun things about this flick is that it all of a sudden becomes a sci-fi film somewhere in the middle -- with a truly original plot. Sure, it's a little bit silly, and it's too far out to really be believable, but so what? Even if sci-fi is not your thing, most film enthusiasts will enjoy this one if for no other reason than its thought-provoking script.
|
