Michael Ironside steals the show as the unhinged renegade scanner, Darryl Revok, who has a vast army of scanner converts at his disposal ready and willing to annihilate anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their way. This gives the viewer a rather apt feeling of coldness and isolation. Throughout the film, there is a general feeling of starkness, from the synthesiser-tinged score by Howard Shore, to the general sparse look of the film. The modern society portrayed in 'Scanners' is a world viewed through the eyes of the outcast. Like many of his low-budget horror films right up to 'The Fly' (1986) 'Scanners' has a very subversive, fly-on-the-wall take on society's ills. It would seem that the director, David Cronenberg, was using this plot device as a metaphor to comment on society's prejudicial attitudes towards the mentally ill. The more interesting aspect is the fact that most of these 'scanners'(or telepathic curiosities as the CEO of Consec calls them) are usually forced to live on the fringes of society as their telekinetic powers are feared and misunderstood by many. The scene was so convincingly played out that it really shock me up. Nowadays, I've learnt to view the film through more enlightened eyes, and appreciate it for the masterpiece that is most rightfully is.Īpart from the much-lauded 'exploding head' scene (which could have used a little more blood spattering everywhere) one of the film's most chilling scenes is at the very beginning when the lead character, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) causes a woman to have a fit in a shopping mall before being captured by a pair of heavies. Reviewed by mccarthystuart 9 / 10 Probably one of the best sci-fi social commentaries of our time.įirst off, when I first saw Scanners, it really didn't do that much for me.
Still, Scanners is a cult movie and if you can find time, and you're in the right mood, it's certainly worthwhile for it's innovative gore, moody atmosphere and Michael Ironside. The ending is a bit rushed as well(even though the climax is incredible). A treat is, as usual, Michael Ironside, who gives his pretty simple character a nice edge and a personality.Īs for the story, it's sometimes hard to follow, and sometimes it lacks something. The supporting cast is over all sufficient.
The unknown Stephen Lack does a good-enough job, what with all the grimacing and psycho-playing. The characters are all slightly off colour, subnormal. It's a dark and unknown world in here, and no-one living in it likes it at all. I was actually scratching my head over some things, thinking "how did they do that?", which is a good measure of special effects skills. Some shots easily beat what the best CGI can do today, and some are just plain sick(you'll jump, I promise you). Scanners is Cronenberg's venture into telepathy and the strange workings of the mind(he seems to do one movie on each theme, doesn't he?) While it is not as good as many of his other movies, it's still worthwhile.įirst of all, the effects are really good. Reviewed by MrVibrating 7 / 10 Dark and Dysphoric