scanners

[Fez]

in a world of the not so distant future where telepaths are second class citizens, this film is a sci-fi thriller about the infiltration of an underground group of these rogue scanners by a lone man who has just mastered his own mind control and turns out to be the most powerful of the lot. written and directed by the celebrated david cronenberg under what is an unmistakeable influence from philip k dick, it’s a slow paced story punctuated by some gory special effects, particularly the head explosion scene, that made the film infamous in 1980s as a video-nasty even though such violence is as fleeting as it is graphic.

although definitely one of the best sci-fi films i’ve seen it isn’t perfect. some of the acting veers occasionally from being stilted to melodramatic, and despite the depiction of a futuristic society apparently the computing technology is stranded in 1981. the background music and sound effects quite often grated on my eardrums too; an unpleasant assault of synthesisers that probably does more to date the film than even the massive green-screen computer monitors do.

im normally against remaking films, but with the same excellent script and some acting that doesn't consist of the occasional plank of wood impression, it could turn a good film into a great one. as it is