Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Based on the novel by Phillip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly is set seven years in the future when much of society is hooked on the drug Substance D. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover narcotics agent leading a double life as both an enforcer and breaker of the law. In his private time he associates with a group of junkies who have no idea that he's a narc.

While I love the style of animation and story, most of the voice acting is atrocious. Both Reeves and Winona Ryder are flat and wooden, but Robert Downy Jr. steals every scene with his superior acting talent. The film features prolific drug use, so if you're turned off by this sort of thing, don't tune in.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080p encode on a BD-25 disc
• Occasional banding
• Vivid color saturation
• Deep blacks

Audio Highlights

• Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
• Paltry 640kbps lossy soundtrack
• Dialog-driven production
• Front-loaded presentation
• Creepy score from Graham Reynolds

This is a rerelease from early in the format's history and there hasn't been any upgrades to the package. The video encode is still very good, but the lossy audio is a disappointment.

Bonus Materials

• Commentary with cast and crew
• Making-of featurettes
• Theatrical trailer

Despite the poor acting by Reeves and Ryder, the eye-candy aspect is worth at least one viewing. Unfortunately, I watched the film a few years ago, and it doesn't hold up well the second time through. Give it a rent.

Release Date: September 7, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 6/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 6/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics