{2jtab: Movie Review}

Ah, the psychedelic journey.  It’s a twisted and tortured trip and in Ken Russell’s Altered States, it’s a very primitive one.  Russell (director of The Devils, Gothic, and Lair of the White Worm) was hired on after the original director, Arthur Penn, balked at Warner Bros constant interference with the project and the film – as mindbending as some of its visuals are – is served all the better for it.

The story of one scientist’s rapidly increasing experiments involving isolation tanks, drugs, and the devolution to primitive man could easily have gotten out of hand.  Altered States, however, remains guided and doesn’t blink twice until the very end.  In the years since its release, the film has been referenced by television in shows like “House”, “South Park”, and “Psyche”; its dialogue and music has been sampled by DJ Shadow, Bring Me The Horizon, and Ministry.  Fox’s “Fringe” has also swiped more than a storyline or two from it (including its lead actress).  That’s quite a pop culture legacy for a film that was neglected by most upon its initial release.

The year is 1967 and Dr. Eddie Jessup (William Hurt in his film debut) is working on some strong sensory depravation juju.  His studies of schizophrenic patients have led him to believe those individuals are simply in touch with another plane of reality.  Working with a colleague, Dr. Arthur Rosenberg (Bob Balaban), he attempts to reach the point where a similar mental state can be achieved by a non-schizophrenic…namely himself, but goes even deeper than expected.

Yes, we know it never turns out well when scientists experiment on themselves.  We simply can’t look away.  Jessup does not, however, roid out into a raging green muscle monster.  He simply experiences the unconscious and sees disturbing images – masterfully rendered through odd superimpositions, bizarre colors, and Dick Smith’s makeup effects - that haunt him and recall the passing of his father.

Lured in by the strong sense of spirituality – crucifixes and devil-sheep - associated with these head trips, Jessup becomes obsessed with venturing down the proverbial rabbit hole.  Eventually, he lets his marriage to Emily (Blair Brown) dissolve into a casual nothingness.  He pushes limits he shouldn’t with the help of an anthropologist friend, Echeverria (Thaao Penghlis), and a strange Mexican tribe of natives who allow him to be a part of their intense ceremonies.

The visions only increase.  Normalcy is escaping him and Primal Man (Miguel Godreau) is all about him.  Altered States was written by three-time Oscar winner Paddy Chayevsky, but is credited to Sidney Aaron due to on-set disputes and a general dislike of how the film was handled by studio executives.  This is yet another wrinkle in the film’s wrought-filled production history.

Even still, Altered States comes out a winner.

It may half-ass its sudden and undeveloped ending and boggle the mind with a bit too much science speak at times but – armed with a steady stream of rich visuals – Altered States will shake your world up.  This film simply will not tell you what it’s about.  You’ll guess it’s going in one direction and slap you upside the head with a sudden turn.  It’s never chaotic; it has to in control, but – oh – is it ever so very uneasy.

The death of God is an atypical subject for mainstream Hollywood to tackle.  It’s certain to offend and, complete with a fearless script that dares to ask the unanswerable, Altered States will certainly confuse.  That being said, the combination of just about all the Universal Monster flicks into one matter-of-factly science fiction film is a moody must see.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: R.
Director: Ken Russell
Writer: Paddy Chayefsky
Cast: William Hurt; Blair Brown; Bob Balaban; Charles Haid
Genre: Fantasy | Sci-fi | Horror
Tagline: When he heard his cry for help it wasn't human.
Memorable Movie Quote: "He doesn't love me. He never loved me. I was never real to him. Nothing in the human experience is real to him."
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: December 25, 1980
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 10, 2012

Synopsis: A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber that may be causing him to regress genetically.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - July 10, 2012
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Playback: Region-free

Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray is a dark masterwork.  Through each scene (with only a few looking a little “soft”) there is a solid line of definition.  Clothing, faces, sets all crackle inside this new transfer.  The colors pop with clarity and sheen previously never seen from this wonderfully and purposefully darkly lit film.  Almost every frame is gorgeously surrounded with deep shadows that thrust the mystery forward.  In spite of the framed darkness, cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth’s work is clear and focused with a nice (and visible) background.  The DTS-HD 5.1 Surround Sound finally gives Altered States the oomph it once carried in theaters (with MegaSound capabilities).  Dialogue is clear and all channels are engaged.  Excellent sound design and clear dialogue keeps this release a captivating one.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Warner Bros has released a bunch of their science fiction classics, but – once again – they drop the ball with no special features.  Bummer as this is another in their catalogue of releases that has an interesting production history.  Maybe someday they will see fit to correct this omission.  Until then…

{2jtab: Trailer}

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