Scanners was a pretty advanced movie for its time. Not that the special effects or cinematography was that advanced but the concept was.
The scanners, or telepathic curiosities, were human telepaths that could read minds and manipulate people's actions. One rogue scanner, Daryl Revok (Michael Ironside), was killing all scanners that wouldn't join him in his mission. What was his mission? Create a super race of scanners to control the world. Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) was dispatched to infiltrate Revok's inner network and neutralize him.
I thought the movie was going the route of extreme head explosions after an early scene that has been oft-viewed. Although it wasn't the only gory scene it ended up being only one of two. It was more mystery as the audience learned things as Cameron Vale learned them. The entire situation with scanners, ephemerol (the scanner stopper drug), ConSec, and Band Biogen Amalgamate was more than meets the eye.
I say that it was advanced as a movie concept because it was like an X-Men meets The Matrix.
X-Men because of the Professor X-like abilities and the desire to create a super race to take over the world (that was more Magneto's thing).
The Matrix because, although it wasn't explored until the end, the idea that a human could enter a computer network by more-or-less logging in with his mind. The only thing similar to that would be Tron which came out in 1982.
I came to enjoy Scanners even if it had a shaky start. It ended up being far more intelligent than I'd imagined.
The scanners, or telepathic curiosities, were human telepaths that could read minds and manipulate people's actions. One rogue scanner, Daryl Revok (Michael Ironside), was killing all scanners that wouldn't join him in his mission. What was his mission? Create a super race of scanners to control the world. Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) was dispatched to infiltrate Revok's inner network and neutralize him.
I thought the movie was going the route of extreme head explosions after an early scene that has been oft-viewed. Although it wasn't the only gory scene it ended up being only one of two. It was more mystery as the audience learned things as Cameron Vale learned them. The entire situation with scanners, ephemerol (the scanner stopper drug), ConSec, and Band Biogen Amalgamate was more than meets the eye.
I say that it was advanced as a movie concept because it was like an X-Men meets The Matrix.
X-Men because of the Professor X-like abilities and the desire to create a super race to take over the world (that was more Magneto's thing).
The Matrix because, although it wasn't explored until the end, the idea that a human could enter a computer network by more-or-less logging in with his mind. The only thing similar to that would be Tron which came out in 1982.
I came to enjoy Scanners even if it had a shaky start. It ended up being far more intelligent than I'd imagined.