Review of Altered States (1980) by Shawn-Ray M — 13 Sep 2009
What begins as an amazing look into the world of fringe science, as well as the dangers of it, becomes nearly a different movie in the last half. It was hard to tell where they were trying to focus on: that our bodies hold the memories of all the parts we're made of throughout the span of time and can physically alter our appearance and intelligence to a lesser form of consciousness (devolving us to cave man-like stature) or unlocking the full capabilities of said consciousness to a state of oneness with the universe and nearly god-like potential.
Admittedly it could easily be both (the full span of our consciousness from everything that we're made up of to the near-limitlessness of our potential) but in context with this movie the two just didn't blend that well together.
Still, some striking imagery coupled with William Hurt's performance make sitting through the entirety somehow worth it.
This review of Altered States (1980) was written by Shawn-Ray M on 13 Sep 2009.
Altered States has generally received positive reviews.
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