Review of Scanners (1981) by G.m. W — 19 Sep 2014

David Cronenberg's Scanners is one of the those films that has more talked-about scenes in it than it actually has a great storyline. The storyline isn't really bad, but it's the execution of the film's key special effects sequences that make it stand out a little bit more in his body of work, particularly the opening head exploding scene and the film's final scene.

I think I like the film a little bit more each time I see it, but I don't watch it too often. I'd prefer to watch it rather than watch its sequels, that's for sure. They're not overly horrible, but they are definitely a far cry from the original.

The acting in this film, particular from Stephen Lack, is subpar at best. All except for Patrick McGoohan and, of course, Michael Ironside, who is pretty much the star of the film, even though he's the protagonist.

It's an interesting film with some great some special effects work, and that's about it. I'm of the opinion that David Cronenberg made a lot of better films than this one. It isn't a bad at all, but it's not one of his best, at least to me.