--- title: "A Scanner Darkly: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-scanner-darkly/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-scanner-darkly" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Scanner Darkly (2006): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 13 reviews: 7 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come down in favour of A Scanner Darkly, with reservations. The praise clusters on Linklater’s rotoscoped animation, which nearly every review names as the film’s chief achievement: it brings the scramble suit and the hallucinations to life and exposes the ordinary sadness underneath the paranoia. There is broad agreement that this is an unusually faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick, and the cast’s handling of the strung-out junkie dialogue draws warm notices, Robert Downey Jr. in particular. The reservations gather around pace and talk. Several critics find the film slow and dialogue-heavy, and warn that anyone unfamiliar with Dick may struggle. Variety goes furthest, calling it overly faithful and a missed opportunity, and complaining that the animation flattens the actors’ faces. Slant thinks Linklater never quite catches the novel’s comic nightmare. The spread is wide, from that lone negative to a handful of admirers who find it gripping and moving, but the centre of opinion is a qualified yes. ## Los Angeles Times — Carina Chocano Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2006. Chocano gives the film a clearly positive verdict, calling its central achievement brilliant. She particularly praises how Linklater’s rotoscoping and understated approach make its paranoid world feel connected to reality. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-07-et-scannerdarkly7-story.html) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 18 August 2006. The review finds the film darkly comic, unsettling and unusually respectful of Philip K. Dick’s work. It particularly praises the visually astonishing rotoscoping and Robert Downey Jr.’s energetic performance. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/a-scanner-darkly-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Jeremiah Kipp Rating 3/4. 29 June 2006. Kipp finds the film only partly successful, saying Linklater does not fully capture the novel’s comic nightmare. He praises its vivid depiction of addicts and its portrayal of Generation X’s failed intimacy. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-scanner-darkly/) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2006. Newman finds the film intelligent and near-essential, though its dizzying moments create an overall downbeat effect. He praises Linklater’s faithful, skilful adaptation and the cast’s handling of the funny, unsettling junkie dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scanner-darkly-review/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2007. Mackie finds the film an effective, obscurely funny adaptation, though its strung-out dialogue and limited action may not suit viewers unfamiliar with Dick’s work. He praises Linklater’s animation for bringing the scramble suit vividly to life. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jan/19/dvdreviews.sciencefictionandfantasy) ## The Independent — Robert Hanks Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 17 August 2006. Hanks finds the film flawed but absorbing, recommending it for its atmosphere rather than its stars, story, or philosophical ideas. He praises Linklater’s rotoscoped visuals for revealing the ordinary sadness and fear beneath the paranoia. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-scanner-darkly-15-412295.html) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2006. Marshall frames the film as a sci-fi slacker movie, returning to Linklater’s animation technique from Waking Life. The accessible text ends before his verdict or any specific praise or complaint is clear. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/a-scanner-darkly/4027478.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2006. The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint from the review could be confirmed. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/arts/13iht-fmreview14.2191651.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 14 August 2006. The accessible page identifies this as Walters’s review, but the critic’s verdict is not available in the supplied text. The visible description begins with a character’s claim about hidden processes behind reality, without revealing what Walters praises or faults. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-scanner-darkly-1) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Rating 3/5. The three-star assessment suggests an interesting adaptation, though not an unequivocal success. It singles out Linklater’s distinctive interpolated-rotoscoping visual approach. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-c5v7oy/a-scanner-darkly/) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2006. Festival review. Chang finds the adaptation intriguing but overly faithful and talky, ultimately a missed opportunity rather than a visionary film. He praises the rotoscoped hallucination and scramble suit, while noting that the animation flattens the actors’ faces. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2006/biz/awards/a-scanner-darkly-1200515941/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2006. Kermode calls the film brilliant, disorientating, gripping and emotionally powerful, while noting that its slow build and complex storyline may challenge some viewers. She praises the rotoscoped animation, finely judged dialogue and performances for making the damaged characters compelling and deserving of empathy. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/a-scanner-darkly-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4 out of 5. 5 July 2010. Lambie praises the film as a faithful, moving adaptation and calls Blu-ray its perfect home. He singles out the rotoscoped visuals and the disc’s vivid, sharply defined colors. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-scanner-darkly-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-scanner-darkly.md