Scanners 4K 1981

This is an unusual movie for Cronenberg's work, in the sense that surprisingly everything here is quite clear and doesn't blow your mind like, for example, 'Videodrome' or 'Naked Lunch'. The subject matter is interesting enough for 1980, it's just a pity that no scope or anything mind-boggling has been demonstrated on this ground. Scanners, as it turns out, are not only surveillance devices and office equipment, but also special people who have developed something like telepathy. That is, they can read minds, communicate at a distance, and the worst thing is that they can even physically influence and control other people.

According to the plot of the movie, such unicums live among us, as vampires, cyborgs from the future or aliens from other worlds usually do in movies. There are good ones and not so good ones. The latter, of course, seek to seize world domination, having created a secret powerful organization of especially strong scanners, which can literally blow up the brain! They are opposed by the main characters Cameron and Kim, who as a result will have to face the most vicious scanner Darryl, played by the inimitable Michael Ironside. This actor in 80- was enough roles of villains, and in their images he looks no worse than in the roles of military and generals from 90-early 2000-ies.

Actually, it was his participation and the name of director Cronenberg that fueled my interest in this sci-fi thriller. I think it would have made a much stronger impression on me in 1980 than it did fifteen years later. But as it is, it turned out pretty well for a Canadian movie. I was especially pleased that it was filmed in a manner closer to Hollywood, where there are bad and good characters, and everything is tied to their confrontation, without all the hallucinations and outright nonsense, which is usually understandable only to its creator. The production is of high quality, the music is oppressive, the actors are good (Michael Ironside is excellent), and the special effects, albeit without computer trickery, are quite impressive. Thank you for the exploding heads.

In my opinion - a very interesting sci-fi thriller by David Cronenberg, much more simple and understandable than most of his works.