This is one of Ken Russell's best films. He manages to balance plot and wild visuals as never before. The acting is also first rate. I watched it again recently I think it still holds up surprisingly well compared to many modern sci-fi movies. The plot is intriguing, I keep thinking that there might be some truth to the concepts presented, and the fact is that our own brains are still largely unexplored territory. A special mention to the extraordinary music written by John Corigliano, and for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. It dares to be loud and violent, and complements the visuals extremely well. This is a wild, original movie unlike any other.
188 Reviews
Bizarre and eerie
zetes18 May 2008
Bizarre cinematic head-trip that is far better and more entertaining than anyone could guess from a description. I put it on my Netflix queue without realizing it was directed by Ken Russell. If I had seen that earlier, I would have avoided it. Thankfully I didn't. It contains everything that is good about Russell, that is, his crazy imagery, and none of the bad stuff. That is, it's not an enormous bore. The script was written by Paddy Chayefsky, based on his own novel. Not the writer you would associate with horror or sci-fi, which is the proper genres to which Altered States belongs. He disowned the film before he even saw a cut of it, despite the fact that Russell was contractually obligated not to change a word of the script. The greatest asset of the film is the fantastic acting. William Hurt makes his screen debut as a mad scientist, a Harvard professor, actually, who is experimenting with sensory deprivation, mixed with some choice hallucinogens. He hopes to lose his modern mind in the sensory deprivation tank and regress to a primitive state. Unfortunately, some mushrooms that he finds in Mexico help him regress not only mentally, but physiologically. Blair Brown plays his estranged and worried wife, and Charles Haid and Bob Balaban (love the Balaban!) play colleagues who help Hurt do his experiments. The plot is silly, but it's legitimately eerie and frightening, thanks to Russell's surprisingly excellent direction. The film ends up in territory very reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I thought it all worked pretty well. Drew Barrymore makes her film debut at age 5, and also keep an eye out for John Larroquette.
Beautifully odd movie
siderite30 August 2007
Ah, the 80's. A time when brilliant scientific geniuses fresh out of universities and doing their magic was cool rather than frightening and dorky. I have seen this movie before, when I was a child, and I remember the sense of awe I got from it, if nothing else. This time, the awe is just as real.
Most impressive for this movie is the construction. Ken Russel does a brilliant movie that grabs your emotions and twists them around. The soundtrack plays a great factor here, too. William Hurt is just wonderful, while the other few actors are just there to support him.
I can't say much about the story. I feel that in the context of this movie, it is irrelevant. I plan on reading the book, see what the author actually meant. It is not a horror story, either, although it is frightening at places; certainly not a monster and gore film.
Bottom line: the realization is great, the feel is awesome, the story highly intellectual. Something movies today pretty much lack altogether. You just have to watch this, but beware: people that are not fans of trippy sci-fi movies will only spoil your experience. This is one of the few films that must be watched alone.
Most impressive for this movie is the construction. Ken Russel does a brilliant movie that grabs your emotions and twists them around. The soundtrack plays a great factor here, too. William Hurt is just wonderful, while the other few actors are just there to support him.
I can't say much about the story. I feel that in the context of this movie, it is irrelevant. I plan on reading the book, see what the author actually meant. It is not a horror story, either, although it is frightening at places; certainly not a monster and gore film.
Bottom line: the realization is great, the feel is awesome, the story highly intellectual. Something movies today pretty much lack altogether. You just have to watch this, but beware: people that are not fans of trippy sci-fi movies will only spoil your experience. This is one of the few films that must be watched alone.
Above all, a love story
inspectors7118 January 2006
It's been a quarter century since I first experienced Altered States, Ken Russell's take on Paddy Chayevsky's novel of the search for a common bond between all of us, the ability to love. I personally don't care if Chayevsky disowned the movie or if Russell resented him for it or how many angels you can set on the head of a pin, for that matter. Altered States is a harshly beautiful and intellectual movie based on a book with the same adjectives.
I'm not going to praise the fine performances, the dazzling special effects, or the painful, emotional epiphany that the lead character, Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) experiences as he fights his way past the roadblock of pure intellect. I want to praise Altered States for its emotional and intellectual message of the power of love to embrace us all and heal our wounds.
Altered States is not for the weak of stomach or the easily offended. The imagery is disturbing and, at times, repulsive. There are scenes of blasphemy that I know have put off Evangelical friends of mine. But the central idea of a commonality, a kinship that humans have with one another and the danger of setting oneself apart to avoid the pain of interacting and loving is, I believe, supremely satisfying at both an intellectual and emotional level.
Altered States isn't one of the very best films I've seen, but it surely has been a source of joy for me. And if it doesn't turn your crank--or turns it the wrong way--then find your joy in another film or other media . . . and remember to love.
I'm not going to praise the fine performances, the dazzling special effects, or the painful, emotional epiphany that the lead character, Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) experiences as he fights his way past the roadblock of pure intellect. I want to praise Altered States for its emotional and intellectual message of the power of love to embrace us all and heal our wounds.
Altered States is not for the weak of stomach or the easily offended. The imagery is disturbing and, at times, repulsive. There are scenes of blasphemy that I know have put off Evangelical friends of mine. But the central idea of a commonality, a kinship that humans have with one another and the danger of setting oneself apart to avoid the pain of interacting and loving is, I believe, supremely satisfying at both an intellectual and emotional level.
Altered States isn't one of the very best films I've seen, but it surely has been a source of joy for me. And if it doesn't turn your crank--or turns it the wrong way--then find your joy in another film or other media . . . and remember to love.
Ambitious, Brain-Bending, Energetically-Directed Horror Film Of Drug Experimentation Gone Wild
ShootingShark7 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Eddie Jessup is a Harvard professor researching into the effects of hallucinogens on schizophrenia sufferers. After an experiment on himself involving a rare Mexican drug and an isolation tank, his body appears to partially regress into some pre-homo-sapien form. What is happening to him, and does he dare to continue with this work ?
Everybody should have at least one stoned-out movie they like. For most people it's Easy Rider or Head or The Cool And The Crazy, but for me it's the much more disturbing and visually dynamic Altered States. I think the reason for this is that the trippy effects in this film are terrific and an integral part of the plot, as opposed to just the usual psychedelic rubbish prevalent in some late sixties flicks. Russell's set-piece montages of disturbing horror and sexual/religious iconography are familiar from earlier movies like Tommy and Lisztomania, but the opticals and visual effects make-up by Brian Ferren, Dick Smith, Robert Blalack and Jamie Shourt are astonishingly eye-popping, rendered all the more unsettling by an ominous, growling score by John Corigliano. I guess Russell's style isn't to everybody's taste, but if you're willing to go with it I think he's one of the most visually and thematically exciting directors there has ever been (my favourite of his films is the goofy low-budget vampire flick The Lair Of The White Worm). All the more amazing in this movie is, despite the crazy story and the wild imagery, the whole thing works well as a drama of obsession and redemption. This is largely because of the fearless cast, who hurl themselves into character with terrific abandon. They're crazy people, but crucially they are believable crazy people. They yell at each other in complicated anthropological lingo about stellar conceptual notions, but in a way that brings the story to life, with many touching scenes, like the one where Hurt tells the story of his father's death, the genesis of his quest for truth amongst the infinite. All four leads are excellent (it was Hurt's first film), and Puerto Rican dancer Godreau gives a great physical performance as the simian alter-ego of Hurt's primal urges. Look fast for Drew Barrymore in her movie debut, aged five. Based on a book by Paddy Chayefsky (Marty, Network), who wrote the script but is billed here as Sidney Aaron (his real forenames) after falling out with Russell. This is a tremendous horror / science-fiction / drama which - whether you like it or not - you won't forget in a hurry. Movies are my drug of choice; they don't screw up your body but they can give you a terrific high and open up your mind, and this one is a terrific fix.
Everybody should have at least one stoned-out movie they like. For most people it's Easy Rider or Head or The Cool And The Crazy, but for me it's the much more disturbing and visually dynamic Altered States. I think the reason for this is that the trippy effects in this film are terrific and an integral part of the plot, as opposed to just the usual psychedelic rubbish prevalent in some late sixties flicks. Russell's set-piece montages of disturbing horror and sexual/religious iconography are familiar from earlier movies like Tommy and Lisztomania, but the opticals and visual effects make-up by Brian Ferren, Dick Smith, Robert Blalack and Jamie Shourt are astonishingly eye-popping, rendered all the more unsettling by an ominous, growling score by John Corigliano. I guess Russell's style isn't to everybody's taste, but if you're willing to go with it I think he's one of the most visually and thematically exciting directors there has ever been (my favourite of his films is the goofy low-budget vampire flick The Lair Of The White Worm). All the more amazing in this movie is, despite the crazy story and the wild imagery, the whole thing works well as a drama of obsession and redemption. This is largely because of the fearless cast, who hurl themselves into character with terrific abandon. They're crazy people, but crucially they are believable crazy people. They yell at each other in complicated anthropological lingo about stellar conceptual notions, but in a way that brings the story to life, with many touching scenes, like the one where Hurt tells the story of his father's death, the genesis of his quest for truth amongst the infinite. All four leads are excellent (it was Hurt's first film), and Puerto Rican dancer Godreau gives a great physical performance as the simian alter-ego of Hurt's primal urges. Look fast for Drew Barrymore in her movie debut, aged five. Based on a book by Paddy Chayefsky (Marty, Network), who wrote the script but is billed here as Sidney Aaron (his real forenames) after falling out with Russell. This is a tremendous horror / science-fiction / drama which - whether you like it or not - you won't forget in a hurry. Movies are my drug of choice; they don't screw up your body but they can give you a terrific high and open up your mind, and this one is a terrific fix.
A very frustrating film...
AlsExGal20 July 2021
... and an early example of psychedelic horror.
I wanted desperately to like Altered States, because the things it gets right it gets so right. But sadly it's such a tonally inconsistent film, and one that can't seem to focus on anything at all. First it's about a Judeo-Christian concept of hell and the devil, and then it's about some ancient indigenous deity and spirituality, and then it's about some extra-dimensional being, and then it's about genetic memory and body horror, before finally referencing alternate universes. The tone of the film is also sadly inconsistent. At times it's closer to a romantic drama than anything else. When it actually gets down to the horror part it swings strangely between themes of the paranoid mad scientist and the grand tone and sweep of man vs God.
It's memorable for some of the great special effects of its time, but overall it feels like a conversation you have when you're 19, think you know everything, get really baked, and then start rambling about philosophy with your friends.
I wanted desperately to like Altered States, because the things it gets right it gets so right. But sadly it's such a tonally inconsistent film, and one that can't seem to focus on anything at all. First it's about a Judeo-Christian concept of hell and the devil, and then it's about some ancient indigenous deity and spirituality, and then it's about some extra-dimensional being, and then it's about genetic memory and body horror, before finally referencing alternate universes. The tone of the film is also sadly inconsistent. At times it's closer to a romantic drama than anything else. When it actually gets down to the horror part it swings strangely between themes of the paranoid mad scientist and the grand tone and sweep of man vs God.
It's memorable for some of the great special effects of its time, but overall it feels like a conversation you have when you're 19, think you know everything, get really baked, and then start rambling about philosophy with your friends.
Not just for the FX...
boomaga13 December 2006
Okay, the character of Dr. Eddie Jessup is kind of a pompous ass, and there are a few groaner moments of, call it, self-importance.
But this movie breaks real ground.
One of my all time favorites.
And I'd like to point out that everyone is crazy about the much-touted and notoriously-expensive hallucination sequences, ...
Of course if you've seen Russel's "Tommy," some of the over-the-top sequences will look familiar and tinged with peculiar British-isms. And then there's the ending - well, it's controversial, that's for sure - anticlimax or not ?
But for me the most electrifying parts are the ensemble cast acting.
In the scene where Blair Brown is trying to cope with the trauma of the events in the isolation tank room, there's a very beautifully conceived long single shot through house windows. Russel needs credit especially for the argument between Balaban and Haid - some of the best acting I've ever seen - character actors hardly EVER get to put this kind of stage-acting energy on film. It stays with me still. They truly seem absolutely furious with each other, their lines overlap, it's absolutely convincing.
Some of the greatest effects of this movie are simply good movie craft - when Jessup first sees the love of his life walk through the door, fantastically back-lit, and the music comes up and cross-fades into the next scene - it's breathtaking.
It's the moments like that, and the very intro of the movie, with the slow title crawl, the deadpan lines read by Balaban, the first shots of Hurt in the tank, the eerie music ... This movie still stands out, still looks good,... and stands superior to other, more recent imaginings of internal hallucination become external.
But this movie breaks real ground.
One of my all time favorites.
And I'd like to point out that everyone is crazy about the much-touted and notoriously-expensive hallucination sequences, ...
Of course if you've seen Russel's "Tommy," some of the over-the-top sequences will look familiar and tinged with peculiar British-isms. And then there's the ending - well, it's controversial, that's for sure - anticlimax or not ?
But for me the most electrifying parts are the ensemble cast acting.
In the scene where Blair Brown is trying to cope with the trauma of the events in the isolation tank room, there's a very beautifully conceived long single shot through house windows. Russel needs credit especially for the argument between Balaban and Haid - some of the best acting I've ever seen - character actors hardly EVER get to put this kind of stage-acting energy on film. It stays with me still. They truly seem absolutely furious with each other, their lines overlap, it's absolutely convincing.
Some of the greatest effects of this movie are simply good movie craft - when Jessup first sees the love of his life walk through the door, fantastically back-lit, and the music comes up and cross-fades into the next scene - it's breathtaking.
It's the moments like that, and the very intro of the movie, with the slow title crawl, the deadpan lines read by Balaban, the first shots of Hurt in the tank, the eerie music ... This movie still stands out, still looks good,... and stands superior to other, more recent imaginings of internal hallucination become external.
Surreal and intelligent sci-fi.
TermlnatriX26 May 2008
This is William Hurt's debut, and there's much to praise about it. Firstly, outstanding performance. The kind that lasts an impression and is thought of every time "William Hurt" is pronounced out loud. The film, in a nutshell could be summed up as a man's obsessive quest for the "truth". Truth about life, and the universe, why we're here, who created us? These are the core questions Ken Russel - more fairly, the original author Paddy Chayefsky - asks. All of that, is assisted by insane hallucinatory and downright horrifying visual sequences and music, which when combined, literally gave me goosebumps when I saw it all on screen. They take you on a surreal 'trip' and are a way for the viewer to experience what Hurt's character undergoes when he is in the isolation chamber. On another note, the pacing is a little slow in the first act, but sudden outbursts of surreal visual sequences get you back up in form.
If you're a thinker, this one's for you.
If you're a thinker, this one's for you.
Great Material, Artistically Handled
DanIrish15 December 2004
If you are a thinker now, or grew up looking up at the stars and trying to figure out how the universe could just go on and on forever, this film is for you.
If you like boundaries, and the familiar you will not understand why this film was made, or why this film was made the way it was.
Chayefsky's material is brilliant, and challenging. Russell's approach is startling; more like abstract expressionism than any kind of realism. The performances, especially by Blair Brown and William Hurt are raw and completely authentic.
From start to finish, this film is fascinating, original and consistently realized.
If you like boundaries, and the familiar you will not understand why this film was made, or why this film was made the way it was.
Chayefsky's material is brilliant, and challenging. Russell's approach is startling; more like abstract expressionism than any kind of realism. The performances, especially by Blair Brown and William Hurt are raw and completely authentic.
From start to finish, this film is fascinating, original and consistently realized.
This movie will make you THINK!!!!
Space_Lord29 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Watched this movie for the first time the other night, after hearing about it for years from mates who raved on about it. Most descriptions went along the lines of: "This professor who takes trips and gets into sensory deprivation, man. The dude turns into an ape and all kinds of crazy $#!+. It's a real mind f**ker". So with glowing praise such as this how could I not watch this film!!! William Hurt gives an outstanding performance and is kind of like Magic Johnson to the surrounding cast, in the sense that he makes them better, and they continually feed off his energy.
To top it off you have special makeup effects by a true master in the field, Dick Smith.
While I can certainly agree with the mindf**k comment, I felt this film went much deeper than what the average stoner thinks. This movie asks some pretty powerful questions, and leaves the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
I look forward to another viewing of this film!!
To top it off you have special makeup effects by a true master in the field, Dick Smith.
While I can certainly agree with the mindf**k comment, I felt this film went much deeper than what the average stoner thinks. This movie asks some pretty powerful questions, and leaves the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
I look forward to another viewing of this film!!
Tremendously disappointing
libba10420 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This film was a huge letdown for me, especially considering all the hype surrounding it. The first half an hour or so (up until the parts after the Mexico scenes) seemed to hold tremendous promise and I couldn't wait to see where and how the train of thought would be followed in the rest of the film. Unfortunately from there it becomes less of a train of thought and more a train wreck. The film starts out with a brilliant but decidedly narcissistic scientist seeking to explore the boundaries between conscious and unconscious and finding what lay beyond the boundary. Would it lead him to a deeper understanding of himself and the human race and our oneness with the universe? Well, apparently not. Basically it led him into a decidedly over-the-top, melodramatic Jekyll-and-Hyde type scenario involving his 'devolving' into more and more primitive states of being. The film took an extremely interesting premise and, instead of following it to a thoughtful conclusion, twisted it into a third-rate horror film. The crowning turd in this punch bowl was Blair Brown's overly dramatic performance. From the moment she meets the protagonist she goes from being an in-control, competent woman to a hapless damsel in distress, complete with incoherent overly-sentimental babbling, fainting and flailing about. The so-called love story (which sadly takes center stage after the first half hour) is not in the least a meeting of minds but more of a lame fairytale.
Intelligent and original...not for everyone though,
willywants10 August 2005
During a series of sensory-deprivation experiments, a professor devolves into a prehistoric form of life. This bizarre yet intriguing sci-fi offering comes from Ken Russell, a genre filmmaker who's made a handful of weak films, including The Lair of the White Worm (1988) and Gothic (1986). The script comes from Paddy Chayefsky, who also wrote the book upon which the film is based. Though Chayefsky disowned the film and Russell's direction, it remains among the best films in both they're careers. The best thing about the film is easily the script, which is intelligent and thought-provoking. Russell's direction is quite good as well; the editing on this film is truly top-notch. The actors gave great performances, especially a very young-looking William Hurt as the lead. In my opinion, Blair Brown's performance was at times a little uneven, but that never hurt the movie. The make-up effects, from Dick Smith, were terrific. The imageryincluding visions of hell, a seven-eyed goat-man (how cool is that?), hideously mutated human bodies and a truly trippy vision of the creation of lifeare startling. There's some decent gore too, included a nasty gutted lizard (which looks suspiciously realistic if you ask me
) and other goodies I won't spoil for you. Also worth mentioning is a great score from John Corigliano, which is unsettling and very suspenseful.
This film is NOT for everyonesome viewers might be lost by the scientific aspects of the film and the hallucinogenic scenes. If you like everything explained to you and you're afraid of a little ambiguity, this isn't for you. If you want a different, intelligent sci-fi film see this.
7/10.
Just one complaint thoughI'm no scientist, but wouldn't it be impossible for a human being to survive the physical and metabolic changes of a transformation like the one seen in the film? (I know, I know, it's just a movie ).
This film is NOT for everyonesome viewers might be lost by the scientific aspects of the film and the hallucinogenic scenes. If you like everything explained to you and you're afraid of a little ambiguity, this isn't for you. If you want a different, intelligent sci-fi film see this.
7/10.
Just one complaint thoughI'm no scientist, but wouldn't it be impossible for a human being to survive the physical and metabolic changes of a transformation like the one seen in the film? (I know, I know, it's just a movie ).
Tripping the Plastic Fantastic
roddekker23 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by the excessive and flamboyant film-maker, Ken Russell - Altered States is a perfect example of a heavy-handed psychedelic experience from the early-1980s. At times the viewer can't help but be swept away and almost overwhelmed by this film's impressive state-of-the-art visual effects.
William Hurt (in his film debut) plays Eddie Jessup, a brilliant, young, "mad" scientist, delving into the unfathomable field of primal research. With the use of a Sensory-Depravation Chamber and lots of hallucinogenic drugs, Eddie physically and mentally devolves into an ape-like creature with a serious attitude problem and an immediate instinct to kill.
Believe me, Altered States' visuals are, at times, an extraordinary feast for the eyes. But, hey, don't expect too much when it comes to a plausible storyline.
William Hurt (in his film debut) plays Eddie Jessup, a brilliant, young, "mad" scientist, delving into the unfathomable field of primal research. With the use of a Sensory-Depravation Chamber and lots of hallucinogenic drugs, Eddie physically and mentally devolves into an ape-like creature with a serious attitude problem and an immediate instinct to kill.
Believe me, Altered States' visuals are, at times, an extraordinary feast for the eyes. But, hey, don't expect too much when it comes to a plausible storyline.
Altered States
I_John_Barrymore_I9 January 2006
Altered States is frightening, disturbing, bizarre stuff. It also has a strong heart, and the dialogue is witty and sharp.
This film creates its very real sense of horror from foreboding, often disarming musical cues, and a sense that we're on the journey with Jessup, and we don't know what's real or imagined. It rarely relies on gore, or overt "horror" sequences to affect the viewer, but still manages to be truly frightening and horrifying. Russell tones down his usual excesses, but his stamp is nevertheless all over the disturbing hallucination sequences.
It's easy to spot the strong influence this film must have had on Videodrome. It creates a similar mood.
Thoroughly recommended to anyone with a taste for intelligent horror.
This film creates its very real sense of horror from foreboding, often disarming musical cues, and a sense that we're on the journey with Jessup, and we don't know what's real or imagined. It rarely relies on gore, or overt "horror" sequences to affect the viewer, but still manages to be truly frightening and horrifying. Russell tones down his usual excesses, but his stamp is nevertheless all over the disturbing hallucination sequences.
It's easy to spot the strong influence this film must have had on Videodrome. It creates a similar mood.
Thoroughly recommended to anyone with a taste for intelligent horror.
States Altered
DarthBill14 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Ah the heartwarming story of a bright young man's obsession with finding the higher levels consciousness no matter the cost... until he realizes just how pricey that cost actually is.
Having not read the original novel, I'm afraid I can't say how the film compares with it.
William Hurt is the ambitious scientist Eddie Jessup, who's obsession with the higher levels of consciousness nearly destroys him when not altering his "state" as it were. Hurt takes a bold, risky chance here in his first leading role in a feature film, with his naturally cerebral screen persona proving to be both captivating and alienating as he becomes more and more disconnected from his friends and family. Red head Blair Brown is Emily Jessup, his brainy, beautiful but flawed, insecure, and above all else lonely wife who just wants to be loved.
Some truly spectacular special effects imagery and full body nudity by the lovely Blair Brown highlights this odd, surreal but undeniably unique science fiction film.
Having not read the original novel, I'm afraid I can't say how the film compares with it.
William Hurt is the ambitious scientist Eddie Jessup, who's obsession with the higher levels of consciousness nearly destroys him when not altering his "state" as it were. Hurt takes a bold, risky chance here in his first leading role in a feature film, with his naturally cerebral screen persona proving to be both captivating and alienating as he becomes more and more disconnected from his friends and family. Red head Blair Brown is Emily Jessup, his brainy, beautiful but flawed, insecure, and above all else lonely wife who just wants to be loved.
Some truly spectacular special effects imagery and full body nudity by the lovely Blair Brown highlights this odd, surreal but undeniably unique science fiction film.
A forgotten treasure; best Sci-Fi of the last 25 years
spazmodeus12 July 2001
Warning: Spoilers
I have serious late fees on my video account because I just didn't want to give this movie back. It is stunning that a film with special effects this beautiful and fitting was made in 1980, but that wasn't why I kept watching it over and over.
I tend to be incredibly critical of most Sci-Fi movies on technical grounds (spoiled by a physics degree and 5 years of philosophy graduate courses) so I was stunned by the tightness of this movie. Obviously it's fiction and at some point goes off the deep end scientifically, but like the best X-files episodes (but much better), it leaves you impressed by how well it justifies its leaps of fancy.
Movie premise (not a spoiler):
Jessup is a young hotshot professor at the Harvard Medical School in the early 70's. His original work focused on the neurological deformities among schizophrenics. Allegedly (and this IS true) only advanced schizophrenia is visible in the structure of the brain--early schizophrenia is not, though people who suffer from it still experience similar mental problems. His original research focused on explaining why this is the case (not featured in the movie; left implied). Apparently, there are no models to explain how the neurological deformity associated with schizophrenia is caused (maybe false, but not stupid) so Jessup starts taking seriously the idea that the MENTAL disorder considered to be early schizophrenia actually CAUSES the characteristic change in structure. This is a pretty wild conjecture, I agree. Remember though that most movies ask you to make much bigger leaps. What's classy about "Altered States" is that it correctly treats this as a wild conjecture and Jessup receives quite hard time from his colleagues for thinking something this flaky. In an attempt to discover the physical mechanism by which thoughts affect physical structure, Jessup begins experimenting with altered states of consciousness in a sensory deprivation tank, later in conjunction with processed hallucinogens from the Amanita Muscaria mushroom. Well, it's no spoiler to say that he finds evidence for his theory that mental states can have an effect on morphological structure. By warping his mind enough, he undergoes several of these changes himself.
Another somewhat questionable theory the viewer is asked to accept is the idea that memories can be written in DNA and inherited. This amounts to something like innate knowledge. Again, people believe crazier things, and this isn't too much of a stretch for fiction. It's certainly true that instincts are inherited and innate: for example, babies "remember" how and when to suck (as do most recent movies of the Hollywood pedigree). Some research shows that fear of snakes may be innate, and if so, it must be encoded somewhere in our DNA. Well, according to the movie, some of these encoded memories are latent and not retrievable to the modern Homo Sapiens (no longer useful for our survival). However, some altered states of consciousness can cause us to conjure up these vestigial memories. Well, a little cooky for the New England Journal of Medicine, but too crazy to accept as a movie premise? Hardly!
This is the first movie of its kind since "2001" where a savvy viewer doesn't have to slap her hand over her eyes and say "come on, that is soo implausible!"
What's more, this solid science fiction premise is embedded in a script with excellent dialogue and three dimensional characters. William Hurt does an excellent job. I have to agree with other reviewers that the ending was a little cheesy, but it didn't bother me when I watched the movie. By the end the film generates so much good will you are able to forgive just about anything, and it's really not so bad.
SPOILERS--stop reading here and rent/buy the masterpiece of a movie NOW if you still haven't! That's an order!
In retrospect, I think the movie would have worked fine if Jessup didn't actually grow hair, shrink and blow up the tank with his transformation. Where did all that energy come from? His brain waves? I would have been happier if the transformation happened only on a cellular level (explanation: what we think of as "junk" DNA is actually simian DNA and it suddenly becomes active through the effect of his thoughts, producing both simian proteins and neurotransmitters; brain begins working in a characteristically simian way, higher brain functions turn off, Jessup goes nuts...) Anyway, the movie only needed a tiny bit more tinkering before it became totally responsible scientifically. All the same, the scientist are portrayed realistically, not like the caricatures that most Hollywood movies draw of them. I wish this sort of movie would get made these days. Instead we have to live with the gaping plot/coherency holes in AI, the Matrix and worse! Altered States makes new Sci-Fi look like it was made by a bunch of know-nothing hacks.
I tend to be incredibly critical of most Sci-Fi movies on technical grounds (spoiled by a physics degree and 5 years of philosophy graduate courses) so I was stunned by the tightness of this movie. Obviously it's fiction and at some point goes off the deep end scientifically, but like the best X-files episodes (but much better), it leaves you impressed by how well it justifies its leaps of fancy.
Movie premise (not a spoiler):
Jessup is a young hotshot professor at the Harvard Medical School in the early 70's. His original work focused on the neurological deformities among schizophrenics. Allegedly (and this IS true) only advanced schizophrenia is visible in the structure of the brain--early schizophrenia is not, though people who suffer from it still experience similar mental problems. His original research focused on explaining why this is the case (not featured in the movie; left implied). Apparently, there are no models to explain how the neurological deformity associated with schizophrenia is caused (maybe false, but not stupid) so Jessup starts taking seriously the idea that the MENTAL disorder considered to be early schizophrenia actually CAUSES the characteristic change in structure. This is a pretty wild conjecture, I agree. Remember though that most movies ask you to make much bigger leaps. What's classy about "Altered States" is that it correctly treats this as a wild conjecture and Jessup receives quite hard time from his colleagues for thinking something this flaky. In an attempt to discover the physical mechanism by which thoughts affect physical structure, Jessup begins experimenting with altered states of consciousness in a sensory deprivation tank, later in conjunction with processed hallucinogens from the Amanita Muscaria mushroom. Well, it's no spoiler to say that he finds evidence for his theory that mental states can have an effect on morphological structure. By warping his mind enough, he undergoes several of these changes himself.
Another somewhat questionable theory the viewer is asked to accept is the idea that memories can be written in DNA and inherited. This amounts to something like innate knowledge. Again, people believe crazier things, and this isn't too much of a stretch for fiction. It's certainly true that instincts are inherited and innate: for example, babies "remember" how and when to suck (as do most recent movies of the Hollywood pedigree). Some research shows that fear of snakes may be innate, and if so, it must be encoded somewhere in our DNA. Well, according to the movie, some of these encoded memories are latent and not retrievable to the modern Homo Sapiens (no longer useful for our survival). However, some altered states of consciousness can cause us to conjure up these vestigial memories. Well, a little cooky for the New England Journal of Medicine, but too crazy to accept as a movie premise? Hardly!
This is the first movie of its kind since "2001" where a savvy viewer doesn't have to slap her hand over her eyes and say "come on, that is soo implausible!"
What's more, this solid science fiction premise is embedded in a script with excellent dialogue and three dimensional characters. William Hurt does an excellent job. I have to agree with other reviewers that the ending was a little cheesy, but it didn't bother me when I watched the movie. By the end the film generates so much good will you are able to forgive just about anything, and it's really not so bad.
SPOILERS--stop reading here and rent/buy the masterpiece of a movie NOW if you still haven't! That's an order!
In retrospect, I think the movie would have worked fine if Jessup didn't actually grow hair, shrink and blow up the tank with his transformation. Where did all that energy come from? His brain waves? I would have been happier if the transformation happened only on a cellular level (explanation: what we think of as "junk" DNA is actually simian DNA and it suddenly becomes active through the effect of his thoughts, producing both simian proteins and neurotransmitters; brain begins working in a characteristically simian way, higher brain functions turn off, Jessup goes nuts...) Anyway, the movie only needed a tiny bit more tinkering before it became totally responsible scientifically. All the same, the scientist are portrayed realistically, not like the caricatures that most Hollywood movies draw of them. I wish this sort of movie would get made these days. Instead we have to live with the gaping plot/coherency holes in AI, the Matrix and worse! Altered States makes new Sci-Fi look like it was made by a bunch of know-nothing hacks.
Intriguing, but just too fuzzy
quin197419 February 2001
The fact that maybe subconsciously we still have remnants of earlier versions of ourselves is very intriguing, to say the least. What would happen if we would descent into a hallucinatory state that enables us to access these earlier versions and let them surface and take over our current status of human being?
This is what drives Professor Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) to undertake a series of experiments with an ancient drug he acquires from an Indian tribe. The results of his experiments are more than he could have hoped for. Before long he starts hallucinating during the hours out of the experiments and during brief periods of time after the experiments he is transformed to these earlier versions of humankind, even all the way back to the primordial ooze.
Unfortunately this side of the story enters the movie too late. The first 45 minutes we are watching Jessup rant and rave about religion and philosophy like there is no tomorrow, but unfortunately this is not as compelling as the second part of the story. When Jessup goes into one of his first hallucinatory states, the viewer is bombarded with a visual and sound explosion. The visuals are of such a level that they can be explained in any number of ways, which hinders the movie. Some scenes just take way too long (sandfigures withering away).
The acting is decent. Hurt delivers a potent performance of the man who undergoes all these experiments. His convincing portrayal is what upholds the movie. His wife Emily (Blair Brown) must love him very much, because she endures Hurt's atrocious personality to the end in the name of love. The sceptic Mason (Charles Haid) was just too much, he resisted the experiments with such fervor that it became laughable and certainly not believable, his performance would have benefited from a more subtle approach.
When I said that the story about halfway turns for the good, I didn't mean that it ended good as well. On the contrary, all the credit that was built with the change in story halfway was thrown away in the last fews minutes when the conclusion all becomes muddled and incomprehensible, and that was a shame.
The special effects were nice enough to see, but not remarkable. The Oscar nomination for Sound Editing was absolutely deserved. Technically there is not a lot wrong with this movie. It is just the story that could have gotten a little more work.
7/10
This is what drives Professor Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) to undertake a series of experiments with an ancient drug he acquires from an Indian tribe. The results of his experiments are more than he could have hoped for. Before long he starts hallucinating during the hours out of the experiments and during brief periods of time after the experiments he is transformed to these earlier versions of humankind, even all the way back to the primordial ooze.
Unfortunately this side of the story enters the movie too late. The first 45 minutes we are watching Jessup rant and rave about religion and philosophy like there is no tomorrow, but unfortunately this is not as compelling as the second part of the story. When Jessup goes into one of his first hallucinatory states, the viewer is bombarded with a visual and sound explosion. The visuals are of such a level that they can be explained in any number of ways, which hinders the movie. Some scenes just take way too long (sandfigures withering away).
The acting is decent. Hurt delivers a potent performance of the man who undergoes all these experiments. His convincing portrayal is what upholds the movie. His wife Emily (Blair Brown) must love him very much, because she endures Hurt's atrocious personality to the end in the name of love. The sceptic Mason (Charles Haid) was just too much, he resisted the experiments with such fervor that it became laughable and certainly not believable, his performance would have benefited from a more subtle approach.
When I said that the story about halfway turns for the good, I didn't mean that it ended good as well. On the contrary, all the credit that was built with the change in story halfway was thrown away in the last fews minutes when the conclusion all becomes muddled and incomprehensible, and that was a shame.
The special effects were nice enough to see, but not remarkable. The Oscar nomination for Sound Editing was absolutely deserved. Technically there is not a lot wrong with this movie. It is just the story that could have gotten a little more work.
7/10
Stunning form from Ken Russell
projectmogul13 February 2008
It seems somehow ironic that Ken Russell - usually the most indulgent and variable of directors - produced his most solid work in North America. 'Altered States' (like 'Crimes of Passion', its odd, binary-star sibling) teeters toward a kind of brilliance that Russell never really demonstrates in his British output. Although the film is certainly flawed, almost ultimately collapsing under its own ambition and finite budget, certainly the first two acts are as good as anything I've seen in the cinema. At its heart is a jaw-droppingly stunning ensemble cast who Russell choreographs (there can be no other word) with remarkable precision and confidence: those who equate Russell with only the low-camp depths of something like 'Gothic' will be astonished at this film's naturalism. Balaban's house party, set early on in the proceedings, is a case in point, effortlessly summing up both an entire era and a complex set of relationships.
'Altered States' also boasts John Corigliano's fine score and Jordan Cronenweth's lucid cinematography - it's worth noting that Cronenweth subsequently moved on to DOP perhaps one of cinema's most arresting visual landmarks: 'Blade Runner'.
'Altered States' also boasts John Corigliano's fine score and Jordan Cronenweth's lucid cinematography - it's worth noting that Cronenweth subsequently moved on to DOP perhaps one of cinema's most arresting visual landmarks: 'Blade Runner'.
She's still crazy about him and he's still crazy
sol-kay12 December 2005
(Some Spoilers) Trying to find his inner-self since he was 16 years old Professor Eddie Jessup, William Hurt, has been fascinated in what is and what is not real in the world of drug, or spiritually,induced hallucinations. Having himself tested on, in the basement of New York University, in a water tank with electrodes attached to his brain and body Eddie still didn't get the results that he wanted in the field of the human sub-conscious mind.
Since he was a young boy up until his father's death Eddie had visions of biblical events mostly from the New Testament Book of Revelations of fire and brimstone falling from the sky and people falling, and perishing, into a flaming and bottomless pit. Just what were these visions ,or hallucinations, that he had back then all about? Now as a full professor at Harvard Medical School he can use it's state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, with the help of his friend and fellow Prof. Arthur Rosenberg(Bob Balaban), where he can very possibly find out the truth about the human sub-conscious mind once in for all.
The experiments don't lead to anything special in the field of the human mind and it's effects from mind altering Illnesses like schizophrenia but one evening at a party with his wife Prof. Emily Jussup, Blair Brown, Eddie is introduced to Prof. Eduardo Eccheuerria,Thaao Penghlis, of the University of Mexico. Eddie's life after meeting with the Mexican professor made an abrupt U-turn and after that he and his state of mind would never be the same again.
Psychedelic-like movie where you, like the actors in it, can't differentiate what's real and what's not. You need a medical encyclopedia just to understand most of the dialog coming out of the mouths of Prof. Eddie and Emily Jessup as well as their friends and associates Prof. Rosenberg and Harvard Professor of Endocrineogy Mason Perrish, Charles Haid. It's in Central Mexico that Eddie's mind get screwed up by having a drink of this magic mushroom soup, with a sample of his own blood mixed in, courtesy of the Hinchi Indian Cheifton Charles White-Eagle, that drove Eddie literally out of him mind.
Coming back to Boston Eddie is obsessed to go back in the tank and experience the feeling of a prehistoric Homo-Sapien-like Apeman and does become one later in the film, played brilliantly by a very nimble and acrobatic Miguel Godreau. Miguel is absolutely amazing jumping over fences and swinging on pipes as he's chased by the Harvard Collage security men and a pack of wild dogs on the deserted streets of Boston at night.
This monkey-man, he seems a bit too small to be a full-grown ape or guerrilla, breaks into the Boston Zoo and after almost getting his hand ripped off by a tiger, when he tried to steal his lunch, jumps into the open areas of the zoo and kills one of the fleeing gazelles, with a rock. The monkey-man stuffing himself with the dead gazelle's meat intestines and blood is found the next morning ,by the zoo-keepers, naked and back to being a human being, Eddie, as well as sound asleep by the butchered devoured and dead animal UGH!
Trying one last time to prove that he can change his physical as well as mental structure Eddie put's himself in the water tank, against the objections of Emily and Prof. Mason. Eddie proving beyond a doubt that's he's as off-the-wall as everyone around him suspected but at the same time he's also right about his theory. That, every one of us, has everything every thought every experience, spiritual and conventional, inside our brain since the dawn of history as well as that of the the history, and existence, of the vast and endless Universe that's some six billion years old!
Since he was a young boy up until his father's death Eddie had visions of biblical events mostly from the New Testament Book of Revelations of fire and brimstone falling from the sky and people falling, and perishing, into a flaming and bottomless pit. Just what were these visions ,or hallucinations, that he had back then all about? Now as a full professor at Harvard Medical School he can use it's state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, with the help of his friend and fellow Prof. Arthur Rosenberg(Bob Balaban), where he can very possibly find out the truth about the human sub-conscious mind once in for all.
The experiments don't lead to anything special in the field of the human mind and it's effects from mind altering Illnesses like schizophrenia but one evening at a party with his wife Prof. Emily Jussup, Blair Brown, Eddie is introduced to Prof. Eduardo Eccheuerria,Thaao Penghlis, of the University of Mexico. Eddie's life after meeting with the Mexican professor made an abrupt U-turn and after that he and his state of mind would never be the same again.
Psychedelic-like movie where you, like the actors in it, can't differentiate what's real and what's not. You need a medical encyclopedia just to understand most of the dialog coming out of the mouths of Prof. Eddie and Emily Jessup as well as their friends and associates Prof. Rosenberg and Harvard Professor of Endocrineogy Mason Perrish, Charles Haid. It's in Central Mexico that Eddie's mind get screwed up by having a drink of this magic mushroom soup, with a sample of his own blood mixed in, courtesy of the Hinchi Indian Cheifton Charles White-Eagle, that drove Eddie literally out of him mind.
Coming back to Boston Eddie is obsessed to go back in the tank and experience the feeling of a prehistoric Homo-Sapien-like Apeman and does become one later in the film, played brilliantly by a very nimble and acrobatic Miguel Godreau. Miguel is absolutely amazing jumping over fences and swinging on pipes as he's chased by the Harvard Collage security men and a pack of wild dogs on the deserted streets of Boston at night.
This monkey-man, he seems a bit too small to be a full-grown ape or guerrilla, breaks into the Boston Zoo and after almost getting his hand ripped off by a tiger, when he tried to steal his lunch, jumps into the open areas of the zoo and kills one of the fleeing gazelles, with a rock. The monkey-man stuffing himself with the dead gazelle's meat intestines and blood is found the next morning ,by the zoo-keepers, naked and back to being a human being, Eddie, as well as sound asleep by the butchered devoured and dead animal UGH!
Trying one last time to prove that he can change his physical as well as mental structure Eddie put's himself in the water tank, against the objections of Emily and Prof. Mason. Eddie proving beyond a doubt that's he's as off-the-wall as everyone around him suspected but at the same time he's also right about his theory. That, every one of us, has everything every thought every experience, spiritual and conventional, inside our brain since the dawn of history as well as that of the the history, and existence, of the vast and endless Universe that's some six billion years old!
A Very Intelligent Concept Becomes, a Movie, a Bad Movie
mattneub-128 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This movie begins well enough. Two professors are experimenting with sensory deprivation tanks, with one of them, Hurt, as the test subject. Years later the two meet again and begin experiments with the tanks while taking powerful hallucinogenic drugs. This combination reveals to Hurt visions which he believes are primordial species-wide memories, primates hunting and fighting and what not. As the movie continues Hurt takes greater doses of the drugs and goes "back" further and further until, and this is where the movie loses me, he turns into a monkey. At this point, ladies and gentleman, the movie begins to smell more than what that monkey is throwing The once clever plot becomes like that of a bad horror film, too dumb to be scary and too serious to be funny. The final scenes are so ridiculous as to be laughable. Sober or otherwise this movie is not good.
Still one of the scariest, most intelligent thrillers ever made
rwinburn7 November 2004
After seeing this film again after 24 years (!) I am amazed at how well it still holds up. The script is packed with scientific jargon yet still crackles and propels the story along at a fast pace. Superb acting, compelling special effects and an incredibly eerie musical score (by Penderecki?) bring it all together as a thriller that is satisfying both intellectually as well as viscerally. The only flaws that stand out to me are the unnecessarily abrupt ending (were they worried about total running time?) and the grand-daddy FX sequence that gets a bit hokey and is clearly derivative of Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Regardless, I consider "Altered States" a must see for the fascinating story, compelling acting, direction, music, and visual imagination.
There is no final truth.
Hey_Sweden14 March 2019
William Hurt made his starring film debut in this thoroughly bizarre but fairly fascinating film, one that a viewer truly experiences. Hurt plays Eddie Jessup, a scientist determined to prove theories about other states of human consciousness. With his good friend Arthur Rosenberg (Bob Balaban) assisting, and associate Mason Parrish (Charles Haid) functioning as a voice of reason, he starts to combine trips to an isolation tank with usage of a *powerful* hallucinogenic drug that he's discovered in Mexico. The results are, to put it mildly, VERY unusual.
Paddy Chayefsky scripted this film version of his novel, although he would ultimately disown it, and the screenplay credit would go to his birth name, Sidney Aaron. Basically, it's a story about ideas, and it doesn't really set out to make its main characters "likeable" in the traditional sense. Eddie is a pure intellectual, a non-religious individual and a man obsessed. He is truly driven to experiment in the name of discovery. It will be up to Emily (Blair Brown), a fellow scientist who's drawn to his unique eccentricity, to reawaken his humanity and help him realize what it is like to love another person.
Ken Russell ("The Devils", "Tommy", etc.) was undeniably the right person to direct this flick, which alternates between a cerebral approach and a genuine amount of nightmarish intensity. Truth be told, the story *does* sometimes take a back seat to the mind-bending imagery (visual effects by Bran Ferren), such as that multi-eyed goat. One major set piece has Eddie reverting to a primitive physical being, played by dancer Miguel Godreau.
The lead characters may take some getting used to, but there's no denying that the central performances are excellent. They're assisted by a strong supporting cast consisting of Dori Brenner, Thaao Penghlis, and Charles White-Eagle. Keep your eyes peeled for John Larroquette, George Gaynes, and a five year-old Drew Barrymore, also making her film debut.
The ending falls short of really being satisfying, but for the most part, this is an interesting feature that takes you for quite a ride.
Seven out of 10.
Paddy Chayefsky scripted this film version of his novel, although he would ultimately disown it, and the screenplay credit would go to his birth name, Sidney Aaron. Basically, it's a story about ideas, and it doesn't really set out to make its main characters "likeable" in the traditional sense. Eddie is a pure intellectual, a non-religious individual and a man obsessed. He is truly driven to experiment in the name of discovery. It will be up to Emily (Blair Brown), a fellow scientist who's drawn to his unique eccentricity, to reawaken his humanity and help him realize what it is like to love another person.
Ken Russell ("The Devils", "Tommy", etc.) was undeniably the right person to direct this flick, which alternates between a cerebral approach and a genuine amount of nightmarish intensity. Truth be told, the story *does* sometimes take a back seat to the mind-bending imagery (visual effects by Bran Ferren), such as that multi-eyed goat. One major set piece has Eddie reverting to a primitive physical being, played by dancer Miguel Godreau.
The lead characters may take some getting used to, but there's no denying that the central performances are excellent. They're assisted by a strong supporting cast consisting of Dori Brenner, Thaao Penghlis, and Charles White-Eagle. Keep your eyes peeled for John Larroquette, George Gaynes, and a five year-old Drew Barrymore, also making her film debut.
The ending falls short of really being satisfying, but for the most part, this is an interesting feature that takes you for quite a ride.
Seven out of 10.
20 Years Later and It's Still Crap
bronty22 July 1999
I saw this in 1980 and just didn't get it and haven't watched it since (I tend to give movies a 2nd chance) because I figured if I was older, it might make more sense; well...20 years later and it's still crap!!! Yes, the movie has some visually stunning, but it's just filled with 50-cent words to let you know it's all just SO brilliant. There's not a character worth caring about (except Blair Brown's); William Hurt's lead character is pretty much a thorough-going jerk who cares only for himself. He's impossible to care about. As usual, Ken Russel has made an interesting-to-look-at movie that's a real chore to watch. Highly unrecommended. Only for film-school devotees who use words such as 'subtext'. (Roger Ebert, are you listening?)
A flawed but sentimental favorite
darwendarwen29 November 2002
Altered States is not everything that it could be, and that's because director Ken Russell was more interested in assaulting the viewer with a series of startling (by 1980 standards) images than he was in exploring the stories subtext. Eddie Jessup is a scientist so introverted and afraid of human connections that it's not enough to abandon his family, he also has to further deprive himself of any and all stimulation, performing sensory depravation experiments on himself to attain better understanding of "ultimate truth." Jessup proclaims himself to be an atheist, but the visual content of his hallucinations reveals him to be a man who's more at war with God than a man who disbelieves. His descent into a more primal state of being is an obvious metaphor for how easy it is for a man with commitment issues and fear of intimacy to turn completely inward, leaving the real world behind. Some of what the character says early on about family and love make his motivations clear... Jessup is a man shattered by his father's death and unable to accept the vulnerability of the human condition. A viewer has to really work to absorb and enjoy these metaphors, though, as Russell never slows his onslaught of special effects. The movie also suffers from smart but unrealistic dialogue and ham-fisted performances from some of the principle characters (watch Blair Brown's over-the-top breakdowns in the last act). Altered States isn't the total package, it doesn't combine the visceral and the philosophical as well as movies like Jacob's Ladder or Natural Born Killers. But it's better than most of today's equivalent movies (Donnie Darko, etc) that want to stimulate and provoke the viewer and don't quite pull it off.
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