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Altered States

1980

Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Plot summary


Uploaded by: FREEMAN

Director

Top cast

Drew Barrymore Photo
Drew Barrymore as Margaret Jessup
William Hurt Photo
William Hurt as Eddie Jessup
John Larroquette Photo
John Larroquette as X-Ray Technician
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
867.16 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 42 min
P/S 1 / 4
1.64 GB
1920*1072
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 42 min
P/S 2 / 30

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by DarthBill6 / 10

States Altered

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.

Reviewed by zetes8 / 10

Bizarre and eerie

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.

Reviewed by Woodyanders8 / 10

Ken Russell does science fiction as only he can

Stubborn and determined research scientist Eddie Jessup (a fine and credible performance by William Hurt in his film debut) subjects himself to sensory deprivation and takes hallucinogenic drugs in order to explore alternate states of consciousness and discover the basic primordial roots of human evolution. However, Jessup finds himself teetering on the brink of madness after he regresses to a dangerous primitive state. Although director Ken Russell brings his trademark wild'n'trippy sensibility and flair for bold and alarming mind-roasting imagery to Paddy Chayefsky's smart and provocative script, he fortunately manages for the most part to keep his more self-indulgent impulses under control and grounds the fantastic premise in a plausible everyday reality. Moreover, the story not only acquires extra substance and resonance from its key themes about science, religion, the meaning of life, and the origins of man, but also has a surprising additional poignancy thanks to the touching central love story between Eddie and his concerned wife Emily (a winningly sharp and spunky portrayal by Blair Brown). The ace acting by the superior cast keeps this picture on track: Hurt and Brown do sterling work in the leads, with sturdy support from Bob Balaban as bookish and loyal colleague Arthur Rosenberg, Charles Haid as the huffy and disapproving Mason Parrish, and Miguel Godreau as a crazed caveman. Jordan Cronenweth's striking cinematography offers a wealth of breathtaking outré visuals. Kudos are also in order for Dick Smith's remarkable make-up, the dazzling special effects, and John Corigliano's moody'n'melodic score. A truly unique and fascinating film.

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