This movie has a really beautiful visual style that is at first disconcerting, but throughout the piece becomes very poetic and strong, especially in the end.

Just like with a comic, a good visual can't save a bad story.

Oh, don't whine. I know that you're the biggest Phillip K. Dick fan in the world, and he's an under-recognized genius who never got the recognition he deserved.

So is Felix. So am I.

But one of the important qualifications for an under-recognized genius to be a cultural icon is to have a story that knocks you flat on your butt that people won't touch because it involves some taboo subject, like breasts or curse words or child rape, used in a not facetious, but rather story-driven and poignant way.

There are also multiple ignored plot threads that nag at us. None of the characters are resolved or in place for anything save comic relief or to set up THE BIG MESSAGE.

My conclusion (having read the book) is A Scanner Darkly and Phillip K. Dick never achieved prominence not because he's an under-rated genius, but rather because he couldn't write a coherent story. Nonetheless, he's been an underground figure for many years, so someone made a film for him, and now he's a cult classic.

But that doesn't mean I have to buy in.

While this movie will be one of those movies your retarded roommate will say, "MAN! You have GOT to see this movie!" (Like, say, The Lost Boys), you'll end up shrugging and going, "Uh, okay, I see why some people liked it, but I can't for the life of myself see why."

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