MovieChat Forums > Altered States (1980) Discussion > Why did I just lose 107 minutes of my li...

Why did I just lose 107 minutes of my life?!

posted 15 years ago by Silvrhelm
43 replies | jump to latest

Seriously though. I watch a lot of films, specifically a lot of sci-fi films.
At the time of watching Altered States I was pretty damn stoned.
Seems like it would be a pretty good state of mind to be in to enjoy this film.

However After the first half of the film Id seen about 30 minutes of 'story' I use that term loosely, and about 25 minutes of completely random BS dream sequences.

Each dream sequence (I could be very wrong) seemed about like 4-6 minutes. This is just far too long to watch a bunch of random religeous/sexual imagery. It didnt freak me out, it didnt inspire thought. It was just random and weird.

I dont get the point, I stuck with the movie because Id heard good things about it and when it finally got to the point. It wants me to believe that this guy regressed into 'the missing link' because of a halluconegenic (sp?, whatever) drug and an isolation tank.

Where the hell is the sense in that it makes no sense, and its not like some films that make no sense but you can forgive it because it was cool. It was just lame.

Seemed like the whole story only existed so the director could make a film full of random BS and claim it was art, or maybe even science? What the hell do I know. I have no idea what the director was thinking.

Im presuming someone is going to say that I just didnt 'get it'. Well Id appreciate it if someone could explain it to me because what I just saw was pretty awful.

[–] gnolti 14 years ago

This film is not for everybody. Everyone seems to have some problem with it -- its ideas, or how those ideas are executed, or the special effects, or the story, and so on. The film has its flaws, but I've always found it a compelling hybrid of science fiction and love story.

There, daddy, do I get a gold star?

[–] labounty_t 14 years ago

the point of it is that dr jessup is trying to find the first proto human, and discover the ultimate truth to how the human race began, this film obviously leads towards evolution, a pretty bold statement. they werent dreams, they were hallucinations, quite the opposite. he regressed into the first human, becuz he was able to access the 6 billion years of knowledge that is stored away in our atoms. Which temporarilly altered his DNA, because he regressed into the past human dna and atoms. anyway this is his explanation. The meaning of the film is how far this dr. will go to discover the ultimate truth and his trials and tribulations along the way.

[–] reaseltbim 11 years ago

isn't this kind of what happened at the end of 2001 A Space Odyssey but the opposite way? Where the human goes further and further (not backwards) ??
One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

[–] suz-mal 14 years ago

--Where the hell is the sense in that it makes no sense, and its not like some films that make no sense but you can forgive it because it was cool. It was just lame. --

Your username is Silverhelm... You're lame

[–] dwbatterson 9 years ago

No, his user name is Silvrhelm (not "Silverhelm"). You might see your optometrist.

[–] haewatein 14 years ago

This film is not made for weed neither does it base on this drug.

_
SEUL CONTRE TOUS
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[–] nathanderusha 14 years ago

All I can say is, read the book. I have yet to see the movie, but I can guarantee that the book would easily clear up any misconceptions that you might have with the movie.

Altered States is the story of a psuedo-genius with a God complex. If that sort of material isn't your cup of tea, then the rest of it certainly wont be. It deals with some heavy metaphysical and transcendentalist ideals (a la 2001: A Space Odyssey) and is rife with medical terminology pulled straight from Harvard doctors and scientists that Chayefsky interviewed and consorted with through his time writing the novel.

[–] ObscureAuteur 10 years ago

I have read the book and seen the movie and it is as faithful as it should be. No surprise since Chayefsky, well experienced with screenplays by this time, had complete script control to the great annoyance of director Russell.

CB

Good Times, Noodle Salad

[–] Strazdamonas 13 years ago

Watching a movie stoned is NEVER a good state of mind to enjoy it. Most hallucination sequences happened due to the feeling depravation tank and the indian drug. indeed it was a bunch of random images, but i think it was supposed to be that way.
The guy came out of the tank a bit more regressed each time. First - religiuos. then the signs of transformation, then caveman and eventually into more primarial being. in the end, he turns into nothing.

---------------------------------------------
Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] coffeemann 13 years ago

by Strazdamonas (Sun Feb 19 2012 12:36:40)

'Watching a movie stoned is NEVER a good state of mind to enjoy it."

actually , I would disagree, being stone when watching movies is awesome!

[–] Strazdamonas 13 years ago

You can disagree, but that does not make you correct.

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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] moonmanlunatic 12 years ago

well being stoned when watching a movie has never made the movie worse or more boring, it's just a light and subtle change in perspective, and if you've been smoking for a while you won't trip. I watch all movies stoned and I love it.
.

[–] oh_no_mrbill 11 years ago

Same right back to you. I actually think he's got a point.

[–] dwbatterson 9 years ago

You mean: being stoned (not "being stone"). Being stone would mean you turned into a rock!

[–] DrProfessor 13 years ago

You might want to brush up on your Jung next time you watch the film.

[–] alan_ryder 13 years ago

I guess I was, and am, predisposed to enjoy this film. I sense a bit of denial in your response. After all it is a frightening thought that with the proper meditation techniques we could discover the secrets of life and the universe in our memory. I believe it's called genetic memory. You have the memory of the first humans in yours. Indeed, the first sentient creatures. Recognizing it is one issue, for it visits us in dreams if we aren't too troubled in our daily life. I felt this was well explained in the film.

[–] The_Inverted_Necroyeti 13 years ago

For those interested, have a look at chapter 3 of Jane Dunlap's Exploring Inner Space called "the Evolution of the Soul".
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24626833/Exploring-Inner-Space-Personal-Experiences-under-LSD-25
Jane Dunlap (aka Adele Davis) was one of the first writers to experiment with LSD, quite a few year before the hippie scene. In this chapter, she recalls an LSD experience where she claims to have experienced evolution during one of her trips.
What I find fascinating, is that has often been reported in psychedelic experiences throughout the century - do a bit of research and you'll find out this is a common theme in psychedelic literature.

'Marxism is the opiate of the unstoned classes' - Art Kleps