Scanners

Definitely Worth a Scan

Main Cast: Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside, Jennifer O’Neill

Director: David Cronenberg

Plot Summary: Telepathic super-humans named Scanners walk among us. A new scanner is asked to infiltrate and take down the lead scanner who is using his power for evil purposes.

A horror film with sci-fi deep ideas, the look and feel may be slightly dated but the plot and grand themes are still valid. Cameron Vale (Lack) is a drifter, strange and lonely. An encounter in a mall calls attention to his strange powers, and he is captured and brought to an empty warehouse. A man named Dr. Ruth (McGoohan) (yes, that really is the character’s name) explains to Vale that he is a “scanner”, one gifted with telepathy and ESP.

Dr. Ruth is concerned about a man named Revok (Ironside), the most powerful scanner to date. In an earlier scene this Revok displayed his awesome mental powers, and the company that Ruth works for wishes to stop this ESPer at all cost.

Vale is sent undercover to find Revok. Along the way he meets a woman named Kim (O’Neill), another scanner. Together they track Revok down. Along the way they solve a number of mysteries, including one that casts Ruth in a new light.

I enjoyed this movie. It isn’t an action film, although it does have violent scenes. It develops its characters and has an interesting story. With many horror films the locations, sets, and supporting actors are not top notch, but they are serviceable here and work well, although there is a touch of over-acting among all the cast.

I can recommend this one as a good view, enough meat to hold your attention.