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?)
Review of Altered States
