This film was a huge letdown for me, especially considering all the hype surrounding it. The first half an hour or so (up until the parts after the Mexico scenes) seemed to hold tremendous promise and I couldn't wait to see where and how the train of thought would be followed in the rest of the film. Unfortunately from there it becomes less of a train of thought and more a train wreck. The film starts out with a brilliant but decidedly narcissistic scientist seeking to explore the boundaries between conscious and unconscious and finding what lay beyond the boundary. Would it lead him to a deeper understanding of himself and the human race and our oneness with the universe? Well, apparently not. Basically it led him into a decidedly over-the-top, melodramatic Jekyll-and-Hyde type scenario involving his 'devolving' into more and more primitive states of being. The film took an extremely interesting premise and, instead of following it to a thoughtful conclusion, twisted it into a third-rate horror film. The crowning turd in this punch bowl was Blair Brown's overly dramatic performance. From the moment she meets the protagonist she goes from being an in-control, competent woman to a hapless damsel in distress, complete with incoherent overly-sentimental babbling, fainting and flailing about. The so-called love story (which sadly takes center stage after the first half hour) is not in the least a meeting of minds but more of a lame fairytale.
Review of Altered States
