5 Best Philip K Dick Film Adaptations

With the fast approaching release of the Total Recall remake (August 3rd) it's only appropriate to take this time to look back at some of the best adaptations of Philip K Dick material to film.

Philip K Dick adaptations have a mixed past. Some have worked brilliantly - not only following the message and theme of the original story but expounding upon it in ways that PKD the man himself would have approved of. But others have failed miserably - abandoning the themes that made Dick famous in favor of shoot-em-up action adventure (I'm looking at you John Woo and Ben Affleck!). More often than not Hollywood proves that it doesn't know dick about Dick!

With that being said, here is my top 5 list of PKD adaptations.

5. A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Based on Philip K Dick's 1977 novel which itself is based very loosely on people that PKD knew and associated with, this novel focuses very heavily on the affects of drug use and the potential consequences for society and individuals in general. This is most evident in the fact that the main character Arctor is not only an undercover cop but he's actually charged with investigating his alias who is a heavy drug user.

The film captures a lot of this confusion perfectly as well as the themes of using the tech and the substances in the original story as a cloak to keep the wool pulled over the viewer's eyes.

The Good: The cast is terrific. Keanu Reeves pulls off confused and brooding well. Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. are perfect as paranoid stoners. If anything the guys in the cast make Winona Ryder's acting look sub-par.

The Bad: Rotoscoping. Linklater loves it. It is cool for about 5 minutes and then it pulls you out of the story and you realize you are watching a cartoon. Live action with minimal CGI would have made this movie something special.

Written word to film differences: Very few if any.