Direction by Ken Russell has energy to spare, with appropriate match-up of his baroque visual style to special effects intensive material.
Comment
06/06/07
Altered States (1980)
87
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:27
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Extraordinarily daring for a Hollywood film, Altered States attacks the viewer with its inventive, aggressive mix of muddled sound effects and visual pyrotechnics.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: A psycho-physiologist doing experiments with human consciousness eventually decides to test his findings on himself. He becomes obsessed with performing these auto-sensory deprivation experiments... [More]
Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Charles Haid, Bob Balaban
Director: Ken Russell
Reviews for Altered States
Top Critic[Director Russell] fails to bring any clarity to the silly affair.
06/06/07
There isn't a lucid moment in it (and much of the dialogue is rendered unintelligible by Russell's subversive direction), but it has dash, style, and good looks, as well as the funniest curtain line since Some Like It Hot.
06/06/07
No review available.
12/08/06
No review available.
12/06/06
[Director] Russell's noisily grandiose swipe at psychedelia embellishes what is no more than the cosily familiar story of the obsessive Scientist Who Goes Too Far and Unwittingly Unleashes, etc.
06/24/06
William Hurt at his weirdest
01/25/06
No review available.
09/23/05
No review available.
07/29/05
No review available.
07/02/05
No review available.
03/24/05
trippy
03/18/05
Very intense, very inner self, very self absorbed.
10/25/04
I was overwhelmed, I was caught up in its headlong energy.
10/23/04
Top CriticDependably -- even exhilaratingly -- bizarre. Its strangeness, which borders cheerfully on the ridiculous, is its most enjoyable feature.
08/30/04
Top CriticNo review available.
05/26/04
No review available.
03/19/04
Altered States explores the human drive to leave the body behind, to be born again, and to experience in the mind things that were once thought divine.
01/29/04
Mind-blowing imagery, solid Hurt performance; a first-class freak-out
01/23/04
No review available.
08/22/03
Latest News for Altered States
April 25, 2005:
"Blair Witch" Director to be "Altered" by Rogue Pictures
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Dressing Wonderland 
Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.
Wes Anderson on Fox
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Win Glee DVDs
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
Why Don't Australians Make Sci-fi?
The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds