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Very disappointing...

Thanks for the memories!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

If there is such a thing as genetic memory, than all the phases of human evolution must lie somewhere in our genetic code. What if there was a way we could tap into that stream of information through consciousness? What would we see? What would we learn? Professor Eddie Jessup (William Hurt in his debut role) is intrigued by the data being produced by the use of isolation tanks to induce altered states of consciousness, and decides to undergo the experience himself. What he discovers at first is the ability to relive with total clarity experiences of his childhood. As he continues these experiments, his visions become more acute and filled with religious illusions. Years go by and Jessup has become sedated with the trappings of academia, leaving him unfulfilled and longing for the good old days of experimentation and wonder. He visits a tribe of Mexican Indians that use a hallucinatory drug to evokes a common experience in all users and has the trip of his life! What might he learn inside an isolation tank while being under the influence of this drug? Would he be able to peel away the layers of evolutionary time back to early man and beyond? Perhaps even back to the first thought? I think it's a classic example of the genre & demonstrates that as weird & unlikely as a plot might be it can still come across as convincing genuinely eerie if handled right i.e. good acting, good script, compelling story line & maybe some decent special FX. All to often these days the special FX seem to be put before everything else & as such films of this genre lack substance & usually don't amount to much outside of the box office. For me the special FX in this film still stand up & look good. The trip sequences are extremely surreal & somewhat disturbing in parts but there are some great sequences that definitely start to mess with your head! The only reason this movie still works today is because the movie makes clear that in some tribes, there are substances that are traditionally and successfully used in spiritual rituals, and it is one of these that Hurt uses, in combination with sensory deprivation techniques, to try to get in touch with his own "genetic memory", for lack of a better term.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

"Altered States" goes off the rails in the second half, but for a while there it really felt like it was building toward something good. It plies its trade on the senses as William Hurt's mad scientist takes to the isolation tank (on Mexican shrooms, no less) and the line between real and surreality continues to blur (cue the psychedelic effects). Trying to use mind-expansion to unlock other states of consciousness is where this movie peaks. But then Hurt actually regresses into a caveman and realizes his fall from banging Blair Brown to grunting and snacking on goats. What you hear right there is the sound of a trainwreck. I imagine this twas pretty potent back in 1980 - and a substantial portion of it still is.But it's half of a good movie.5/10

I liked the movie at the start of the film. The more I watched, the deeper I became engrossed in the story and found it somewhat believable. Then ending came -- I rolled my eyes and laughed -- I could not believe how it ended so dumb! I guess I was expecting a realistic approach to the ending and not a monstrous flop because the rest of the move was almost believable.I know that the movie is loosely based on Dr. John Lilly's real life experiments from the 1960's - and that is why a plausible ending to the movie should have been scripted. Altered States needs an altered ending.If there is a ever a remake of this film or a completely different version of Dr. John Lilly's experiments made - then I will implore the scriptwriters to create a realistic approach to the ending - Altered States had a terrible ending.A humorous ending: Watch the ending of the 1980 Altered States then watch about the last 30 seconds of the old MTV video of A-ha's "Take On Me" --- was A-ha thinking of the movie Altered States when making this video?! Apparently so! LOL 6/10

Stubborn and determined research scientist Eddie Jessup (a fine and credible performance by William Hurt in his film debut) subjects himself to sensory deprivation and takes hallucinogenic drugs in order to explore alternate states of consciousness and discover the basic primordial roots of human evolution. However, Jessup finds himself teetering on the brink of madness after he regresses to a dangerous primitive state. Although director Ken Russell brings his trademark wild'n'trippy sensibility and flair for bold and alarming mind-roasting imagery to Paddy Chayefsky's smart and provocative script, he fortunately manages for the most part to keep his more self-indulgent impulses under control and grounds the fantastic premise in a plausible everyday reality. Moreover, the story not only acquires extra substance and resonance from its key themes about science, religion, the meaning of life, and the origins of man, but also has a surprising additional poignancy thanks to the touching central love story between Eddie and his concerned wife Emily (a winningly sharp and spunky portrayal by Blair Brown). The ace acting by the superior cast keeps this picture on track: Hurt and Brown do sterling work in the leads, with sturdy support from Bob Balaban as bookish and loyal colleague Arthur Rosenberg, Charles Haid as the huffy and disapproving Mason Parrish, and Miguel Godreau as a crazed caveman. Jordan Cronenweth's striking cinematography offers a wealth of breathtaking outré visuals. Kudos are also in order for Dick Smith's remarkable make-up, the dazzling special effects, and John Corigliano's moody'n'melodic score. A truly unique and fascinating film.