MovieMonday.com - Scanners 2: The New Order with David Hewlett, Deborah Raffin, Yvan Ponton, Isabelle Mejias, Dorothee Berryman

Techno Films

Scanners 2: The New Order (B)

STARS...
David Hewlett, Deborah Raffin, Yvan Ponton, Isabelle Mejias, and Dorothee Berryman.

PLOT SUMMARY...
When veterinary student, David Kellum (David Hewlett) is recruited by an ambitious police chief (Yvan Ponton) because of his unusual mental powers, he learns of the chief's evil plan to rule the city.

QUICK SCAN...
Yvan Ponton is disturbing as the evil, ambitious police chief. The snowy Canadian exteriors are well lensed by Director of Photography, Rodney Gibbons. The exploding head FX, Designed and Created by Mike Smithson, are the least interesting aspect of the film. The Music, by Marty Simon, is much better than usual for this kind of flick.

DIRECTOR: Christian Duguay
YEAR & RATING: 1991 (R)

BEST BETS:

Scanners

Videodrome
SYNOPSIS...
When veterinary student, David Kellum, foils a convenience store holdup with his special mental powers, he's forced to admit to himself and others that he has special "Scanner" powers. Soon he's recruited by the chief of police into a program, which teams scanners with cops in special law enforcement units.

When David finds out that the chief plans to take over the governing of the city with these Scanner units, he flees to his parent's home in the country. Soon, one of the chief's Scanner/cop teams kill his mother and seriously injures his brother.

David returns to the city with his older sister, who's also a Scanner. Confronting the evil police chief, David scans him, causing him pain. At the last moment, David chooses not to kill him. Instead he turns him over to the authorities.

Review:

While not on the level of Director David Cronenberg's original "Scanners" (1981), SCANNERS 2: THE NEW ORDER is a decent Sci-Fi film.

SCANNERS 2: THE NEW ORDER, Directed by Christian Duguay, from a Screenplay by B.J. Nelson, provides an interesting variation on the original film.

David Hewlett ("Pin") plays young veterinary student David Kellum, who has no idea he's a Scanner. He does, however, have bad headaches. When he and fellow vet student Alice Leonardo (Isabelle Mejias) go to a convenience store at night, robbers come in. Hewlett uses his mental Scanner powers to throw the bad guys around. When they injure Alice, David focuses in one of the robbers and makes his head explode! Talk about an Excedrin headache!

When ambitious police chief John Forrester (Yvan Ponton) sees the store's video playback of David's actions, he decides to recruit him for a secret program which uses scanners to assist law enforcement. Forrester meets with David, explaining to him that he's one of a special group of people whose mother's took the drug Ephemeral in the 50's and 60's. The drug was supposed to reduce labor pain. What it really did was give the children special powers to send and receive mental signals, as well as inflict damage and death to others with their minds.

Although David initially works with Forrester, he flees to the country when he finds out the police chief's plan to take over the governing of the city using Scanner power. Eventually David returns to the city with his older sister, Deborah Raffin, who's also a Scanner, to bring the renegade police chief to justice.

Strangely enough, for a film dependent on exploding heads for shocks, the performances are better than the effects, designed and created by Mike Smithson. Apparently Director Duguay's head is more into performances than gore, and that's a plus for the viewer. Particularly impressive is Yvan Ponton as police chief Forrester. With his steely, brush cut hairdo and hawk-like nose, he reeks of ambition out of control. When he tells the veterinary student, "Power obliges us, David" you know he means it.

The Original Music Score, by Marty Simon, is much better than average for these kind of movies. And some of the Music, like the wailing sax we hear over shots of the late night/early morning cityscape, is really quite good.

Director of Photography Rodney Gibbons seems at his best in shooting the snowy exteriors of the Canadian city and country scenes. He does okay with the film's interior scenes.

My favorite scene in the film included David's Scanner showdown with Forrester. Though not particulary gory, it is quite powerful.

If you like E.S.P. films in general or scanners in particular, you'll find SCANNERS 2: THE NEW ORDER rather watchable. If the first SCANNERS left you cold, use your special mental powers to pick another film instead.

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Scanners 2: The New Order (B)
	STARS... David Hewlett, Deborah Raffin, Yvan Ponton, Isabelle Mejias, and Dorothee Berryman. PLOT SUMMARY... When veterinary student, David Kellum (David Hewlett) is recruited by an ambitious police chief (Yvan Ponton) because of his unusual mental powers, he learns of the chief's evil plan to rule the city. QUICK SCAN... Yvan Ponton is disturbing as the evil, ambitious police chief. The snowy Canadian exteriors are well lensed by Director of Photography, Rodney Gibbons. The exploding head FX, Designed and Created by Mike Smithson, are the least interesting aspect of the film. The Music, by Marty Simon, is much better than usual for this kind of flick.
DIRECTOR: Christian Duguay YEAR & RATING: 1991 (R) BEST BETS: Scanners Videodrome	SYNOPSIS... When veterinary student, David Kellum, foils a convenience store holdup with his special mental powers, he's forced to admit to himself and others that he has special "Scanner" powers. Soon he's recruited by the chief of police into a program, which teams scanners with cops in special law enforcement units. When David finds out that the chief plans to take over the governing of the city with these Scanner units, he flees to his parent's home in the country. Soon, one of the chief's Scanner/cop teams kill his mother and seriously injures his brother. David returns to the city with his older sister, who's also a Scanner. Confronting the evil police chief, David scans him, causing him pain. At the last moment, David chooses not to kill him. Instead he turns him over to the authorities.
Review: While not on the level of Director David Cronenberg's original "Scanners" (1981), SCANNERS 2: THE NEW ORDER is a decent Sci-Fi film. SCANNERS 2: THE NEW ORDER, Directed by Christian Duguay, from a Screenplay by B.J. Nelson, provides an interesting variation on the original film. David Hewlett ("Pin") plays young veterinary student David Kellum, who has no idea he's a Scanner. He does, however, have bad headaches. When he and fellow vet student Alice Leonardo (Isabelle Mejias) go to a convenience store at night, robbers come in. Hewlett uses his mental Scanner powers to throw the bad guys around. When they injure Alice, David focuses in one of the robbers and makes his head explode! Talk about an Excedrin headache! When ambitious police chief John Forrester (Yvan Ponton) sees the store's video playback of David's actions, he decides to recruit him for a secret program which uses scanners to assist law enforcement. Forrester meets with David, explaining to him that he's one of a special group of people whose mother's took the drug Ephemeral in the 50's and 60's. The drug was supposed to reduce labor pain. What it really did was give the children special powers to send and receive mental signals, as well as inflict damage and death to others with their minds. Although David initially works with Forrester, he flees to the country when he finds out the police chief's plan to take over the governing of the city using Scanner power. Eventually David returns to the city with his older sister, Deborah Raffin, who's also a Scanner, to bring the renegade police chief to justice. Strangely enough, for a film dependent on exploding heads for shocks, the performances are better than the effects, designed and created by Mike Smithson. Apparently Director Duguay's head is more into performances than gore, and that's a plus for the viewer. Particularly impressive is Yvan Ponton as police chief Forrester. With his steely, brush cut hairdo and hawk-like nose, he reeks of ambition out of control. When he tells the veterinary student, "Power obliges us, David" you know he means it. The Original Music Score, by Marty Simon, is much better than average for these kind of movies. And some of the Music, like the wailing sax we hear over shots of the late night/early morning cityscape, is really quite good. Director of Photography Rodney Gibbons seems at his best in shooting the snowy exteriors of the Canadian city and country scenes. He does okay with the film's interior scenes. My favorite scene in the film included David's Scanner showdown with Forrester. Though not particulary gory, it is quite powerful. If you like E.S.P. films in general or scanners in particular, you'll find SCANNERS 2: THE NEW ORDER rather watchable. If the first SCANNERS left you cold, use your special mental powers to pick another film instead.