NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

BA_Harrison This 1991 sequel to David Cronenberg's 1981 horror hit Scanners went straight to video in the UK, so I was fully expecting the film to be a cheap and cheesy cash-in with few redeeming features. But while Scanners II: The New Order isn't quite on a par with the original, it's still a very serviceable movie, a respectful follow-up with a decent plot, fine performances, and just enough splatter to satisfy those who, like me, regard the exploding head in the first film to be one of the best make-up effects ever committed to film.David Hewlett stars as 'scanner' David Kellum, whose extraordinary psychic powers enable him to control people's minds and inflict pain/damage on those who threaten him. With such a special gift, he is quickly recruited by power hungry Commander John Forrester (Yvan Ponton), who wants to use David as a tool in the building of a totalitarian 'new order'. However, when David realises that Forrester is a fascist dictator in the making, he rebels, pitting him in a desperate battle against Forrester's less idealistic scanners, of which Peter Drak (Raoul Max Trujillo) is the most powerful.Horrible saxophone score aside, there isn't really much to dislike about The New Order: director Christian Duguay keeps things moving along at a reasonable pace, the cinematography is good, there are two juicy exploding noggins (although neither are as shocking as FX genius Dick Smith's handiwork in Cronenberg's movie), and rounding out the cast are Deborah Raffin as David's babelicious older sister Julie, Tom Butler as nasty Doctor Morse, and Isabelle Mejias as David's girlfriend Alice Leonardo.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Leofwine_draca David Cronenberg's SCANNERS is one of my favourites of his films – it's a rip-roaring B-movie with a great premise, good acting, and genuine horror. When I sat down to watch the sequel, I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into – an unconnected B-movie in name only, made in 1991 so probably pretty cheesy. Boy, I was wrong! This is a sequel that follows the original film pretty closely but puts a fresh spin on proceedings, and it actually doesn't come off too badly in comparison to the first. Sure, the director can't hope to match Cronenberg's work, but for the most part this is a pacy, exciting little thriller with some well-staged action scenes. And it's only a little bit cheesy.David Hewlett makes for a charismatic lead and he's ably supported by an intriguing cast. This being a Canadian production, half of the actors are French, and Yvan Ponton is the best of the lot, a truly hissable and appalling villain. It was great to see Isabelle Mejias again after her titular role in video-nasty era horror flick JULIE DARLING; Mejias is an actress with an indefinable, hypnotic quality about her. I would describe her as elfin and she lights up the screen whenever I see her; it's a shame she hasn't done more work. Raoul Trujillo, playing an evil scanner, goes way over the top but there was something about his crazed, energetic performance that grabs your attention in the same way that Jim Carrey does. Of course, there are the requisite exploding heads and other bubbly, grisly special effect sequences, and these are all well-handled. This is a fine little film that puts other B-movies from the era to shame.

David Massey 'Scanners 2: The New Order' & 'Scanners 3: The Takeover' are more stand-alone interpretations of the themes and scenarios introduced by Cronenberg's 1981 classic than actual sequels. By all rights, it's no surprise that few have seen these; they are oozing with an early-1990's, straight-to-video feel but, as a couple, there is some genuine weight here and both films definitely have their merits.First of all, what is a 'Scanner'? Well, we learn in the original film that in the 1950's a medication called ephemerol was tested on a large number of women to ease the discomfort of pregnancy. Much to the surprise of all involved, the drug caused a mutation in the infants; they were born with powers including (but not limited to) telekinesis, extrasensory perception, and the ability to read minds. Each film builds on these powers, reaching a fever-pitch of suspended disbelief by the third.In 'Scanners 2: The New Order' we are introduced to David Kellum, a mild-mannered veterinary student who's scanning abilities are just surfacing – apparently the result of his moving away from the quiet countryside and to a volatile (and fantastically Canadian) city. He is approached by a research lab that is trying to find fresh Scanners who are not psychopaths; one of the side effects of the mutation is that it often drives those affected completely insane. David discovers that the corporation has a dubious ulterior motive and he uses his newly tuned scanning abilities to fight back.

Wizard-8 Although the first sequel does not have an intriguing and thought-provoking script like the original, it does improve in other areas. The movie is slickly made on a low budget, making it look better than the first. It's fast-paced, and the "scanner" sequences are well-staged and deliver a good amount of blood and guts.