Customer Reviews

Ubik: The Screenplay

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Caution: Ubik may cause cranial implosion in those unfamiliar with the work of Philip K. Dick.

If you are new to the work of PKD I would strongly suggest that you buy the original novel version of this work rather than this screenplay. This is an interesting work for a self-confessed Dickophile such as myself but it's debatable whether it would be of much interest to the casual reader.

Phil has written an interesting but quite unusable script. He undoubtedly understood the differences between novel and script writing, and this piece shows this awareness initially, but Phil soon forgets that he's writing for the screen. As the piece moves on he appears to be using it as a vehicle to revisit the ideas in the original book. Many scenes are way too long and there is far too much expositional dialogue. Had this been taken up by a studio it would've spent an eternity in "development hell". In fact I think this would be more successful as a radio play.

I unreservedly recommend PKD's work, but stick to the novels and short stories. It's in these formats that he excels. This still warrants 4 out of 5, however, because I found it fascinating.

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this in the 1980s, when it was available only in a rare limited edition. It's great to see it back in print and widely available.

This screenplay was commissioned by a French film maker and is written by PKD; to my knowledge this is the only screenplay Philip K. Dick ever wrote. As such it's probably not filmable, particularly for today's limited-attention audience, but it's as readable as any of Dick's prose, and a creditable effort for someone with no background in screenwriting.

In addition to following his novel closely, Dick takes the opportunity to add some new twists to his original story, making it somewhat less ambiguous and more linear.

UBIK is still my favorite PKD novel, and I enjoyed this different version of Dick's vision. If there is a movie in the works, it won't look anything like this. A shame; while this might not be viable for a film, it would certainly be a good place to start.

This screenplay, which the author based on his own novel, focuses more on action than the novel did. It does, however, remain faithful to the novel. The long speeches by the main character, Joe Chip, would be better given to a voice-over narrator. Overall, it's fun to read and would make a good movie. Unfortunately, Halcyon is not using this screenplay.
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This is Dick exposed. The directions give us an insight into the way Dick envisioned his worlds to be like, not the way Hollywood has frequently dropped the ball in adaptation. As much as I like "Blade Runner" as a film, in Ubik the Screenplay, we see a pure Dickian apadptation. It is refreshing.

Such a good story was worthy of much much more then this. Ubik possably one of Dicks best works has been turned into everything including a pc game ( cryo). I can only hope that this screeplay is never made into a movie, it just misses out on two much.

I enjoyed this UBIK screenplay by Philip K. Dick. It is a great companion to the novel, and it adds new insight into the story.