The Memory Scanner is similar to watching an extremely low budget film with zero potential to reach the box office. This film opens with a falsely convicted man on death row who pleads to his attorney that inventing a memory scanner can save many innocent people. On the nose writing lacks depth because directly informing the audience about this memory scanner idea in the opening scene is lazy and uninspiring.
The jump cuts and sound editing are horrendous. Unfortunately, the editing department lack basic experience seamlessly connecting shots and matching dialogue to synch up with the actors. A good example of great editing can be viewed on Alter short films available on YouTube.
The lead actor, Andrew Former, who starred as Steven Jones, is too talented for The Memory Scanner. It is obvious that Former did the best he could with what he had available--unsatisfactory direction and a weak script. However, he had good chemistry with Julie Jones (Elizabeth Chang) and Ellie Powell (Mara Topic).
The concept of defunding the criminal justice system is deeply flawed. In a perfect world, this idea would never pass in the House and Senate. Showing the murder sentencing of Daniel Oaths (Alexander Harris) in a courtroom and identifying him as a convicted murderer would have been effective (similar to the Fugitive). Daniel's opening scene suggesting a memory scanner invention before his execution did not do this film any justice.
The scene where Ellie allows Steven to read her mind would have worked better if the audience could have watched the past images occur in little segments/montages/series of shots. Conveying this writing technique (narrating the past images) to enhance the story would demonstrate creativity and cleverness.
John Ford (Michael Geretz) could have imagined his past victims through the use of mind flashes to establish his psychopathic tendencies. Excluding this at the bar wasted a big opportunity to introduce him as a serial killer.
I watched this "The Memory Scanner" film out of respect for another performer acting in it. The subpar visual and sound editing ruined my viewing experience. I won't even get into the ending scene because the POTUS would never do any of this in real life. Congress and Senate decide the fate of the criminal justice system, not the POTUS. Using blurry cloudy transitions to convey the flashbacks reaffirmed the amateur directing.
Instead of the car crash scene that established the turning point, Steve could have saved another car crash victim who smashed into a telephone pole with wires flickering in water. There were moments where music could have provided an emotional impact. Rack focus could have helped some scenes flow better.
In my opinion, two co-writers collaborating on the screenwriting process could have strengthened this story. Moving forward: Holding audience screenings to receive honest feedback (most Hollywood films do this) could help improve future productions.
3 out of 10 stars is what The Memory Scanner deserves.
