"The film's real hook was—and is—the fantasy scenes, and these hold up remarkably well 30 years after the fact. There's a true sense of wonder, awe and terror to them, and Russell—working with the biggest budget of his career—allowed his imagination to run wild. In fact, Altered States became a cult classic on this basis alone, being particularly cherished by the late-night stoner crowd, who had timed the film so they could sneak out for another toke or two during the dialogue scenes. While that's amusing, it's also rather unfortunate, because it obscures the fact that the film itself is pretty darn impressive on a number of other levels and has a cumulative emotional punch that's quite unexpected." - Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress