Married Baby
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
drpakmanrains
I didn't read the book, but the friend I watched with did. Yet we both had the same reaction overall. The first third was excellent, very involving, interesting, with shades of Stand By Me and Alien, but the last 90 minutes became less original, and by the end, I no longer cared much about the story or the characters. Having not read the book, I found the story extremely complicated, with so many characters, I kind of lost interest. It needed more of the scenes with the kids, so their characters' continuity would resonate better. My friend was also rather disappointed after liking the first half, so it probably isn't vital to have read the book. Left me feeling dissatisfied.
TheMovieDoctorful
"Dreamcatcher" has gotten a lot of flack over the years from critics and audiences, many of whom have (In my opinion, unfairly) called it one of the worst Stephen King adaptations ever. Even ignoring the subject matter, it's one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen in my life...It's also one of the most underrated. The best way to describe the surreal viewing experience that is "Dreamcatcher" is that it's like watching...Well...A dream. It's completely devoid of logic or reason (Sometimes laughably so, intentionally no doubt.) and instead runs purely on imagination and emotion. Viewed from this context, "Dreamcatcher" is one of the best, smartest, funniest, most creative and most well made B-movies of all time.Speaking of, the status of "Dreamcatcher" as a B-movie is something that rarely seems to be acknowledged. That's a fact, nonetheless, whether you think the movie is good or bad. It's blatantly clear that this film was never taking itself 100% seriously. When we laugh at alien worms (Or "sh*t weasels" as the film calls them) bursting out of victims' anuses, characters using guns as cell phones with no explanation and extraterrestrial possession giving characters British accents for no reason, we're laughing with the movie, not at it. In addition, the abundance of unexplained peculiarities and bizarre creative decisions only makes the "dreamlike" quality of the film all the stronger. It does contain serious moments for the purpose of scares as well as character development, but it is, at its core, a horror comedy that's very much self aware of its own silliness.The look and setting of "Dreamcatcher" is equally unique, the barrenness and coldness of the New England woods in Winter helping to give the film a very ominous tone. There's something so primal and savage about the woods in Winter, even in the daytime, and I'm surprised that it hasn't been used more often as a location in horror films.That's not to say that the film can't be suspenseful when it wants to be. Director Lawrence Kasdan does a phenomenal job building tension and slowly building up to his scares rather than throwing them in the audience's face. It takes a very skilled man to make a scene centering on sh*t weasels in a toilet and toothpicks scary, but I can honestly say that Kasdan pulled it off.The film's four main characters (Henry, Beaver, Pete and Jonesy) are all extremely likable and relatable. Their charisma and chemistry on screen brings a real heart to the film. They have downright electric chemistry and the selflessness they display in regards to helping others and each other kept me desperately rooting for them all to make it out alive. The film also makes it clear that all four of these leads are definitely going through some very tough personal problems and struggles even outside the impending alien invasion, only finding real strength through each other's support, and I felt that all of them really had unfulfilled futures to live for. Even from the beginning, there's an unsettling feeling that, for some of them, this may be their last adventure together. This goes double for the unofficial 5th member of the gang, a mentally handicapped boy named Dudditz, dying of cancer when the gang first encounters him as an adult near the film's climax This makes things much more suspenseful when the horror really starts to kick in. "Dreamcatcher" very much feels like a movie about living your life as if every day was your last, so as not to have any regrets upon death. My personal favorite character would have to be Beaver, the comic relief, who gets easily the funniest and best dialogue in the movie. That heart and charisma the characters provide are helped in large part to some extremely impressive performances. Jason Lee and Timothy Olyphant are absolutely hilarious as Beaver and Pete. Thomas Jane brings real intensity, passion and emotion to his role as Henry, the unofficial "leader" of the group. He's the perfect choice for the role and truly has the screen presence and strength of a leading man in this film. Morgan Freeman is surprisingly perfect as the villainous Col. Curtis, nailing the character's paranoia, creepiness and insanity. Donnie Wahlberg gives a truly sympathetic and emotional performance as Dudditz that really managed to tug on my heartstrings. He even gets a surprisingly, but UNBELIEVABLY satisdying, badass moment in the film's climax. That said, it is without a doubt Damian Lewis who steals the show here in a dual role as both Henry's best friend Jonesy and the main alien menace Mr. Gray. Lewis does a phenomenal job conveying the overwhelming fear and hopelessness of Jonesy while bringing perfect dark comedic timing and sadistic glee to the role of Mr. Gray. On top of that, I don't think I've ever seen an actor switch accents as seamlessly as Damian Lewis does in Dreamcatcher, at least not in recent memory.Hands down, however, "Dreamcatcher"'s biggest strength is its creativity. From telepathic friends getting their powers from a mentally disabled child, to the concept of a literal "memory warehouse" inside Jonesy's subconscious that he can enter in times of danger to...Well...sh*t weasels, NOBODY can accuse "Dreamcatcher" of not being original. The sheer amount of imagination in the film is staggering, there's enough brilliant ideas in "Dreamcatcher" to make up 5 films and they flow surprisingly well in 1."Dreamcatcher" is NOT for everyone. If you go into the film expecting a dead serious pulse pounder like "The Mist", you will be sadly disappointed. However, if you go into the film merely expecting a creative, smart, well acted and funny B-movie reminiscent of only your WILDEST of dreams, this is the perfect movie for you.
StinkerMadness
Four buddies with superpowers given to them by an alien that may or may not be mentally handicapped, have to team up to stop poop monsters from making people get icky tummies. Really, that's the movie. Wow....Questions abound in this thing. It is more dubious than Wicker Man. How do the aliens work? What's their reproduction cycle? Are the *hit weasels actually the same species? Why is it called Dreamcatcher? Is Duddits mentally handicapped or just has a speech impediment? Who is Duddits? Did his mom screw an alien? Seriously, what's with Morgan Freeman's eyebrows...the list goes on and on. We were able to figure The Wicker Man out but this one defeated us. We just can't come up with theories to answer these....We all absolutely loved Dreamcatcher. Its got all the qualities fans of bad movies look for. It keeps moving and never loses your interest in what is on screen even when you can't make heads or tails of what you are seeing. The story and key events are so confusing and dubious that you can talk with other viewers about theories and try to answer questions for hours afterwards. There's entire forums dedicated to trying to hypothesize what the hell happens in this train wreck. It's highly recommended you spend the time to view this masterpiece of horrendous film-making.Read more at: http://www.stinkermadness.com/episodes/movie- reviews/entry/films/dreamcatcher
