ClassyWas
Excellent, smart action film.
Adeel Hail
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Juana
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
a_chinn
This is one of those 80s movies I watched on VHS over and over again and dearly loved. Dennis Quaid plays a cocky young psychic who's recruited for a scientific study to enter into the dreams of another person. Their hope is to assist people experiencing traumatic nightmares by entering into their dream and helping them overcome whatever it is that is plaguing them. One such dream is a young boy experiencing nightmares about a "Snake Man" tying to kill him. According to this film's "rules," if you die in a dream, you die in real life. One psychic was already "lost" after going into the boy's dream. That sequence is one that was burned itself into my own young brain and was quite scary back in the day. Watching it now, it's still nicely scary and I also very much enjoyed the German Expressionist influenced production design elements of the nightmare sequence, along with the awesomely retro claymation Snake Man. But the main plot is about the president of the United States having nightmares about ending the world with nuclear war and those nightmares are influencing his real-life decisions. Now enter another cocky young psychic, an excellent David Patrick Kelly, who is (SPOILER ALERT) being sent by an evil Christopher Plummer into the dreams of the president and kill him, so it's up to Quaid to stop him. The battle between Quaid and Kelly in a surreal dream world remains suspenseful, exciting, and visually interesting, even if the special effects are wildly dated. "Dreamscape" was directed by underrated director Joseph Ruben, who also directed underrated thrillers like "The Stepfather" and "True Believer," and it was co-written by Ruben and Chuck Russell ("Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" and "The Mask"), so it's a smart talented group of filmmakers behind the camera. Also behind the camera is cinematographer Brian Tufano, who'd previously shot "Quadrophenia" who would later go on to shoot on films like "Trainspotting" and "Shallow Grave." Top all that off with a surprisingly strong supporting cast that includes Max von Sydow, Eddie Albert as the president, Kate Capshaw, George Wendt, Larry Gelman, Peter Jason, and Chris Mulkey, along with a fun synthesizer heavy score by Maurice Jarre, and you get a highly enjoyably retro 80s sci-fi film that's pretty hard to resist.
carbuff
After reading all of the positive reviews, I was a little bit disappointed by this movie, since it played like a very good made- for-TV movie, instead of a major motion picture. Still, on the whole it was a pleasant blast-from-the-past, and I don't regret watching it. The special effects, especially at the ending were pretty interesting, but the acting was strictly mediocre TV grade, and I could not make an real emotional connection to anybody in this movie because of that. I often like to watch older, less polished movies from the past like this one, because, while so many modern films are super slick, they are also often "plot-lite" and utterly soulless--this film is like Shakespeare compared to any from the Transformers franchise. The big logical problem I had with this film is that I kept wondering why somebody with very strong psychic abilities kept winding up in life threatening situations . It seems like you should "see" these problems coming. I mean, really, you can pick winning horses at the track, but thugs trying to kill you take you by surprise?
hellraiser7
Dreams have always fascinated me because their always carry such a mystery, to how surreal they are as well as what content they hold; sometimes they mean something and sometimes nothing. This film is an under the radar 80's gem that I really enjoyed, because you never quite seen a film like it there really aren't that many that tackle the subject matter on dreams let alone really that many psychic suspense thrillers; this film was one of the first and one of the best examples in my book anyway. The plot is solid if not entirely unique, it's the typical conspiracy against the president plot that I've seen in dozens of suspense thrillers, but here their using the dream realm which I felt was a different spin on this plot and helps make it slightly interesting. The music in the film is good there are a few memorable tracks. The characters are solid, I like the protagonist Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) he's an expert psychic but a rookie in entering dreams. He's slightly arrogant but in a good way, has a little charisma, he's a bit sympathetic because he feels responsible for not saving his father despite the fact he only got the vision when he was a child, but he's willing to take the psychic hero gig whether he wants to or not because there's no one else. Kate Capshaw was good as Jane DeVries she was a good number two for Alex, whom is smart, slightly useful, can hold her own against danger. Both have decent chemistry together both platonic and romantic wise.And the antagonists I thought were good opponents. Christopher Plumber was decent, I don't have much to say for him since he's kinda a typical two dimensional head villain. But it's really David Patrick Kelly that stands out for the main villain, he has played villains before I thought was once again a good villain. He's basically an butt head psycho psychic for hire whom surprising turns out to be intimidating due to how well he utilizes the dream world, let alone a more experienced psychic which unfortunately gives him a slight advantage over Alex. He's also kinda funny from some of the charisma he delivers.But really were in this film for the Dreamscape sequences which are the highlight of the film and they don't disappoint, there something you just have to see to believe. It's true that there have been some TV episodes and movies that have utilizes dream sequences, but these dream sequences in this film still stand out because of how unique they are and how elaborate in detail and atmosphere.I really like how it's shot and certain effects and set pieces which successfully created a surreal landscape, and it felt accurate because that's basically what most of our dreams are they never really look or behave like our contemporary reality because anything could happen and does. Alex's reactions to them help because were in the same boat as him in the sequences, the Dreamscape is trippy, fascinating and even a little scary. One of the things that stand out no doubt is the Snake Man, I still think is a memorable monster. I really like the design of it, it sort of looks like Cobra Ka from "He-Man". The way it just behaves and looks is creepy, and personally I find snakes at times creepy anyway.My favorite Dreamscape was in the final conflict, I just really like the post apocalyptic setting, but also just the back and forth in the physical (or psychic) confrontation between Alex and Tommy. I just like how Tommy is just throwing different things against Alex, like having a ninja uniform and using nunchkus; as well as other things I don't want to give away.It's true this films journey isn't without it's bumps. Certain scenes where Alex isn't in the Dreamscape weren't that interesting and useless, like the gambling scene. One dream scape journey to a divorced couple was out of place and look like something out of a bad soap. And certain effects don't quite hold up.But there are all minor problems due to the just the pacing of the film and the pulp fun tone to it, so I can get past these things.Overall it's a solid film that deserves a look. In the world of dreams anything can happen.Rating: 3 stars
moonspinner55
Dennis Quaid, self-confidently impudent and smirking, plays a young psychic who is enlisted by scientists to telepathically link his mind with a series of patients who are suffering troubled dream states, sending him down the very same wormhole as the dreamer; this is merely training, however, as a very important subject--no less than the President of the United States himself!--is in need of some dream therapy, though there may be a saboteur or two in the mix. Predictably written and directed fantasy, with several cardboard supporting characters adding little to the mix and a production which fails to live up to expectations. The villains are exposed too early on, and there's no mystery or wonder in the dream sequences. Still, Quaid is a surprise; moving easily through this unconvincing scenario (which should be over-the-top but never gets up enough energy to bring itself there), the actor slips around corners and into forbidden rooms like a teen detective from a comic book. Quaid holds his own with acting stalwarts such as Max Von Sydow and Christopher Plummer, and emerges as a happily-horny hero who's not above a little dirty pool. ** from ****
