Four young friends perform a heroic act and are changed forever by the uncanny powers they gain in return. Years later, on a hunting trip in the Maine woods, they are overtaken by a blizzard, a vicious storm in which somet... more »hing much more ominous moves. Challenged to stop a deadly alien force, they confront an unparalleled horror, with the fate of the world in the balance.« less
Lots of good actors in this but it was a let down by the time you finished it.
Brandi M. from BORREGO SPGS, CA Reviewed on 12/3/2008...
I really enjoyed this movie. It was true Stephen King, edge of your seat, FUN!
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Mary A. from GAINESVILLE, GA Reviewed on 4/29/2008...
Not such a great movie. It was disjointed and not very believable. Morgan Freeman was not a main character.
1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Strangely , very appealing
doppelganger | Chicago | 01/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There's just a cozy feeling to it. It's a constantly white-out snowing, Stephen King style, humor mixed with gore, great movie. And, I even like the story. Okay, it's not Great-Great, but really good. Especially when you have to stay inside (snow, flu, broken leg etc.).
Regardless, it's definitely worth a look. I never met anyone who just hated it. And if you don't love it, you'll probably just be glad to have seen it and move on to your next scary/funny, sunday/rainy movie.
But again, this is one of my favorite movies for some strange reason. Everybody's got a few of those, so I know you'll understand.
AND, you might want to buy it now, they're not producing this edition anymore and I already can't find it in a retail store.
"
Strong Parts, Entertaining Film
Roland P. Petalver | Cincinnati, OH United States | 03/20/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Overall, the creators of this film did a good job: the story moves along quickly, the characters possess depth and believability, and the cinematography and directing make for a very clean product. Moreover, there were scenes that, because of the creativity, effects, and acting, got me to compare them to some of the best horror scenes in filmatic history. The bathroom scene especially, made me think of similarities with Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny Scene" and Hitchcock's shower scene. Tense, tense stuff. My complaints of the film pertain to it's depiction of military and alien (E.T.) operations, the way they do things. In both cases, the creators of the film seriously underestimate the abilities of these entities to accomplish their goals. Depicting the military, we see commanders who are mentally unstable and psychotic as well and soldiers ignoring chain of command. With the aliens we see an advanced species unable to accomplish what appears to be the simplest of objectives (I won't ruin it) and getting wiped out real easy like.All together, good and bad, the film rates a pretty good because the positives were pretty striking. I just wish there had been more of them. I would recommend this film to horror or Stephen King buffs, as well as aficianados of sci-fi and action.Thank you.Roland Petalver"
Another horror/psychological/science fiction/thriller mix t
J. Cavacini | Coplay, PA Corporate States of America | 12/28/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Dreamcatcher's first half is the best. It has the character interaction that is trademark of King's writing and the cast was chosen (and performed) well. The second half was "science fiction neat," offering an action-based, and clearly established backstory (barely discussed) to the conflict between the invaders and the government, but it disrupts the psychological and personal mood set up in the first half. Ultimately, the fun/neat science fiction portion fails to deliver its apex in the way that you are lead to expect as it quickly ducks back into being a more psychological and personal story about the core people.
Low Points:
- Poor resolution between character conflicts in the military side. Even Sizemore complained about that in some behind the scenes stuff (i'm trying not to spoil).
- Science fiction moments that are more a really well done tease than a complete offering to science fiction fans.
- Not really scarey, but that's not a requirement for everyone.
High Points:
- Morgan Freeman and Tom Sizemore in what is a nice reversal of their usual type casting (i hate typecasting and love to see people turn on theirs and applaud casting agents and directors who choose to do so).
- Great visual effects
- Humor and horror combined well as often with King's material and the cast involved.
- Fantastic cast.
- The science fiction tease that hints at a HUGE and ongoing back story, which makes the overall film feel bigger than it really is. A three or four hour miniseries might have covered this better. i am getting the book, just in curiosity.
- A great score. The music combines creepy, science fiction and fairytale in an unobtrusive manner at moments (and i didn't notice much more than the excellent theme, so i count that as a good score if it leaves me remembering liking it... sort of).
- Beautiful cinematography, in my opinion. Visual effects moments mix well with the lovely snow landscape.
Overall, if you enjoy horror and science fiction crossovers that aren't outright tricks (like Event Horizon), and if you're a relatively forgiving film enthusiast who does not expect everything to meet your ideals, this movie will entertain and amuse you and maybe find a space on your shelf for future reviewing. i'm struggling with the idea of buying it myself. i seem to have a knack for liking the underdogs. The ones with great elements but which fail to maintain or deliver throughout. It seems to be my trademark..."
This is Destiny that goes DEEP!
V. C. Mumpower | Edgewater, FL | 01/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I watched this flick years ago and recently purchased it-I loved it even more this time. Watch the alternate ending-both have deep meanings but I think the director's picked the best in the original release! If anyone doesn't get the meaning behind the plot-they need to watch it again-it helped me understand that the boys bonded for life by a (chanced?)single event...Destiny."
I couldn't get past the eyebrows...
Sara A. Potter | St. Louis, MO | 10/28/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The movie is incredibly entertaining...unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. The upside: the s***weasels (I'll resist the temptation to overanalyze their startling similarity to vaginas with teeth) were fabulous--nifty puppetwork. The acting...oh dear. Morgan Freeman was horribly miscast as Curtis, and the miscasting was exacerbated by shaping his hair into an odd white pseudo-crewcut and giving him bushy white eyebrows that looked like leftovers from a high school costume room. Freeman is a gifted and nuanced actor as well as a most effective villain (he was absolutely chilling as a pimp in Street Smart, and gave Christian Slater a run for his money in 2004's Hard Rain), but between the laughably bad script and the eyebrows, he got lost.
As Jonesy, Damien Lewis had the unique chance to battle himself once possessed by Mr. Gray (I'm completely skipping any attempt at plot synopsis since it's been done thoroughly and well by others who have posted). He did so by speaking in an American accent as Jonesy (as well he should, Jonesy being from Maine and all) and portraying Mr. Gray in this ridiculous Masterpiece Theatre British accent that sounded bizarrely like Baby Stewie from The Family Guy. What should have been skin-crawlingly creepy was simply laughable. I suppose it is to his credit that his American accent was good enough to render his English accent (he was born in London!) unconvincing. And the ending, which I will not give away, was the most truncated, ridiculous, unsatisfying thing I've ever seen. "I Duddits!" indeed."