If hopeless literalist Kasdan could have decided on a tone ... this could have been a gynophobe's Independence Day.
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:163
Fresh:48
Rotten:115
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: An incoherent and overly long creature feature.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Based on the novel by Stephen King, Lawrence Kasdan's DREAMCATCHER follows four friends who receive psychic powers as children when they aid and befriend a mentally retarded boy named Duddits. As... Based on the novel by Stephen King, Lawrence Kasdan's DREAMCATCHER follows four friends who receive psychic powers as children when they aid and befriend a mentally retarded boy named Duddits. As adults, Jonesy (Damian Lewis), Henry (Thomas Jane), Beaver (Jason Lee), and Pete (Timothy Olyphant), reunite every winter at a cabin deep in the Maine woods to hunt, drink, and celebrate the bond they share with Duddits (Donnie Wahlberg) and each other. However, this year their wilderness reunion is marred by disturbing incidents which begin with the discovery of a lost, sick hunter and a frozen figure in the middle of a remote road. As events escalate and horrific creatures emerge from unsightly spaces, heavily armed government operatives, led by the imposing Colonel Curtis (Morgan Freeman), arrive in the area, and soon the situation becomes an all-out battle for the fate of humanity. A crazy-quilt combination of horror, thriller, sci-fi, drama, and action genres, DREAMCATCHER features aspects of other King screen adaptations such as STAND BY ME, IT, and THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, along with films such as THE THING and SIGNS. Seemingly disparate elements that filter into this giddily strange story include creeping red mold, fatal bowel movements, deadly worms with needlelike teeth, an imaginary space called the "memory warehouse," a deranged military officer, and an ailing man obsessed with Scooby-Doo. Director/screenwriter Kasdan, along with veteran screenwriter William Goldman, revel in the absurdity of the tale, crafting an often chilling and sometimes funny film that delights in its own thoroughly entertaining outrageousness. [More]
Starring: Damian Lewis, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Timothy Olyphant
Starring: Damian Lewis, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Timothy Olyphant, Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, Donnie Wahlberg
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Screenwriter: William Goldman, Lawrence Kasdan
Producer: Charles Okun, Lawrence Kasdan
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for Dreamcatcher
I didn't read the 620-page book. If you did, the movie might make sense to you.
In fact, having already read the book may be the best reason to see "Dreamcatcher," a wildly, schizophrenic jumble of genres best enjoyed with a little foreknowledge.
The 136-minute Dreamcatcher suffers from more than a few missed chances and wasted time.
So skillful is Kasdan's direction and so well does he guide us along that it's not until the final third that we realize how far we've veered off course.
Grimly directed by Kasdan, with a stylish gleam to the cinematography, the film is glossy high-camp nonsense.
The first half, centering on the friends and their initial contact with the alien invaders, is smart and downright chilling; the way a fun monster movie should be.
This version can lay claim to being another of King's works that's disastrous when put on the big screen.
Une adaptation très fidèle du roman de King... pour le meilleur et pour le pire.
Dreamcatcher is a yarn in the enveloping way that movies of yore are warmly talked about by reigning Hollywood royalty, a film that lets you get lost in its snowy crevices by marrying high concept to recognizable and relatable form and setting.
...familiar King motifs, monster mash notes, body-trauma disgust and pop cultural effluvia, belched up by a pain pill-popping, bedridden horror author...
It is an easier film to watch if you have read it, but that’s not completely necessary.
Thanks to strong performances from its main characters, Dreamcatcher initially catches your attention, but just when it should be at its scariest, it falls apart.
Intriguing ideas, but a bit of a mess - just like the novel. Entertaining . . .but it was doomed from the start by the inherent weaknesses of the source material.
There's nothing epic here, just lots of constant viscera ground out over a bruising two plus hours.
High production values can't hide the fact this is very much B-movie sci-fi schlock, but if that's the case -- where's the fun?
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