I first saw this film on PBS when I was 15 and was totally engrossed as it was one of the most unique and compelling movies I'd ever seen. I recently found it at my library and checked it out mostly for nostalgia. I was surprised to find that it was still as absorbing as it was in 1980.
The story revolves around George Orr (played very well by Bruce Davison of X-Men) , a simple, ordinary and good-hearted guy who feels cursed with the ability to dream "effective dreams" or dreams that change the face of reality. He starts to see an Oneirologist, (a therapist who studies dreams) in the hopes of making it stop. Unfortunately, the doctor upon becoming aware that George's story is true starts to use George and manipulate him into using his dream-state to create a world the doctor envisions. Of course, chaos ensues as it's not possible to control the construct of dreams. Dr. Haber doesn't ever seem to get that and isn't able to take responsibility for the destruction that he helps cause.
The movie is almost 30 years old. It was a low-budget flick even by today's standards, the visual quality is sort of grainy but I liked that. It seemed to add to the character of the piece. The special effects were very simple but effective enough. The aliens were unique in design and while I expected them to be kind of corny, they weren't. The style in which it is filmed runs along the lines of "simple is best" and it is. Don't miss this one.
The story revolves around George Orr (played very well by Bruce Davison of X-Men) , a simple, ordinary and good-hearted guy who feels cursed with the ability to dream "effective dreams" or dreams that change the face of reality. He starts to see an Oneirologist, (a therapist who studies dreams) in the hopes of making it stop. Unfortunately, the doctor upon becoming aware that George's story is true starts to use George and manipulate him into using his dream-state to create a world the doctor envisions. Of course, chaos ensues as it's not possible to control the construct of dreams. Dr. Haber doesn't ever seem to get that and isn't able to take responsibility for the destruction that he helps cause.
The movie is almost 30 years old. It was a low-budget flick even by today's standards, the visual quality is sort of grainy but I liked that. It seemed to add to the character of the piece. The special effects were very simple but effective enough. The aliens were unique in design and while I expected them to be kind of corny, they weren't. The style in which it is filmed runs along the lines of "simple is best" and it is. Don't miss this one.