Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Dennis Quaid | ... | Alex Gardner | |
Max von Sydow | ... | Doctor Paul Novotny | |
Christopher Plummer | ... | Bob Blair | |
Eddie Albert | ... | The President | |
Kate Capshaw | ... | Jane DeVries | |
David Patrick Kelly | ... | Tommy Ray Glatman | |
George Wendt | ... | Charlie Prince | |
Larry Gelman | ... | Mr. Webber | |
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Cory 'Bumper' Yothers | ... | Buddy |
Redmond Gleeson | ... | Snead | |
Peter Jason | ... | Babcock | |
Chris Mulkey | ... | Finch | |
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Jana Taylor | ... | Mrs. Webber |
Madison Mason | ... | Fred Schoenstein | |
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Kendall Carly Browne | ... | Mrs. Matusik |
A government funded project looks into using psychics to enter people's dreams, with some mechanical help. When a subject dies in his sleep from a heart attack Alex Gardner becomes suspicious that another of the psychics is killing people in the dreams somehow and that is causing them to die in real life. He must find a way to stop the abuse of the power to enter dreams. Written by Zaphod <aaa@scs.leeds.ac.uk>
I just saw Dreamscape on television. Despite some flaws, it's not a bad movie at all. It's very well-acted (though George Wendt is wasted in a thankless plot-device role) and features some very impressive, CONVINCING effects. If you want gratuitous computer-cartoon crap, look elsewhere. The "snake man" is impressive, and the actual dreamscapes themselves feature some inventively bizarre set design.
Of course, I must mention the flaws. Though Dennis Quaid and Kate Capshaw have appeal, their characters are only partially developed, and the romantic angle of their relationship is quite standard and seems a bit forced. The motivations of several characters seem muddled, and the film tries to be too many things (horror, political conspiracy drama, Raiders of the Lost Ark-inspired adventure) for too many audiences. Also, despite creepy bits, it does seem to pull some punches. It's too explicit to be purely psychological, yet it stops just short of being a visual nightmare. Basically it lacks a hard edge...of course, as I said, I saw it cut for TV.
Still, despite the problems, it's worth watching if you run across it. It's well-made and effective, with engaging performances and some sufficiently eerie passages.