Dragonfly

Many may think they know the ending, but they will be suprised. This is a beautiful film with much more depth and understanding than initially appears. If you think it is going to be an average hollywood ghost story, think again.

From the info on the DVD cover, I thought this was a going to be a science fiction/horror movie. I was pleasantly surprised at what this was actually about. The plot twist in the film is wonderful. Kevin Costner and the rest of the cast do a convincing and thoroughly enjoyable job with this unique premise. This film reminded me more of a "Field of Dreams" than a "Poltergeist" kind of movie. The cast is revealing. Ron Rifkin (Alias) was a great foil to Mr. Costner. Linda Hunt is perfect in the small role she plays. The director, Mr. Shadyac, seems to have broken out of the comedy mode (Liar, Liar; Ace Ventura) in a big and interesting way here. This is a good one to see if you aren't into horror movies and want something that stirs the little grey cells...I give it a 7 out of 10.

Dragonfly was a good thriller movie and was very well written. Kevin Costner and Kathy Bates were good. The movie did bore you a little at times, but in the ending the story picks up and flows greatly. The movie is about Joe (Kevin Costner), a doctor whose wife dies in a bus accident in a foreign country while working for the Red Cross.When she dies, Joe is devastated, and works overtime at the hospital, and is uncomfortable staying at his own house with his wife's menacing bird. But then, Joe finds that children dying at the hospital have seen his wife when they are near death, like a young boy named Jeffrey who is at the hospital for cancer. Now, Joe must find what his wife wants him to find. This movie was interesting and good. I give Dragonfly a 9 out of 10. :)

If you check your cynicism at the door, "Dragonfly" is astonishing in its tenderness. It's beautifully shot (Dean Semler of "Dances with Wolves" and "Waterworld") and well-acted. It's a refreshing alternative to the testosterone-driven films like "John Q", "Collateral Damage" and myriad war movies like "We Were Soldiers". Kevin Costner is inexplicably Hollywood's whipping boy but he still manages to make varied, provocative choices in his projects. While I wanted to resist the heart-tug of the ending, I found I simply couldn't. If you let it, "Dragonfly" will take you someplace sweet.

Setting aside several brilliant, but slashing technophile reviews, the experience of the story is more important than the mechanics, or the fact that several trendy notions have been graphed together. I don't care that it is New Age, Old Age, Stone Age... whatever. I don't even care that Costner doesn't seem to know where anything is going. I don't care if the director knew either. This is a story about the spirit of the only person absent from the film. The thing that drives the fictional Emily in the fictional tale is more compelling than anything else. What mother would not defy death to see this plot to conclusion? The broader message is most uplifting, the very powerful, spiritual, magical force that is love. It isn't too difficult to mine this treasure from the mud. Overall, I found the story very interesting and it survives the mediocrity of dialog and implausibility of the doctor's behavior at the hospital. The movie is even better on the second viewing. Sue me, but I really liked it.