Dreamscape Review
This tidy little B-movie never fully capitalizes on the full potential of its novel premise but remains good fun in a "Saturday matinee" vein. The script is occasionally overwhelmed by its own ambition but moves fast enough to gloss over its weaker elements: the cold-war angle of the story hasn't dated well, and a subplot with a Stephen_King-like horror novelist goes nowhere, but there's always an inventive nightmare scenario or a fun bit of action to keep things moving along past any bumps in the plot. Director Joseph_Ruben wisely plays to the film's genre-based strengths, maintaining a taut pace and effectively using veteran actors like Christopher_Plummer and Max_Von_Sydow to lend the film's conspiracy angle some dramatic weight. The film further benefits from some strong lead performances: Dennis_Quaid uses his down to earth charm to make Alex Gardner a hero that is easy to relate to, and David_Patrick_Kelly is both scary and darkly witty as Gardner's eccentric (and psychotic) rival. Dreamscape's appeal is cemented by its creative dream sequences; the larger-scale special effects show their seams due to the low budget, but all the effects exhibit an expressionistic sense of imagination that makes them truly captivating (the most stunning is a train ride through a post-nuclear-war Washington). All in all, Dreamscape is a light but entertaining film that offers plenty of solid B-movie fun for genre enthusiasts. Donald Guarisco, Rovi
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