Product: Dreamscape [VHS] (1984)
Rating: 4.0
Dreamscape Is Pure Escapsim
A mild classic little film that I was happy to rediscover while DVD surfing here on Amazon. Although this film is somewhat dated, it still holds up well enough today. The dream sequences are wild and fanciful so the effects there work quite well except for the stop-action effects that while good, are very dated. They will remind you of the classic works of that early special effects pioneer Ray Harryhuasen (misspelled???). Anyhow, he did films like "Clash of the Titans" which is another fun, but again, dated film.I always find it kinda fun to see some of my favorite actors as they looked when they first started out. This early Dennis Quaid flick is no exception. My son, who is 15, and a fan of his current work, Flight of the Phoenix and The Day After Tomorrow, quickly noticed how boyish he looks in this film and, during a shirtless scene, how he hadn't started working out yet. He boasts a decent 6-pack today at 50. Kate Capshaw, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, looked radiant in spite of her horrific 80's hairdo and gave a better performance that she did in Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, if you've seen her recently, whenever she's out with hubby Steven Spielberg, you will notice that the years were not as kind to her as to Quaid. The ageless Christopher Plummer, Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, has played this kind of evil character he plays here many times. He was a staple sinister baddie for quite some time until Anthony Hopkins stepped in with his Silence of the Lamb films and other creepy roles. Plummer plays the overly zealous government man taking over a scientific experiment project for the safety of the free world in his own myopic perspective. The newcomer in this film is an actor who never made it big but should have. Sean Patrick Kelly as the villain is inspired casting in this film. He is very effective in his role of the jealous "top lab rat" as Quaid's character calls him. He is perfectly cast and his role and acting will get under your skin and stay there.Now throw in some older and highly respected actors during this time period, Max (The Exorcist) Von Sydow playing the respectable scientist not understanding the danger of his work (which he went on to play many times later in his career such as in Tom Cruise's Miniority Report), and Eddie (Green Acres) Albert and you have a stellar cast to go with an intelligent script that does make an effort to avoid cliche-ridden roles and lines (even though some are still present). The direction is fast-paced and the score by Maurice Jarre is effective.My only quibble with this film is noted by others who remember this film from its original release and VHS transfer and that is the subtle editing that is done for this "updated" release. It's not that I'm bothered so much by the bits that were edited out to better fit the PG-13 rating as it was very close to R in it's time, it's that they don't tell you that they altered the film and that just isn't right. In any event, the subtle editing doesn't change the film significantly and allows for more family friendly viewing.