Rating: 
Summary: Dare I say it? An overlooked sleeper.
Review: "Dreamscape" is one of those often overlooked cinematic gems, on the vanguard of the mid-80's resourgence of lower budget SF which included "Real Genius" and "Wierd Science", among others. Here we have Dennis Quaid exercising every charsima cell possible as a washed-up psychic, who is enlisted by former mentor Max Von Sydow into a top secret program to enter and control people's dreams. Overseeing the project is shady government spook Christopher Plummer, with plans of permanently correcting US President Eddie Albert's apocolyptic nightmares. Of course, some of the more fantastical SFX that seemed cool in theatres in 1984 show their matte lines now on video, but the movie does harbour some truly impressive tricks and unsettling dream sequences. The story itself is compelling, and the fine cast helps matters along by selling it brilliantly, and it is a complete treat to see old scenery chewers Von Sydow and Plummer acting against each other. Another fine performance comes from perennial 80's sleazebag David Patrick Kelly as Plummer's dream assassin, but a weak link is Kate Capshaw's typically wooden performance as Von Sydow's assistant. For some reason, I had a hard time hunting down this film, eventually settling for a well-worn rental at the local Mom & Pop videostore. But this entertaining SF yarn is well worth the search, if you can find it possible to see through the shamelessly obvious Raiders rip-off box cover design. Interestingly, Capshaw herself would end up appearing in the second Raiders of the Lost Ark movie, and eventually become Mrs. Steven Spielberg. Good thing too, because she really wouldn't have lasted long as an actress with her painfully stilted acting presence. But don't lose any sleep over that, "Dreamscape" has enough charm, momentum and surprise to overcome even the worst acting nightmare.
Rating:
Summary: Dare I say it? An overlooked sleeper.
Review: "Dreamscape" is one of those often overlooked cinematic gems, on the vanguard of the mid-80's resourgence of lower budget SF which included "Real Genius" and "Wierd Science", among others. Here we have Dennis Quaid exercising every charsima cell possible as a washed-up psychic, who is enlisted by former mentor Max Von Sydow into a top secret program to enter and control people's dreams. Overseeing the project is shady government spook Christopher Plummer, with plans of permanently correcting US President Eddie Albert's apocolyptic nightmares. Of course, some of the more fantastical SFX that seemed cool in theatres in 1984 show their matte lines now on video, but the movie does harbour some truly impressive tricks and unsettling dream sequences. The story itself is compelling, and the fine cast helps matters along by selling it brilliantly, and it is a complete treat to see old scenery chewers Von Sydow and Plummer acting against each other. Another fine performance comes from perennial 80's sleazebag David Patrick Kelly as Plummer's dream assassin, but a weak link is Kate Capshaw's typically wooden performance as Von Sydow's assistant. For some reason, I had a hard time hunting down this film, eventually settling for a well-worn rental at the local Mom & Pop videostore. But this entertaining SF yarn is well worth the search, if you can find it possible to see through the shamelessly obvious Raiders rip-off box cover design. Interestingly, Capshaw herself would end up appearing in the second Raiders of the Lost Ark movie, and eventually become Mrs. Steven Spielberg. Good thing too, because she really wouldn't have lasted long as an actress with her painfully stilted acting presence. But don't lose any sleep over that, "Dreamscape" has enough charm, momentum and surprise to overcome even the worst acting nightmare.
Rating: 
Summary: Dream Vision
Review: Consider that this movie was ahead of it's time. How many frightening movies have we seen since involving peoples dreams? I think this movie holds up well for it's age. Good performances from an excellent cast. Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, Max Von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, and Eddie Albert all do their parts more than justice. I think this is a solid entry into the SciFi genre and certainly well worth what you can pick it up for on DVD.
The special effects are still nice to look at and the music was catchy. The whole premise of dreams being entered with electronic assistance is not so far from what we can do today. At the time it seemed far fetched, especially when it was done without electronic assistance. Granted that is still out there, but look at how far we have come in dream research and our capability to monitor and effect sleep. With current remakes of psychological movies like "The Manchurian Candidate" I wouldn't be surprised to see a remake of this one. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys science fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: I have a dream...for an unedited version...
Review: Do you ever remember your dreams? I rarely do...unless they are of the really intense kind and I wake up during the dream, and even then the images tend to slip from my conscious like grains of sand through your hand. Why am I bothering telling you this? Well, I needed some kind of opener for my review of Dreamscape (1984), a film that deals with dreams and such, and this was the best I could come up with at the time, lame as it may be...directed by Joseph Ruben, who later did Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) and Money Train (1995), Dreamscape presents quite a cast with Dennis Quaid, Max Von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Kate Capshaw, Eddie Albert, and even George Wendt (Norm!). Dennis Quaid plays Alex Gardner, a young man of fantastic psychic abilities who has since dropped off the radar, preferring to use his `gifts' to manipulate women and pick winners at the horse track, rather than continuing to subject himself to an endless series of tests meant to study and learn of his abilities, tests conducted by Doctor Paul Novotny (Von Sydow). Seemingly content to squander his skills, Alex's path once again leads him back to Dr. Novotny and his assistant, Jane DeVries (Capshaw) as they've developed a machine that would allow someone with Alex's talents to enter the dreams of others, and possibly help those plagued with reoccurring nightmares, specifically in the President (Albert) who is suffering from apocalyptic dreams that are beginning to affect his ability to do his job. Seemingly concerned with the President's well being, Bob Blair (Plummer), government head of Dr. Novotny's project and shadowy leader of an intelligence group even the CIA fears requests Dr. Novotny assist in relieving the President of these nightmares, but we soon learn he has other plans, plans of a sinister nature involving another, less stable psychic within the project by the name of Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly). Can Alex uncover the plot, help the President, and stay alive? Possibly, but the odds are certainly against him... Given some of the films that came out in 1984 like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ghostbusters, Amadeus, Footloose, Romancing the Stone, Starman, A Passage to India, and The Killing Fields, it's no surprise this `sleeper' got lost in the shuffle. I've always enjoyed it, and thought it deserved a bit more credit than it's gotten. Dennis Quaid is really good and charming as hell as the smart alecky Alex Gardner, a character who seems to be able to handle himself, yet exhibits a smidgen of naiveté which possibly stems from a core belief of decency, despite his ventures into gray areas, specifically using his skills to determine winners of horse races, earning him money to live. Max Von Sydow is also very good, although I feel as if I've seen him in similar roles so many times before, as a doctor involved in ground-breaking research, not being able to see the forces which conspire to use his research for their own, sinister means until it's too late. As far as Kate Capshaw, I have to admit I've never cared for her all that much as I found her character in Temple of Doom to be highly annoying and distracting. She's not bad here, even though she does suffer from a common malady of the 80's here in big-hairitis syndrome. Plummer is good as the conniving powerful government agent with a secret agenda, although I've seen this whole `evil government stealing research meant for the good of mankind for it's own corrupted means' theme about a thousand times before. Even so, he's perfectly suited for the part, oozing a smarmy, almost quiet charm that hides disturbing ulterior motives...I did like the aspect that his goals were driven mostly by his desire to protect what he thought needed protecting, even if he was misguided by his own sense of twisted patriotism. The special effects, while seeming quite dated now, were actually very good for the time this film came out, especially the dream sequences of the President detailing post-apocalyptic visions of decimated cities and ruinous wastes. The stop motion work, while not really appreciated by many, is really pretty good and reminds me of those old Ray Harryhausen films I love so much. One thing that annoyed me the most about this release is what's missing due to a hack editing job on a few scenes, all within dream sequences, I suppose, to more aptly fit the movie's PG-13 rating. One scene involved Quaid and Capshaw and a romantic interlude on a train with some pretty steamy stuff, but here it's cut short, removing the nudity. A second edited scene had Quaid inside a mousy man's dream about his wife, which contained some nudity that was excised out of here, and finally another scene has to do with Quaid's character helping a little boy overcome a terrifying reoccurring nightmare about a monstrous snake man. The part removed had a bit of gore in it, but it certainly wasn't anything, in my opinion, that deserved to be removed. It says the movie is available in full and widescreen anamorphic formats, but I only saw the widescreen available. The picture quality is pretty good, but the transfer print does suffer very minor age deterioration at some points, but it's hardly noticeable. The audio is much better, with Dolby Digital 2.0, new Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Audio available. Special features include an audio commentary track by producer Bruce Cohn Curtis, writer David Loughery, and special effects artist Craig Reardon that's pretty good, although dry at more than a few points. Also included are a behind the scenes special effects makeup test reel and a slide show. I really wanted to give this four stars, but given that's it missing parts from a few scenes, I have to go with three... Cookieman108
Rating:
Summary: I have a dream...for an unedited version...
Review: Do you ever remember your dreams? I rarely do...unless they are of the really intense kind and I wake up during the dream, and even then the images tend to slip from my conscious like grains of sand through your hand. Why am I bothering telling you this? Well, I needed some kind of opener for my review of Dreamscape (1984), a film that deals with dreams and such, and this was the best I could come up with at the time, lame as it may be...directed by Joseph Ruben, who later did Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) and Money Train (1995), Dreamscape presents quite a cast with Dennis Quaid, Max Von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Kate Capshaw, Eddie Albert, and even George Wendt (Norm!). Dennis Quaid plays Alex Gardner, a young man of fantastic psychic abilities who has since dropped off the radar, preferring to use his 'gifts' to manipulate women and pick winners at the horse track, rather than continuing to subject himself to an endless series of tests meant to study and learn of his abilities, tests conducted by Doctor Paul Novotny (Von Sydow). Seemingly content to squander his skills, Alex's path once again leads him back to Dr. Novotny and his assistant, Jane DeVries (Capshaw) as they've developed a machine that would allow someone with Alex's talents to enter the dreams of others, and possibly help those plagued with reoccurring nightmares, specifically in the President (Albert) who is suffering from apocalyptic dreams that are beginning to affect his ability to do his job. Seemingly concerned with the President's well being, Bob Blair (Plummer), government head of Dr. Novotny's project and shadowy leader of an intelligence group even the CIA fears requests Dr. Novotny assist in relieving the President of these nightmares, but we soon learn he has other plans, plans of a sinister nature involving another, less stable psychic within the project by the name of Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly). Can Alex uncover the plot, help the President, and stay alive? Possibly, but the odds are certainly against him... Given some of the films that came out in 1984 like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ghostbusters, Amadeus, Footloose, Romancing the Stone, Starman, A Passage to India, and The Killing Fields, it's no surprise this 'sleeper' got lost in the shuffle. I've always enjoyed it, and thought it deserved a bit more credit than it's gotten. Dennis Quaid is really good and charming as hell as the smart alecky Alex Gardner, a character who seems to be able to handle himself, yet exhibits a smidgen of naiveté which possibly stems from a core belief of decency, despite his ventures into gray areas, specifically using his skills to determine winners of horse races, earning him money to live. Max Von Sydow is also very good, although I feel as if I've seen him in similar roles so many times before, as a doctor involved in ground-breaking research, not being able to see the forces which conspire to use his research for their own, sinister means until it's too late. As far as Kate Capshaw, I have to admit I've never cared for her all that much as I found her character in Temple of Doom to be highly annoying and distracting. She's not bad here, even though she does suffer from a common malady of the 80's here in big-hairitis syndrome. Plummer is good as the conniving powerful government agent with a secret agenda, although I've seen this whole 'evil government stealing research meant for the good of mankind for it's own corrupted means' theme about a thousand times before. Even so, he's perfectly suited for the part, oozing a smarmy, almost quiet charm that hides disturbing ulterior motives...I did like the aspect that his goals were driven mostly by his desire to protect what he thought needed protecting, even if he was misguided by his own sense of twisted patriotism. The special effects, while seeming quite dated now, were actually very good for the time this film came out, especially the dream sequences of the President detailing post-apocalyptic visions of decimated cities and ruinous wastes. The stop motion work, while not really appreciated by many, is really pretty good and reminds me of those old Ray Harryhausen films I love so much. One thing that annoyed me the most about this release is what's missing due to a hack editing job on a few scenes, all within dream sequences, I suppose, to more aptly fit the movie's PG-13 rating. One scene involved Quaid and Capshaw and a romantic interlude on a train with some pretty steamy stuff, but here it's cut short, removing the nudity. A second edited scene had Quaid inside a mousy man's dream about his wife, which contained some nudity that was excised out of here, and finally another scene has to do with Quaid's character helping a little boy overcome a terrifying reoccurring nightmare about a monstrous snake man. The part removed had a bit of gore in it, but it certainly wasn't anything, in my opinion, that deserved to be removed. It says the movie is available in full and widescreen anamorphic formats, but I only saw the widescreen available. The picture quality is pretty good, but the transfer print does suffer very minor age deterioration at some points, but it's hardly noticeable. The audio is much better, with Dolby Digital 2.0, new Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Audio available. Special features include an audio commentary track by producer Bruce Cohn Curtis, writer David Loughery, and special effects artist Craig Reardon that's pretty good, although dry at more than a few points. Also included are a behind the scenes special effects makeup test reel and a slide show. I really wanted to give this four stars, but given that's it missing parts from a few scenes, I have to go with three... Cookieman108
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better.
Review: Dreamscape has a great cast of actors and an interesting story,but the special effects are often cheesy and the production style is a little weak.
In the hands of a better producer,this could have been a much better film. It looks a little cheap.
Rating:
Summary: Dream A Little Dream
Review: Dreamscape is a solid little sci-fi film, that thanks to good casting, rises above its problems. Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) is a gifted young man, endowed with strong psychic powers, so far, he has only used his abilities to win money at the track. All that changes, when his former mentor, Dr. Novotny (Max von Sydow) and his lovely assistant (Kate Capshaw), recruit him to aid patients disturbed by their dreams. When a corrupt goverment official (Christopher Plummer)discovers what Alex can do, he has more sinister plans in mind--that involve the President Of The United States (Eddie Albert) Director Joseph Ruben gets the most from a strong cast. Quaid is pitch perfect as Alex, and gives what I think is, one of his best perfomances of his lopsided career. Plummer is at his best when playing a heavy, von Sydow is also tops here as well. Capshaw, on the other hand, is only serviceable, but thankfully, not as annoying as she is in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom. The script from David (Star Trek V) Loughery has a few hiccups in it, and even though some of the story seems like its right out Stephen King's The Dead Zone--the problems are minor and not that big of a deal. The special effects are a bit chessey at times, but I can overlook that as well. As I said, the performances make the film work, above all else. The DVD has a fine audio commentary track with producer Bruce Cohn Curtis, Loughery, and special effects artist Craig Reardon, giving their perspectives on how the movie came together--I wish Quaid could have joined in as well though for an actor's take. A behind-the-scenes special effects makeup test reel and a still gallery top off the bonus material. Dreamscape is worth a look and is better than the DVD cover art would have you believe. It's a step above, and then some, from a B grade flick.
Rating:
Summary: Dreamy Kate Capshaw
Review: DREAMSCAPE stars Dennis Quaid in the title role of the dreambound adventurer, a man who can enter the dreams of other people with the express purpose of trying to help them with their phobias, etc. (interestingly enough, this film followed closely on the heels on an unsuccessful Marvel comic book title of a crimefighter who could do the same called 'Nightmask'). Kate Capshaw, as the beautiful love interest, steals the show with the more interesting part. However, DREAMSCAPE feels like a rough draft -- a story not quite tight enough to make perfect sense and a narrative that, at times, feels wildly out of control. While it's worth a single viewing for entertainment and special effects, it's not one to own.
Rating:
Summary: A fine science fiction thriller and terribly underrated.
Review: Forget about "The Man Who Fell to Earth" by Nicholas Roeg. The TV movie "V" is good, but it must be pushed aside to this studio production. This is one of the most original and exciting science fiction movies to come along in a long time. It is intriguing, surreal, and imaginative without being off-putting or overlong. It has everything, right down to the romantic sub-plot. Still questionably underrated, this brilliant film about the process of 'dreamlinking' and helping people get over their nightmares is a very interesting idea. Performances are good and the special effects amazing. Everything I expected it to be and more.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, except for the cuts.
Review: I adore this movie for various reasons; the good script, lots of memorable scenes, and a great cast including the very inviting Capshaw and the very underused Kelly. To me it's not so much the movie's special effects, but the genius story that involves you and make you want to watch it from time to time. -Especially now that it's been letterboxed. However, as good looking as this DVD is, there are a couple of ridiculous cuts. -The kid cutting off the snakeman's head, now with less blood spurting than before. -This cut is rather pointless since there wasn't that much red stuff seen to begin with, and certainly not more than people are used to today. Even worse though, are the changes made to the Homer Simpson guy's dream sequence. -What was before a very amusing bedroom scene, now is shortened to an unfunny mess leaving those who know it uncut perplexed. It really makes no sense to cut this film, when it wasn't before. Who are they trying to protect ?. Just because it's out on DVD, doesn't necessarily mean it's now suddenly more available to folks with small children, does it ?. They've jammed the disc with lots of extra goodies, like a commentary track, but why go to that extent and still cut it ?. Did they plan it for the family market, or what ?. We, the true fans of the movie are left feeling somewhat cheated, and so in the end nobody really wins.
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