Home :: DVD :: Mystery & Suspense  

Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem
British Mystery Theater
Classics
Crime
Detectives
Film Noir
General
Mystery
Mystery & Suspense Masters
Neo-Noir
Series & Sequels
Suspense
Thrillers
Dragonfly (Widescreen)

Dragonfly (Widescreen)

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 10 11 12 13 14 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Message In A Bauble: Not A Bad Film
Review: I'm still mad at Kevin Costner for "JFK," "the Postman" and the disasterous "Message In A Bottle," but since hope blooms eternal in the human heart, I decided to give him yet another chance to entertain me. In "Dragonfly," he did.

"Dragonfly" explores the "Near Death Experience" in children, first seriously discussed by Dr. Melvin Morse in his book, "Closer to the Light." In "Dragonfly," Dr. Joe Darrow (Costner) loses his pregnant, idealistic wife in a bus accident, while she is off saving the world in the primitive jungles of South America. While dealing with his grief, he begins to imagine that his dead wife is trying to contact him from the other side. Is the dragonfly suspended in plastic a kind of supernatural "message in a bauble," especially when it rolls around the floor on its own?

Then Joe becomes convinced when sick children at the hospital, who have had near death experiences, begin to convey messages to him from his wife. As Joe becomes increasingly obsessed with interviewing the children, the rest of the hospital staff becomes increasingly concerned with his mental health.

Joe has a sympathetic but skeptical neighbor, a lesbian played by Kathy Bates, whose orientation has no purpose to the plot except to lend the required Hollywood dose of social relevance -- a minor annoyance.

The film reaches an exciting climax when Joe flies to the remote jungle where his wife died, to seek answers, and finds something wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied by the ending.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Bad Movie
Review: Horrible. The only thing that is good is Kathy Bates. It is a good story but a terrible movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: just great!!
Review: this is just the best movie ever made.the stars and the acting is perfect.it's worth every cent you pay for it.you have to see it.it will change your life!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Take A Chance -- You Won't Regret It
Review: For me, watching a Kevin Costner movie is always a risky proposition. Even in movies that have done well at the box office, such as "Field of Dreams" or "Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves", Costner's limited versatility as an actor and his monotonous deadpan distract the viewer from what are otherwise excellent movies. Of course, then you have the total stinkers, such as "Water World". Even more frustrating are the movies with an interesting plot, which place Costner in a role fitting his style, such as "A Perfect World", but simply drag on and on until most viewers lose interest. I missed seeing "Dragonfly" in the theaters, but found its premise intriguing when it was released on DVD. However, I have become very wary of any movie with Kevin Costner on the cover, so put off purchasing the movie. Eventually, after reading positive reviews of the movie, I decided to take a chance.

This movie exemplifies why Kevin Costner has endured, despite the string of box office flops he has been involved with: when his acting style clicks with his character and the plot, the movie really works. In "Dragonfly", Costner fits neatly into a niche where he plays a supporting role to the true star of this movie: the fast-moving, intelligent, tension-filled plot. There's no doubt that Kevin Costner has a presence on the screen, and he truly shines when not too many demands are placed on his acting ability.

"Dragonfly" is an excellent movie, a ghost story with a twist in the style of "The Sixth Sense" and "The Others". The plot masterfully weaves the tension of a ghost story with the intellectual challenge of a mystery. I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy the strange and alluring sensation of immersing themselves into the supernatural.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Moving
Review: After a slow start, the movie really starts to move and break you out of its initial lull.... I think this was very deliberate and adds to the overall impact of the movie. An outstanding and very moving film!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Movie I've seen! Or at least one of the best.
Review: This was a great story. A love story/mystery - my very favorite. I highly recommend the movie to anyone who likes Kevin Costner and who likes love stories. AWESOME ending!!


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Slowing moving but genuinely spooky
Review: Kevin Costnor finally in a movie that shows you that he can act, a reminder of the days when he did films like "Dances with Wolves" and "The Bodyguard".

Dragonfly is like neither of the above, some people have compared it with "The Sixth Sense" and found it wanting, however that is a little unfair as this is not a movie about ghosts as such, rather it is about belief, life after death and the power of love.

When his wife is killed in a freak accident in South America, Dr. Joe Darrow is left only with memories for her body was not recovered from the wreckage of the bus that claimed her life and that of her fellow Red Cross workers.

But Joe finds that he is getting signs, he is seeing things in the house he once shared with his wife not to mention the children who have had near death experiences talk about his wife Emily and a rainbow, along with an odd little wavery cross they keep drawing when they come back to the land of the living.

Joe thinks he is going mad, his friends think he is going mad but eventually Joe finds himself following what he soon realises are clues to a puzzle that he must unravel if he is ever to have peace of mind.

A visit to a remote village in South America reveals the truth about Emily's death and the surprising legacy she left behind.

An excellent cast with Kath Bates in a tough but soft centred cookie role as Dr Darrow's friend Mrs Belmont and a short but sweet showing of the brilliant and often understated actress Linda Hunt as the nun Sister Madeline who makes Dr Darrow realise that there is more to life and death than heaven and earth can ever explain.

There are no spectacular special effects in this film though there are some genuinely spooky moments which will make you jump and though the ending is a little bit syrupy for my taste it doesn't make the film any less watchable.

Not a film I would have gone to the movies to see but one I enjoyed watching on DVD.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Don't sleep on this one
Review: Honestly, I bought a late night ticket for John Q, and just snuck into this one while I was waiting. Me and 2 of my "homeboys" that I ran into at the mall. It started off slow, I was kinda falling asleep. but suddenly, the entire movie changes gears and becomes this intense figure it out scifi/mystery/thriller. What I liked about it was that you don't expect it to be good and it really was very good. I'll give it an A.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: You Just Might Like It
Review: My initial reaction when my sister began bugging me to watch this movie was (sarcastically), "Are you serious?" I buckled down, however, and sat through it and (gulp) actually enjoyed it. I'm surprsied at all the negative reviews here because even though this movie isn't the best thing that ever happened to cinema (and how often does that happen? honestly, hardly ever!), it's still a good movie.

Costner stars as Dr. Darrow, a grieving widow. We get pictures of his wife, flashbacks, and glimpses of what her death was like. She was on a bus in South America that went down a hill and into a raging river. Or is she really dead? I found the overall tone to be quite creepy, and even though I figured the movie out about fifteen minutes in, I still enjoyed watching the story unfold and figuring out just what all the clues he was receiving from "the beyond" actually meant. I saw it coming, but hey, I still liked the ending. It's the kind of ending that's ridiculous and believable at the same time.

I think Costner's great in this movie. His uneasiness made me uneasy. Kathy Bates co-stars as the nice-neighbor-lady-who-always-helps-when-he-needs-it, and she's good as well. I wouldn't have recommended this to anyone to see in the theater (I seldom do-- it has to be a great action flick a la Star Wars for me to give a theater recommendation-- hey, tickets are expensive, and you only get ONE viewing!) This is at least worth a rental!! Check it out sometimes when you don't know what else to get, I'm sure you'll enjoy it on some level! RECOMMENDED!!


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not great, but does not deserve such harsh comments...
Review: This movie has been quite slated and is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. During the showing, I heard a number of people groaning and complaining, and a few even walked out.

But it's really not that bad. One of the major criticisms levelled at the movie is that it doesn't know whether it wants to be a tear-jerking drama or a supernatural horror/thriller. Why not be both? I personally always find cross-genre movies interesting... at least as noble attempts.

Certainly, there are lots of plotholes, a little bit too much "violin" (teary!) music, the ending IS out of a hallmark card, and Kevin Costner is somewhat dull at times. Despite this, it's a slightly above-average movie that at least realises it may not have the most original story ever, and tries to rise above it with some interesting twists.

Unfortunately, Kathy Bates really is criminally underused. A talented, delightful actress with scope and range of Ms. Bates should have more than do than be thrown into a few bit parts here and there. Hope the DVD has lots of deleted scenes featuring her!



<< 1 .. 10 11 12 13 14 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates