Rating: 
Summary: Maudlin, preachy, excruciatingly boring fantasy
Review: The two long reviews on this page are very well done - one for, one against the film. To sum it up though, it's a very maudlin, depressing, boring and pointless treatise on metaphysics, emotionally unengaging and a waste of time. The visuals (both Art Direction and Visual Effects) are, however, brilliant and stunning and will probably win (deservedly) Oscars this year!
Rating: 
Summary: Read the book TOO
Review: Anyone who has read the Matheson book 'What Dreams May Come' know how vividly the picture of this magical world Chris creates with his mind can be painted in your head. The way they changed the plot around in this book is interesting, but I thought the book was way more inticing and that if you read the book before you see the movie, you will have a greater understanding of the movie and will enjoy it much more. The pain that Anne goes through is one I have known well. A feeling of want and of need and of trying to figure out what is going on in your head before you scream. Wow. Good movie. Even better book.
Rating:
Summary: Bottom Line - Entertaining
Review: Just Dreamy "What Dreams May Come," based on the 1978 novel by Richard Matheson, is not your everyday tear-jerker. Since there was not a dry eye in the house, and it had some sappy movie overtones, some might initially write it off as another "chick-flick." But a lot more was tackled in those 2 hours and 5 minutes. Few movies sum up heaven, hell, tragedy, undying love, and manage to genuinely entertain their viewers. Chris Nielson (Robin Williams) and Annie (Annabella Sciora), play the film's inseparable "soul mates," struck by tragedy when they lose their son and daughter in a car crash. This drama all takes place in the first half-hour, and doesn't really give the audience ample time to react in a sad manner. All the elements of a good love story were present; the couple finishing each other's sentences, joking lovingly, and of course, overt displays of affection. This, coupled with the opening disaster, left me unprepared for Chris's death and ascension to a would-be heaven. The rest of the happenings concentrate on Chris's (hell and back) journey to unite with his family, and save his wife Annie from the clutches of the underworld. Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and the Tracker (Max von Sydow) act as guides and humorously take him though this adventure. Robin Williams did not disappoint, as he chimed in with a one- liner here and there. All three characters seamlessly interacted with one and other. Tons of "father knows best" advise was given to Chris, but despite of all the good lessons, he was intent on getting his "soul mate" back. Heaven was depicted as what you make of it and gave its inhabitants power to do the impossible. It was accompanied by lots of flying people and lush scenery. The morphing of people forms and the spontaneous growth of vegetation that looked beyond realistic made this movie nothing short of a technical marvel. There were countless instances of breathtaking computer-generated landscapes. Hell's image was typical; lots of fire, people screaming in pain, but enough disturbing images to make it seem viable. Lighting was key as any sort of gloom and despair was usually followed by clouds rolling in or a darkening of the screen altogether. All this left me with an uneasy sense of reality. What may be interpreted as an otherwise "mushy" story-line gave me a better understanding (or at least, food for thought) of where we as spirits stand. This was no "feel good hit of the summer" or a remake of "Sleepless in Seattle." I was moved by this piece, and would advise anyone emotionally strong to see this film. -Robert Doherty
Rating: 
Summary: A thousand matte-paintings can't save this one...
Review: Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding, Jr. got lucky at the Oscars one year. So, the director of "Dreams" decides that he'll get them together to make this film. All right. That's fine. Then, you have to get your hands on a "great" script, drafted from a novel by...Richard Matheson...old Twilight Zone writer, wrote "Duel", "The Legend of Hell House", "I Am Legend", and the great "Somewhere in Time"... You're rolling along now. Now to shoot your movie. Give your audience something to stare at so they won't get bored with all the droning-on about meta-physics and what-not. Ooooo...look at the pretty colors...and that wierd bird-thing...that's basically it, folks. It's pretty all right. Pretty shallow. In fact, the only character with ANY depth whatsoever in this film is Chris, played by Robin Williams, in a film that is essentially, 1998's "Soldier" without the violence and with a brighter set. It's really unfortunate, too. This film had the potential to be great. And on a visual level, it is...don't get me wrong! In fact, it IS a shoe-in for Art Direction at this year's Oscars and has a run for its money against "Armageddon" for Visual Effects. But there's really not much more than that. We're supposed to see the long-dead family dog running across the flower-field(which looks like a Robert Frost poem after five doses of Crack) and cry because Chris sees him again. But Vincent Ward(director of "Map of the Human Heart") feels that we really don't have to know much about such characters, and thus, kills them off as he sees fit. At least THE DOG had more flesh than Chris's psycho wife, Annie. And when he DOES kill them, you sit there and wait for the funeral to end, because you really never knew the deceased that well and they're so one-dimensional anyhow, that you really didn't care to meet them in the first place. That's part of the reason that you don't cry in this film. Even Robin Williams(in a heart-tugging performance) almost feels to the audience, like an actor who is improvising with zombies that can't think of what to say when he talks to them. And the only really weepy parts are when we're force-fed the slow-motion shots of funerals and crying flight attendants who just may or may not be your family in disguise. Imagine, telling somebody that your son sucked at football and that he wished he could teach him better before he died, then all of the sudden...WHAMMO!!! The previously African-American guy that was standing next to you is SUDDENLY YOUR SON. And that the flight attendant you smiled at that you are talking to in Heaven suddenly becomes YOUR DAUGHTER!!! And that the old guy who was taking you through Hell is suddenly that African American guy who is your son...kinda...sorta...I think... Why does everyone you know have to be in disguise? Why can't they just come out and say, "Dad, I missed you"? And they said that "Mission Impossible" was confusing. This makes that film easier to understand than Sesame Street! Not much intensity is here either. You expect an epic trip through hell and right as Chris is ready to face his fear, we hit a flashback that lets us in on Chris's life; one of about eighty-thousand that are sprinkled about this movie like too much spice. Why couldn't we have known these things earlier? It not only throws the viewer off, it ruins the pacing of the film. And "Heaven" relies heavily on your beliefs. I believe in Heaven, but I don't believe in a lot of the mind-crap that was fed to me from this movie. I have lost a lot of people in my family, but I really don't believe that they're in their own place, walking around some paint field. Then that means my father is teaching a classroom of kids 24-7 and my grand-father is in some brothel in World War 2, getting fed grapes by the clientele. Dante can say what he wants, but I don't agree with his fundamentalism. Hell is creative and all, but there's really no punishment for the banished souls. Unless some guy from Heaven just happens to be trying to rescue his wife and accidentally ends up walking on your face(see the film and you'll get it). I don't know. I really wanted to like this movie, but there wasn't much explanation. Instead, the director focuses too much on making you stare at floating bodies while the characters all drone on about whether or not they should have made different choices. If I want to listen to this, I would have gone to an art-gallery and listened to my Aunt talk to me for two hours. It would have been the same thing, believe me. --Matt
Rating: 
Summary: The Magic Of The Silver Screen Is Back
Review: When I first watched this movie I was not ready. Unprepared for its visual, emotional and mental impact. I had forgotten the power two hours of vivid imagination put on celluloid can have. It brought back not only memories of lost love, but also reminded me of my believe that there are soulmates out there for us. Everyone's perfomance in this motions picture was worthy of an Academy Award and where ideas exceeded the boundaries of the spoken word, breathtaking pictures took over and crossed a threshold hardly touched in most Hollywood productions. This truly is movie magic at its best. Superb casting, great performances, imaginative set design, astounding special effect, blended into the stream of an almost flawless plot.. At the end of this century, surely the one of its most remarkable movies! If you allow this one to touch you, be prepared, 'cause it still will long after you'll have left the theater.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful after death muse- colors and sexy actress
Review: So thoughtful and eye catching I have been waiting anxiouly for the dvd since the movie theatre.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: it's every thing you wanted to know about the afterlife, plus more.a must see movie.
Rating:
Summary: Touching Story and Visually Amazing
Review: I enjoyed this movie far more than I thought I would. The first hour is tough to get through as the family must endure some truly heartbreaking tragedies but the overall meaning of life and love makes the journey well worth it. Soul mates must never stop in their pursuit to be together!
Rating:
Summary: Poignant
Review: Anyone who has lost their child or their mate can identify with this movie if they let themselves.
Rating:
Summary: I'ts about time
Review: I first saw this movie in Boston in Sept. of 98 before it was released to the public. It was very powerfull for me! I feel there should be more on the subject of the after life! This movie is a real insperation to me. The BEST movie I've seen in a long time, Robin Williams was great once again. A Must see for anyone who may be afraid of what dreams may come!
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