::SLIGHT SPOILER::
Much like the special effects used in Altered State, Dreamscape invites its audience to imagine psychics going into people's minds to destroy their worst nightmares. Dennis Quaid plays the lead (quite well, actually) who is a psychic since birth who is asked/black-mailed by a local college to star in this experiment. But things aren't as easy as they seem for Quaid when he finds that someone else is putting the nightmares to use against people.
You get a shot at Dennis Quaid, George Wendt (from "Cheers" fame as Norm), and, a personal favorite, from the Crow, we get to see "T-Bird" (David Patrick Kelly) is an early role as an evil psychic who "has seen Enter The Dragon over 6 times" and likes to fend himself with glow stick-looking nunchucks. Pretty original material spanned the entire film.
The special effects were on par with the growing sci-fi films around the time...almost like Tron and the aforementioned Altered State. The dream sequences almost remind me of the Cell with Jennifer Lopez. The music was interesting and matched the experimentation of the scenes (although a little overdone with the annoying Casio keyboard).
It was a little weird and drawn-out when they bring in the love interest and try to overdo the scenes. The special effects of the snake man were cheap-looking but unique for their time. It makes this movie looks very dated, though. And in the commentary for the updated DVD, the special effects director admits that they stole the tunnel-effects for entering the mind from an independent filmmaker instead of making their own. Huh...well, it still gets a 6/10 from me for it's slightly above average script and effects. Just remember it was really new for it's time in 1984.
Much like the special effects used in Altered State, Dreamscape invites its audience to imagine psychics going into people's minds to destroy their worst nightmares. Dennis Quaid plays the lead (quite well, actually) who is a psychic since birth who is asked/black-mailed by a local college to star in this experiment. But things aren't as easy as they seem for Quaid when he finds that someone else is putting the nightmares to use against people.
You get a shot at Dennis Quaid, George Wendt (from "Cheers" fame as Norm), and, a personal favorite, from the Crow, we get to see "T-Bird" (David Patrick Kelly) is an early role as an evil psychic who "has seen Enter The Dragon over 6 times" and likes to fend himself with glow stick-looking nunchucks. Pretty original material spanned the entire film.
The special effects were on par with the growing sci-fi films around the time...almost like Tron and the aforementioned Altered State. The dream sequences almost remind me of the Cell with Jennifer Lopez. The music was interesting and matched the experimentation of the scenes (although a little overdone with the annoying Casio keyboard).
It was a little weird and drawn-out when they bring in the love interest and try to overdo the scenes. The special effects of the snake man were cheap-looking but unique for their time. It makes this movie looks very dated, though. And in the commentary for the updated DVD, the special effects director admits that they stole the tunnel-effects for entering the mind from an independent filmmaker instead of making their own. Huh...well, it still gets a 6/10 from me for it's slightly above average script and effects. Just remember it was really new for it's time in 1984.