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Four buddies, Henry [Thomas Jane], Jonesy [Damien Lewis], Beaver [Jason Lee] and Pete [Timothy
Olyphant] – as children were give psychic powers by the grateful Duddits [Donnie Wahlberg] a specially challenged boy whom they rescued from bullies.
This makes it possible for them to interconnect with each other at any given time. They have also been using these powers to help people through the practice of their professions. A sudden horrendous change in their life comes when, on a trip to their holiday shack in rural Maine, aliens suddenly descend upon them. The human killers spawn eggs in humans and dogs, then hatch outside the body. The other kind - look like the aliens in
Alien
– take possession of human beings. They appear to want the earth for themselves and are willing to engage in the fiercest battle for the takeover. The four buddies may have the fight of their lives in their hands. The government's supersecret "Blue Unit" is out to eradicate the invaders, to the extent of eliminating people who may have been contaminated by them, which includes the four young men.
It is easy to see that Dreamcatcher producers have poured a lot of resources into
making a spectacular film.
The eye-catching animation and other special visual effects are evidence. However, although there are clear attempts to distinguish the sequences and characters, viewers have difficulty following the story development. For instance, a pleasant opening or introduction that augurs for what appears to be a pleasant story suddenly shifts gears into something suspenseful and horrible. The ending also comes as a kind of surprise
- a la deus ex machina - someone unexpected makes the rescue. Then there are also one or two cases of misplaced humor that affects the atmosphere of the scenes. Other than in the beginning, there are hardly any more details about the protagonists. It is even regrettable for Ed Curtis played by Morgan Freeman. The character does not add anything significant to the story. He comes in almost towards the film's end as the leader of the Blue Unit.
This science-fiction story of the struggle between good and evil shows that, sometimes human
beings even imbued with psychic powers, are not capable of conquering certain forms of evil.
More than human powers are required. Here however, it is not shown why superhuman ability is needed. The friendship, the efforts of the buddies to help each other and their ability to stem the deadly alien tide are sorely tested. Human beings contribute to the hoped-for defeat of evil. However, the credit for the victory is shared with an "other" being. Because of the nature and extent of the violence, gory visuals and objectionable language, CINEMA rates
Dreamcatcher for viewers 14 and above.
(Date reviewed: March 28, 2003)
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