Dreamcatcher
(2003)
|
Based on the novel by Stephen King, Lawrence Kasdan's DREAMCATCHER follows four friends who receive psychic powers as children when they aid and befriend a mentally retarded boy named Duddits. As adults, Jonesy (Damian Lewis), Henry (Thomas Jane), Beaver (Jason Lee), and Pete (Timothy Olyphant), reunite every winter at a cabin deep in the Maine woods to hunt, drink, and celebrate the bond they share with Duddits (Donnie Wahlberg) and each other. However, this year their wilderness reunion is marred by disturbing incidents which begin with the discovery of a lost, sick hunter and a frozen figure in the middle of a remote road. As events escalate and horrific creatures emerge from unsightly spaces, heavily armed government operatives, led by the imposing Colonel Curtis (Morgan Freeman), arrive in the area, and soon the situation becomes an all-out battle for the fate of humanity. |
One of Dreamcatcher's few memorable moments concerns an extra-terrestrial life form erupting from the bottom of an unfortunate gentleman while he's on the lavatory. It's an entirely appropriate image, since down the toilet is exactly where this, the latest in a long line of poor quality Stephen King adaptations, is headed. The bizarre plot has four childhood friends on a hunting trip rescuing a deranged oddball who, it soon emerges, is host to some sort of alien parasite. While they attempt to evade the monster, the military — in the shape of Morgan Freeman — arrives, determined to eradicate all trace of the shape-shifting beastie. Despite a screenplay co-written by William Goldman (who brilliantly adapted King's Misery), initially effective atmospherics from director/co-writer Lawrence Kasdan and creditable performances, this is soon hobbled by poor quality CGI and an abysmally incoherent final act. As usual, King fans are advised to stick to the book.