Snow Set Movie10: Dreamcatcher (2003)


Before I get to the awards for the Snow Set Movie Marathon, I must finish the write-ups for the movies.  There was one movie left and I watched it a few days ago.  I am finally getting to the write-up for Dreamcatcher, a movie almost entirely set in the snow.

Dreamcatcher is based on the Stephen King novel about four friends who go on a hunting trip in Maine and experience an alien invasion.  The movie stars Damien Lewis, Tom Jane, Jason Lee, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore, Donnie Wahlberg, and Morgan Freeman.  It spawned the great dialogue “I DUDDITS!” and showed aliens who like to hide in peoples asses.  Solid stuff there, right?

I have been a fan of this movie since I first saw it.  People tend to argue that it has a stupid alien invasion.  I am not worried about that.  What made this movie for me were the relationships.  The four main characters have a great friendship between them that I love.  The little sayings, the way they interact.  It seems like a friendship that I hardly see in movies.  I like the way that this movie sold their friendship.

Out of all of the performances in the movie, I think the only truly weak performance comes from Morgan Freeman.  He overacts every single scene he is in.  It can wear think fairly quickly.  Usually I like some good Morgan Freeman in my movies.  This time, it wasn’t good.  I didn’t like his acting.

The movie was filmed very expertly.  The look was great.  When they showed the snowy areas, it looked both haunting and magical.  The inside shots also looked great, if for different reasons.  There are some dreamlike looks and some looks that made you feel at home.  There was also a portion of the movie that existed in the past which the crew were able to make look and feel like some past time.  The work that went into the look and feel of Dreamcatcher deserves praise for what they put up on screen.  I cannot say enough how good the movie looked.

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for a pleasing aesthetic.

Like I have before, I liked this movie during this rewatch.  Same shit, different day, I guess.  I like the movie.  I think it’s worth a watch.

Coming in the next few days will be the wrap up and awards.  The awards might be a bit late because I’ll be moving in a couple days to go back to school.  When they go up though, I hope you enjoy what I bring.  I’ll talk to all of you soon.

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