Reviews

Dreamcatcher is one of those movies that, when asked right after leaving the cinema, I couldn't answer if I liked it or not.

At first I should note that I felt somewhat disappointed after every stephen king adaptations. Dreamcatcher had all the necesary ingredients to make it a block buster, yet still for one reason or another I haven't met anyone who really liked the movie beyond doubt. On the positive side there's a great visual language, well realised CGI and SFX work, and a good performance by at least some of the principal characters. But obviously that wasn't enough: both Morgan Freeman's and Tom Sizemore's characters lacked depth, or personality, or whatever one wants to call it. The plot (if one can call it that) runs on too many levels and is confusing rather than catching. Maybe the makers of this movie should have done it like Peter Jackson with Lord of the Rings, by choosing and focusing on one story-line (Frodo) and leaving out everything that's not crucially necessary.

I didn't consider this movie a waste of ticket-money, as it is beatiful to watch and entertaining to a certain degree, but it sure won't make it on my favourite list.

This movie polarizes the audience like few before: while of course, there's people who like it and people who don't like it for any movie, 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' either excites or almost repulses it's critics, and I dare to say that most of the negative responses are based on ignorance, or even fear, of introducing psychedelic experiences into mainstream culture.

Personally, i regard 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' as one of my absolute favorites, definitely in my top 10, and possibly even top 3. One of the many outstanding characteristics, besides a flawless performance from its main actors, excellent direction, and maybe the greatest achievement, one of the few literary adaptations that don't have you leave the cinema with disappointment, is the visual interpretation of the influence of LSD and other psychedelica. Though it has been tried many times, in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' it has been done in a way that in my opinion deserves an Academy Award like 'Best Visual Interpretation', were there one like that (btw, number 2 in my psychedelic charts is, interestingly, a scene from 'The Simpsons', episode 809, 'El Viaje de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)', where Homer eats super-spicy chili made from Guatemalan chili peppers grown by mental patients- that causing him an incredibly accuratel realized 'trip').

Well, I guess up until now you, the reader, can guess that I am one of those that loved the movie, and think it to be a mile stone in cinematographic history, along with 'Apocalypse Now', 'Pulp Fiction' or 'The Matrix'.