By Geno McGahee
“So, Jane, what you do here, in affect, is count boners.”—Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid)
Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) is a young man with some telekinesis powers and is really a rebel of sorts. He was working with Doctor Novotny (Max Von Sydow), exploring his powers, but eventually got tired of being poked and prodded and ran off. When a new government program begins, overseen by Bob Blair (Christopher Plummer), they track down Gardner and the fun begins. The program involves invading the dreams of other people and helping them get through psychological problems. The initial reason for the program is good, but of course the government has to twist and try to use it in a negative and more military fashion.
Gardner is no angel either as he uses his psychic powers/telekinesis to win at gambling creating a sportsbook review in the end. Every horse that he picks wins the race and I really don’t know how it worked. I guess that he gives the horse he picked a mental kick in the ass to get it moving or he messes with the other horses, speaking to them with his special powers, taking away their confidence. Whatever the case, he is making a killing until the government tracks him down and forces him into the program.
While in the program, he meets up with Tommy Ray (David Patrick Kelly), one of the best horror villains ever and Kelly is just a good bad guy no matter what he is in. In Commando, he was outstanding as the perverse jerk, sexually harassing women and who can forget his role in “Warriors.” This guy is like Midas people…whatever he touches turns to gold.
Now we have two guys that can go into dreams…used to have three, but poor Simms couldn’t handle it. They shipped him off to the mental asylum when he encountered a monster in a kid’s dream. Gardner’s first entry into a dream is a major success, but the 1980’s special effects and the ridiculous scream when he falls off a building in the dream are just hilarious. They probably just said “Quaid, just lay there and scream. Imagine you are falling from a building…don’t worry, we’ll add the building. Good job, Quaid. Good job Quaid! You’re a great mother @#$@#i-ing actor Dennis @#$@# Quaid!” Keep in mind, this is only if the director has a potty mouth.
Buddy Driscoll (Cory “Bumper” Yothers) is a young kid and I don’t know why he uses the nickname officially of “bumper” in real life, but he sure does. Anyway, he is haunted by his dream of this monster…the same monster that scared poor Simms out of his mind, and times just keep getting tougher and tougher for poor Bumper…I mean Buddy. The program has basically given up on him, but Gardner wants a shot to help this kid, and after much arguing, he gets it.
This dream of Buddy’s is the most memorable dream in the movie and features “Snake Man,” a terrifying monstrosity that is part snake, part man, and part claymation. When I watched this when I was a kid, it gave me nightmares, but Quaid never helped me out. Where were you Quaid? If you can get by the claymation and I can, it is a pretty neat scene.
Now, the program does help kids like Buddy, but as said before, it can used in a negative manner, such as trying to use it to kill the President of the United States, which is the plan of that evil Bob Blair. They could have easily called this movie “The Bob Blair Bitch Project,” but since the “Blair Witch” didn’t really come out until many years later, it probably wouldn’t have made a whole lot of sense back in 1984.
Tommy Ray is chosen to be the assassin as he was in another dream, proving that if you die in a dream, you die in reality, and only the heroic Alex Gardner can stop it. The good guy versus the bad guy in the dream world for all of the marbles… you cannot beat that!
This movie delivers. It is a great concept…going into other people’s dreams and either doing damage or good. Tommy Ray is the best character and when he is in the dream world, he steals the show, tormenting the president and being very Freddy Krueger-like with his finger knives…weird that they both came out the same year and have guys in dreams with knives for fingers. Anyway, they could have easily done a crossover film: Freddy Vs. Quaid. That is gold right there.
It was also nice to see George Wendt who played “Norm” on cheers. He had a small role in this film as an anti government type of guy that is ready to expose the dirty plan of Blair, but they take care of him before he could say “Ted Danson.” Even during his short period on the screen, he still presents the likable guy that he has always been.
Dreamscape presents a great story, great acting, and great characters. I love this movie. It is the cat’s pajamas and/or the bee’s knees. I recommend this movie very much.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10. George Wendt and Dennis Quaid in one movie? How can you go wrong?