[.ca] What Dreams May Come (Widescreen)

From Amazon.com:
Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra star in this visually stunning metaphysical tale of life after death. Neurologist Chris and artist Annie had the perfect life until they lost their children in an auto accident; they're just starting to recover when Chris meets an untimely death himself. He's met by a messenger named Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and taken to his own personal afterlife--a freshly drawn world reminiscent of Annie's own artwork, still dripping and wet with paint. Meanwhile a depressed Annie takes her own life, compelling Chris to traverse heaven and hell to save Annie from an eternity of despair. The multitextured visuals seem to have been created from a lost fairy tale. Heaven recalls the landscape paintings of Thomas Cole and Renaissance architecture complete with floating cherubs, while hell is a massive shipwreck, an upside-down cathedral overgrown with thorns and a sea of groaning faces popping out of the ground (one of those faces is German director Werner Herzog). Williams is the perfect actor to play against the imaginative computer-generated imagery--he himself is a human special effect. But the lack of chemistry between Williams and Sciorra is painfully apparent, and the flashback plot structure flattens the story's impact despite its deeply felt examinations of the heart and the spirit. Still, there's no denying Eugenio Zanetti's triumphant production design and the Oscar-winning special effects, which create a fully formed universe that is at once beautiful, eerie, and a unique example of movie magic. --Shannon Gee

Visually beautiful and theologically interesting:
There are surprisingly few movies dealing with a nonterrestrial afterlife. While there are hundreds of films dealing with the existence of individuals following death as embodied or disembodied spirits on earth, there are remarkably few that provide any glimpse of heaven. The few that do tend to present it as an inconceivably white, vast, and indistinct place, from HERE COMES MR. JORDAN to A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH to THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT. In contrast to these other films, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME stands out as one of the most intensely colorful, beautiful, and vividly concrete films in cinema history. The cast of the film is strong, but it would be a mistake to imagine that they are the reason for the film's success. Robin Williams as Chris Nielsen, Cuba Gooding Jr., Rosalind Chao (who I previously mainly knew only from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), Max von Sydow, and the lovely but underused (not only in this film, but by Hollywood in general) Annabella Sciorra all hand in wonderful performances, but they are largely overwhelmed by the astonishing beauty of the sets, the inconceivably vivid colors, and the marvelous use of light. No performers could have competed, though they try gamely. I find the film especially interesting for theological reasons. Ron Bass based the screenplay on a novel by Richard Mattheson. I must confess to not knowing the work of either, but I would lay heavy money that one of them (probably Mattheson) knew well C. S. Lewis's THE GREAT DIVORCE. In that work Lewis was concerned to lay out a concept of heaven and hell that did not regard God as responsible for sending people to hell. Instead, he described an afterlife in which people in hell still had the option of leaving hell and departing for heaven. These two ideas--of people placing themselves in hell and of having the option to leave hell for heaven--drive the metaphysics of WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, as I'm sure anyone who has seen the film will recognize. So why do I give the film only four stars after all the nice things I have said about it? Primarily because the film doesn't really have all that much of a story to tell. The plot feels like a short subject stretched to feature length film proportions. Once you subtract all the amazing visuals, there simply wasn't that much to the film. The challenge for the filmmakers was primarily padding out the action of the film. Nonetheless, I do recommend this as an interesting and intensely beautiful film, despite the slender narrative. Interestingly, the title of the film comes from Hamlet's famous soliloquy, in which he ponders whether or not to commit suicide. In the end, he decides not to because of the dreams that the dead may dream, presumably worse for having killed oneself. But such dreams did not prevent Annie Nielsen in the film from committing suicide. It is a nice ironical touch.

Those who grieve over a suicide - beware:
There are a significant number of movies that are heart warming, supportive and life giving . . . for families bereaved by suicide . . . this is not one of them. As a therapist, I have had to work through the trauma experienced by a number of my clients because of this movie. So . . . I decided to go and see it myself . . . and I agree with them. This movie is a sad attempt . . . through visual dramatics . . . to help people know that this life is not the end, but wow! not in this manner please.

The film is not like the book.:
This is a typical Robin Williams film, sentimental to the extreme which is fine if that's what you are expecting. If you are expecting a true rendition of Richard Matheson's book then forget it. The only similarity to the book is that Chris Nielsen, the main character, dies and discovers there is life after death. From thereon in the story differs wildly. The book focuses more on Chris's voyage of discovery in the afterlife and on his being drawn to his wife whose grieving is preventing him from fully letting go of his earthly life. The film sees the poor woman left grieving for not only Chris, but her two children who have been killed in a car crash. All that aside, is this a good film? It depends on your expectations. The effects are excellent and the colour rendition of 'heaven' is truly amazing if somewhat Dali like in its surrealism. Heaven is portrayed a place from a renaissance painting. Hell is shown as a dark and despairing place, pretty much as you would expect but again filmed with flair and a brilliant eye for detail. Chris's 'guide' through the afterlife is played, with style, by Cuba Gooding Junior. Visually this film is a feast but the storyline will leave most viewers depressed and drained. It isn't a comfortable movie to watch. Unlike the book which, although very sad at times, portrays a more positive note, the movie leaves you with a feeling of desperation that so much tragedy could happen to one family. It is probably worth viewing this film at least once as long as you are not depressed at the time...just keep tissues by your side. It isn't a movie you would want to watch time and time again.

Great film:
Beautiful story and graphics about deep connection and love for each other, even in the afterlife.

A Different Type of Love Story:
This is a wonderful tale of death and love. Robin Williams dies in a car crash and wakes up in heaven. He sees his old dog and friends from his life that have died before him along with his two children that have died in a previous car accident. Robin finds out he that his wife is having an impossible time of living without him. She ends up committing suicide and then is sent ot hell. The rest of the movie is Robin on his quest to find his wife in Hell. The movie is stunning in detail and is truly beautiful to look at. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Max Von Syndow give stellar performances as supporting actors in this film. The DVD has the usual extras including a less than happy alternate ending.