What Dreams May Come (1998)

Sure is pretty
Plainly, this movie still sucks narratively, but boy does it look pretty in High Def. The premise is way more interesting than the actual direction, and I knew this going in. I'd already seen this film in the theaters years ago and I remember not liking it much then either.

The reason to get this film is as a showcase of my 50" Kuro. The afterlife sequences are simply dazzling. The color reproduction is better than I remember it looking at the cinema. Well worth the price. Look out for the Hell sequence with it's sooty textures. In the dark, and with a great television, you fail to tell where the rooms blackness ends and the picture begins.

Jaws will drop. Is that reason enough to pick this film up? You decide.

Robin William at His Best
This movie seems to be very under-rated considering that it is one of Robin Williams' best performance.

An outstanding cast comes together in this movie. Each character is interesting and in my opinion the acting was should have been recognized at the Academy Awards.

What Dreams May Come did take the Academy Award (1998) for Visual Effects.
You will see why in the first half hour of the movie and it only gets better.

Music: The late great Michal Kamen (April 15, 1948 - November 18, 2003)
did his usual fantastic job. His music is a perfect compliment to the acting and the visuals.

Concept: A very nice concept of what happens after life. It really does
end up showing us a bit of heaven.

This is a movie that will take you from sad to joy, so be prepared.

5-Stars

Emotional rollercoaster
I agree with others that movie is visually stunning, but it is way off-base from Richard Matheson's book (which I enjoyed very much). It has been glossed over with a Hollywood happy ending which was a huge disappointment. Some of the scenes were borderline cartoon-y and unnecessary to the story (especially where the kids died first, sending Ann into her downward spiral). Annabella Sciorra was amazing though, she was happy, smart, sad and tortured, sometimes at the same time. Her performance was just enough to keep me interested until the end, but for the most part I still have a bad taste in my mouth.