What Dreams May Come - 4 stars out of 10

What Dreams May Come - 4 stars out of 10

"What Dreams May Come" won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and that is likely the main reason that anybody might watch this film. Outside of the unique visual "Heaven" created by the art designers, and filmed on rarely used Fugi Velvia film to bring the vivid landscapes to life, the rest of the movie is odd and confusing. Robin Williams is a great dramatic actor but this is not a good display of his talents - his character is very bland, which is surprising since the first 10 minutes really set you up to love his character. I was very impressed with Annabella Sciorra, whose lovely voice fit the role wonderfully, and whose emotional acting stood out just as much as the elaborate backdrops. I like the few twists and turns as you discover who his guides are but still, the movie doesn't seem to go anywhere and the characters don't develop. I did enjoy the sentimentality of the final scenes and feel that the film was worth watching to get to that point, though the journey to get to that point lacked. Michael Kamen's musical soundtrack did not do much for me until that penultimate scene when the themes came together to deliver the necessary emotional impact at the end. This isn't the greatest movie (and the Family Guy reference to it is very true) but is worth giving a watch for the paint scene and the very ending... just be prepared to get confused along the way.