Of all the animal species on Earth, only humans have the knowledge of their eventual and guaranteed demise. Accordingly, nearly every religion has addressed that issue, and most certainly every individual has pondered what happens upon one's death. Not surprisingly, such thoughts and worries have transcended their way into popular literature over the ages.
Movies, of course, are no exception, and any number of films have dealt with death, the afterlife, and the impact of that upon both the living and the dead. While most of those pictures have represented Heaven, life after death, Nirvana, or whatever you may want to call it, as a sterile, cloud-filled room, an intensely illuminated area, or even the peaceful meadow, few have gone as far as "What Dreams May Come."
Although clearly an eye-popping, visually exhilarating experience, the film greatly suffers from a lack of any substantial plot (and what's there is mostly bleak and depressing) and, not surprisingly, too much emphasis on the special effects. Clearly a big budget film (reportedly in the $70 million plus range), the picture is initially hampered by immediately thrusting us into the grief surrounding the dual deaths of the family's kids before letting us emotionally bond with the family.
Although the film is quick to point out how happy Chris and Annie are during the opening credits, we aren't give time really to know them and thus share with the quickly imposed grief. While we certainly feel for them, the deaths of their kids occur way too soon and prevent us from making the emotional investment in the characters needed to fully buy into the story.
It doesn't take long, however, before even more depressive events follow, and with Chris' subsequent death we're thrown deeper into ever growing amounts of gloom and doom. While it would seem that Chris' time in what turns out to be his own personal Heaven would allow us to reconnect with him, director Vincent Ward ("Map of the Human Heart") -- working from the screenplay by Ron Bass ("Rainman," "My Best Friend's Wedding") that's based on the novel by Richard Matheson ("Somewhere In Time," "The Legend of Hell House") -- instead focuses on the visual wonders of Chris' new world.
Although the special effects representing the protagonist's Monet-inspired Heaven are visually interesting and occasionally stunning, a little of them goes a long way and the film grinds to a near complete standstill at this point in its story. While a few flashbacks and present-time views of Annie are interspersed with the visuals, they do practically nothing to move the story forward.
To kick start the film back into action, the filmmakers kill off yet another character -- causing the audience to want to start passing around the lithium to counter such depressing events -- and thus give Chris an active goal that finally gives the story some forward momentum.
By this time, however, the fact that we've never been allowed to connect with the characters, along with the film's overuse of its visuals -- that often have a less than the state of the art look (presumably purposefully done) and often resemble those matte paintings used in films of yesteryear -- pretty much emotionally detach the audience from the proceedings.
While those who may tear up upon viewing "a very special episode" of any TV drama or sitcom may be reaching for the tissues during this one, most will probably find the film emotionally bereft when it should have been otherwise.
For those thinking I'm just a hardened cynic, I've enjoyed and been touched by many other films -- such as Steven Spielberg's "Always," the movie "Ghost" and the great "Heaven Can Wait" that all dealt with the afterlife in their own special ways. All similarly played off the notion that love transcends death as does this film, but where this one falls flat, they succeeded for various reasons.
First, their dealings with the afterlife -- while central to the plot -- weren't the entire focus of the story and other events and proceedings complemented, and were complemented by, the whole life after death notion.
They also allowed the audience to connect with the characters before the gloom and doom set in -- "Heaven Can Wait" being the exception that allowed the characters and romance to develop through the story and then have to deal with losing a loved one again. Here, we're thrown into the depressive state of affairs before getting to know the characters, and by the time the filmmakers try to correct that by showing us flashbacks and moments with the two lovers together, it's too late.
By then, we've been bombarded with too many instances of imaginatively colored, near mythological visuals, and the sight of various characters floating or flying around the set. No matter how technically advanced today's special effects might be, the sight of such human aeronautics always looks hokey at best and completely fake during its worst moments.
The film does offer a talented cast and they try to do the best with what they've been given. Recent Oscar winner Robin Williams (for "Good Will Hunting") is in deeply serious thespian mode here, and those looking for laughs and/or inspirational material (ala "GWH" or "Dead Poets Society") had best look elsewhere. I've always enjoyed Williams in nearly everything in which he's appeared, and while he does a decent job here, the depressive material dampens his normally buoyant personality.
Cuba Gooding Jr. (an Oscar winner for "Jerry Maguire") is decent in his role and does a good job playing the enigmatic "guidance" spirit, while Annabella Sciorra ("Jungle Fever") is believable in her role as the emotionally devastated wife and mother, although it's certainly no fun watching her suffer. On the other hand, Max Von Sydow ("The Exorcist," "Three Days of the Condor") is always interesting to watch, and delivers a good, but rather limited performance as the tracker of lost souls.
The real stars of the film, however, are the special effects and production design and that's what most critics and moviegoers will positively comment on. As respectively helmed by effects supervisor Ellen M. Ward and Eugenio Zanetti ("Restoration"), and filmed by cinematographer Eduardo Serra ("Wings of the Dove"), the film is often a visual treat. From the vast heavenly landscapes to the depths of hell, the film's look is impressive.
Most notable are the scenes where Williams must gingerly traverse a "minefield" of souls "planted" up to their necks in the barren ground -- resulting in a view of hundreds if not thousands of heads sticking up -- as well as a depiction of shipwreck tragedies that's just as visually spectacular, but also humbling to the say the least.
Even so, such effects alone can't carry the film. While it's visually interesting and offers some emotional moments, the fact that the film immediately thrusts us into the deaths before we know the characters, and the fact that so much of the film revolves around the visual and transcendental moments of what happens after one dies, prevents the movie from ever managing to take off or grip us with as much emotional intensity as it should have.
Similarly, while the subject matter is certainly intriguing and presented in a visual splendor unmatched in previous, similarly based films, many other pictures have covered this genre in far more "entertaining" and thought-provoking ways that only make this film and its lackluster plot seem that much flatter in comparison.
Despite the "heavenly" special effects, "What Dreams May Come" is a mostly somber and depressing film, and while it ends on an up note of sorts, that doesn't make what comes before it any easier to swallow. We give the film a 3 out of 10.
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