I've read a ton of stuff by Stephen King but this is one I haven't caught up with yet. Knowing the way the author likes to expand on his characters and situations, complete with extensive back stories, It's a sure bet this adaptation of King's "Dreamcatcher" is pared down to the bare essentials. The story opens with an interesting premise of four childhood friends who have grown up with a telepathic power due to an incident when they were still young. Having rescued a mentally handicapped youth from three bullies, Young Duddits (Andrew Robb) apparently has transferred some of his telepathic ability to his saviors. I thought more could have been done with that idea, but instead, the picture turns into something of a sci-fi/horror flick when the adult quartet take off for an annual camping trip to a remote Maine cabin.
The unique thing about King's writing is that he seems to come up with a distinct and different set of expressions for his characters in each of his works. Most of the colorful language in this one comes from the Beav (Jason Lee), along with a haunting background refrain of Roy Orbison's 'Blue Bayou'. Not that it has anything to do with the final outcome of the story, but it's just kind of cool being there. If you don't know what to expect from not having read the book, the story almost seems to go off the rails at the first sight of that alien snake/worm looking thing, somewhat derivative of a python with rows and rows of serrated teeth. Given the 'alien' construct, and there's actually one of those disproportionately huge Whitley Strieber inspired aliens from 'Communion', there's a reference made to Sigourney Weaver's 'Ripley' character from the movie franchise.
Between the four buddies, a couple of whom suffer a nasty fate, the snake/worm, the presence of the military and a helicopter pilot gone rogue (Morgan Freeman), the story builds to a somewhat abrupt conclusion owing to the real identity of the adult Duddits/Douglas Cavell (Donnie Wahlberg in an unrecognizable role). Though it was hinted earlier, his transformation into a rival alien snake killer seems to come out of left field. Weird, but if you go for this stuff, satisfying enough to save the day. And since I made the left field reference, I thought it only appropriate that I watched this flick while the Boston Red Sox were winning their World Series matchup against the Dodgers last night (10/28/2018). Duddits wearing his Red Sox jacket might have brought them some luck.
The unique thing about King's writing is that he seems to come up with a distinct and different set of expressions for his characters in each of his works. Most of the colorful language in this one comes from the Beav (Jason Lee), along with a haunting background refrain of Roy Orbison's 'Blue Bayou'. Not that it has anything to do with the final outcome of the story, but it's just kind of cool being there. If you don't know what to expect from not having read the book, the story almost seems to go off the rails at the first sight of that alien snake/worm looking thing, somewhat derivative of a python with rows and rows of serrated teeth. Given the 'alien' construct, and there's actually one of those disproportionately huge Whitley Strieber inspired aliens from 'Communion', there's a reference made to Sigourney Weaver's 'Ripley' character from the movie franchise.
Between the four buddies, a couple of whom suffer a nasty fate, the snake/worm, the presence of the military and a helicopter pilot gone rogue (Morgan Freeman), the story builds to a somewhat abrupt conclusion owing to the real identity of the adult Duddits/Douglas Cavell (Donnie Wahlberg in an unrecognizable role). Though it was hinted earlier, his transformation into a rival alien snake killer seems to come out of left field. Weird, but if you go for this stuff, satisfying enough to save the day. And since I made the left field reference, I thought it only appropriate that I watched this flick while the Boston Red Sox were winning their World Series matchup against the Dodgers last night (10/28/2018). Duddits wearing his Red Sox jacket might have brought them some luck.