Dreamland (2007) User Reviews

Promising and Intriguing Low-Budget Movie with a Messy Conclusion and Fake Reviews

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 30 May 2012]

Meghan (Jackie Kreisler) and Dylan (Shane Elliott) are crossing the Nevada desert in an old car to visit her foster parents, and Meghan sees a little girl alone in the desert. They stop at the "Little A'Le'Inn" diner, a weird place decorated with alien motive, to eat a hamburger with milkshake and they have a conversation with the bartender Blake, who tells stories about UFOs. They leave the diner and they have to stop in the middle of nowhere due a car problem. Dylan faints and Meghan sees the little girl and ghost that tell her that they know who she is. Is Meghan losing her mind or are the weird events for real?

"Dreamland" is a promising and intriguing low-budget movie with a messy conclusion and fake reviews. I read a couple of explanations in IMDb that help to understand some points but the result is very confused. In my point of view, any movie that you need to watch several times to try to understand is not a good film unless when it is a cult-movie that is not the case of "Dreamland". My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Área 51 - Zona Mortal" ("Area 51 – Mortal Zone")

Made no sense! Started out good.

[reeves2002 · 4/10 · 29 March 2007]

I watched this because of the description and cover art and yet again was deceived.I am getting sick of all these new stupid straight to DVD horror movies.Once in a blue moon 1 will be OK. It started out with a confusing scene and then jumped 30 years and showed a couple one night during a thunderstorm which was OK because I like storms and it set a nice mood.Then it turned into a cool road trip where they ended up at a diner encountering bizarre people.The rest got weird and then got confusing.I did watch it til the end but was even more confused when it ended so badly.I had higher hopes for this movie but it was more like a science fiction then horror and something that should have been made for TV.

Story a little confusing and direction a little sloppy, but it's OK for a B movie!

[tonythet · 5/10 · 13 November 2006]

I saw the film and i thought it was enjoyable.. the story is a bit complex for us who are not immersed into the lore of Area 51.. so that was a drawback. It was also VERY dark.. almost too dark. The story drags a bit in the middle, but I felt it was because of the direction more than anything. I thought the performances were good... jonathan breck stole the entire movie in my opinion! As for Billie Joe Armstrong, which seems to be the only reason this message board gets any love.. well, he is NOT in the film anywhere! Sorry fans.. but he's not there! If someone says they have seen him there.. it's not true, because he is most definitely not in the film! If he was i'm sure someone could find a blurb or interview where BJA at least MENTIONS the movie, right??! So that's about all I can say.. it's a decent flick for a B-movie.

this movie stinks

[quinnox-1 · 1/10 · 26 March 2007]

Dreamland started out moderately interesting but never went anywhere except Tedium city. A low rent affair with no name actors and laughable effects, not recommended for any reason. The best thing that could be said is it looks like they really filmed it on location in the Nevada desert. That's it, I can't think of one thing good besides that about this stinker. The finale is supposed to be some kind of revelation but falls flat like the rest. Oh, I thought of one other good point about this cheese, it clocks in at just over an hour although it still wears out its welcome long before then. When the girl starts walking around in the desert at night it seems to last forever and just keeps getting worse from there. The attempts at horror aren't effective in the least. The story is an attempt at a twilight zone style feel but fails badly. Check out "Retroactive" for a good science fiction B-movie.

An hour and a half totally wasted of my life.

[jpharnett · 1/10 · 16 March 2007]

This is seriously the worst movie I have ever seen, right from the start the movie goes straight down hill with its cheesy music score, poor acting, and total lack or real story or plot. Even for a B movie this is down right awful. After reading some of the good reviews i thought i'd keep an open mind and watch it. But all the bad reviews were so right. I totally can't understand how anyone could have enjoyed it. I'm a huge Sci-fi fan and this was way more than i could swallow. Definlty do yourself a favor a move on to a different movie. They are many other better movies that deal with this subject matter. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Bad even for B movie

[ajklein1 · 2/10 · 27 February 2007]

I watch a TON of movies and enjoy the occasional B movie but this movie was awful. Aside from the "homemade" quality of the film it was very slow and seemed to make no point. I'm only commenting b/c of another comment I saw here that said it was great! WOW! Maybe OK to watch on a rainy day when nothing else is available.

The characters were disjointed and didn't fit any discernible pattern of reality. The dialog between characters was forced and at times very confusing.

I guess if you were very into the whole area 51 and understood some of the nuances other comments reference, it may be good - but for me - the Average Joe - I don't get it!?

Nightmare in the desert...or just a dream.

[michaelRokeefe · 4/10 · 24 March 2007]

The lives of Megan(Jackie Kresler)and Dylan(Shane Elliott)change in the Nevada desert between Reno and Las Vegas. They stop to eat at a small greasy spoon where they reluctantly learn about the infamous Area 51 by the café proprietor(Jonathan Breck). After getting back on the road in their forty year old Lincoln, the radio gets a little crazy broadcasting Hitler's speech at the 1836 Olympics and then later a 1958 news bulletin of Elvis Presley being drafted into the military. The car slowly breaks down and the two are in for the scare of their lives as mysterious unexplainable things happen in the lonely radiation-poisoned desert; remnants of nuclear testing. Megan meets a lost little girl(Channing Nichols)and a wounded WWII soldier. The nightmarish journey doesn't end there. Kresler is impressive to a degree and writer/director James Lay makes good use of Patsy Cline tunes. All in all, moderately interesting Sci-Fi.

Terrible

[leighbradley · 1/10 · 26 May 2007]

I never comment on a film, but I have to say that this was one of the worst films that I have ever seen. I feel it was made by a beginner film student and not to put down talented film students, but this was horrible! I did not buy the lead actress and felt I was in acting class with her while she was on film. Her decisions were very safe and I feel she was mimicking other actresses in films and not acting and making her own decisions. The direction was very confusing and the sound was louder than the actors themselves. The end may have made a little more sense if there was someone narrating the events and not a song. I love Patsy Cline but she her songs appear quite frequently in films. Maybe the song selection could have been a little more original. The song "crazy" was such a cliché. As I said before I never comment on films and have seen my share of good and bad, but this was the worst. Sorry.

Surreality

[stephanieprager · 7/10 · 28 March 2007]

I watched this film last night and really liked the non traditional story. However If you looking for an simplistic film to understand I'd say look else where, this film is full of moments that offer insight into what is going on with the time travel aspect of the film but if you miss that, which as far as I can tell is only spoken about in the restaurant scene once, well you'll just be lost. I think this director might have trusted too much in the ability of people to stay tuned in by all the pretty frustrated and angry reviewers on here

For instance as I read in one of the internet reviews that was pasted in one of other user comments, I loved that the director used Patsy Cline's "Crazy" to indicate that all the experiences of the lead girl may or may not actually be happening, it was a bit of black comedy right in the middle of sci fi flick and it added a new layer of texture. I do see the Lynch comparisons as this director steps out into the ether with all the bizarre events giving the audience flashes of clues to what is going on. Not to give anything away and I hope no one marks this as a spoiler but there is the biggest clue to what the whole surprise is at the end of the film early on when the couple leave the restaurant and cross the paths of the three men coming in, if you look at the middle man carefully i think the director is giving the audience the chance to "get" the film in that moment alone. I did not see anyone of the reviews yet, especially the negative reviews, ever catch that. I am not trying to show you how smart I think I am but I think this is why the critics have given the film good reviews, I think they see so many films that when one comes along that you have to pay attention to they like the challenge, that's my opinion at least.

There are some moments of over acting but I still was drawn into the story and didn't feel that it was too bad, watch any Asylum film if you want to see some really horrible acting. I especially liked that they stayed away from blood and guts stuff and made an entertaining film more about thought than violence, sex or killing. great job.

Terrible, even for an amateur production

[occjph · 1/10 · 2 September 2007]

Ed Wood, perhaps the worst film maker of all time left us gems that are SO bad, they delight, being unintentionally funny and therefore charming and innocent.

James Lay, and his financial backers (Mom and Dad, it seems from the credits) have created in 'Dreamland' a film just as poorly made as any Ed Wood film, but lacking any charm or innocence. Dreamland simply stinks, and about the only good thing about this 90 minute waste of time is the certain knowledge that James Lay and his fellow perps will never make another picture again.

I must mention some of the dramatic lengths some of the crew took to avoid being associated with this horrible picture. I'm sure the production controller, once seeing the completed film, demanded to have his or her name changed in the credits to 'Donna Snartlebutt' and the accounting done by 'Brutus'. One can imagine 'Brutus' with his roll of 5 dollar bills paying the crew at the end of a shooting day.

I wont mention the many technical problems with this pathetic little videotape, but I must mention a few commentaries that compare this slag to the work of David Lynch. You know you have turned out a real stinker when you have your mom log into IMDb and post such astonishing BS - no one , save violent mental patients, could -ever- mistake 'dreamland' with -anything- produced by Lynch. What a horrific slight against Mr. Lynch and his work.

Go back to film school, Mr Lay.

If You Are A David Lynch Fan You'll Like This Film! If you're not...Well Go See Wild Hogs

[brianna_davison · 10/10 · 12 March 2007]

Much can be said about Dreamland but I think the mistake most people make is to think that the director is trying to create a coherent and straight forward narrative structure. He is working on a subconscious level in his mind. The idea comes before the reason behind the idea. In many ways this is how art should be created because any other way it will feel forced and pretentious.

The film indulges a great risk by sticking its foot into the deep blue unknown pool of time travel and Quantum Pyshics. I my opinion the film is a big film in the subject matter it explores but the very conscious director seems to be acutely aware that mystery, suspense and tension is what will keep the audience emotionally drawn in. In other post it seem that it is clear that this is a lower budget film that was shot in seven days, that alone I find truly a tremendous accomplishment. What is even more impressive is to take on such a omnipotent subject that can either enchant the lucid artist types who understand that it is about letting go of the control they never really had or highly agitate the ones who "must know" there is only one answer to the ending of every film, a "Happy Ending", so that they can trudge on through their miserable lives.

"I know who you are!"

[Bernie4444 · 6/10 · 11 November 2023]

This film is touted as being low budget and short in length. However, the fact is that only had one small theme and was trying to be too artsy.

To down and out youths Megan (Jackie Kreisler) and Dylan (Shane Elliott) are on their way to visit foster relatives and a possible job. Everything is plodding along fairly normal until they stop off at an eatery near area 51. Then things turn bazaar for Megan as she needs many strange characters including Rachel, but why Rachel?

Being a short film, I am hesitant about going into details more than to say that several times this was a "stay in the car" film. It requires repeated viewing to put everything in place. However, I am not sure it is worth repeated viewing. What little is held together for any, continuity is well acted by Jonathan Breck as Blake, the man behind the counter?

Redonculous film

[marrowman · 1/10 · 20 March 2007]

This film was utterly horrible. Stupid premise, and horrible acting by all. Whoever wrote this trash should be hanged. Reminds me of a hack student film, BUT WORSE. Who ever produced this should give up now. I know opinions are subjective and all, and some may think this "fantastic" as some think "Dune (1984)" was fantastic, well get off your horse and watch some real films. OK, the acting was tolerable, and with better direction could have been far better, but it didn't so it suffers. I don't know how much more I can say about this waste of film, other than to totally trash it. Anyways it was horrible and I recommend to avoid it like the plague, if you come anywhere near "dreamland", rent the movie beside it instead.

Worst movie ever

[clayman-colony · 1/10 · 23 October 2010]

I'm a big fan of sci-fi and try to watch everything even remotely connected to the genre. This film however was so bad I couldn't even bring me to see it till the end. OMG! One of the worst films I've ever seen! The plot, the actors, the lack of logic...I'm lost for words! Actually - I could make a better movie myself for just $100.

I don't understand the people giving this a good review - are you joking or is your taste in films so bad that you actually think this is good? What is wrong with you? This film is pure crap, a total waste of time and should be buried and forgotten for eternity.

Avoid this sorry excuse for a film. The good reviews for this film actually made me so angry that I had to register here, just to write this review!

Amateur Night At The Movies

[tomdugan2-1 · 1/10 · 2 March 2013]

I am surprised in this day and age that Dreamland has been picked up by a distribution service like Hulu. I found this film to be a nearly unwatchable low-end indie production with very little for casual viewers to enjoy. If anything - its value is for students as a case-study in problems shooting under-financed - covering both the technical AND creative side of film-making.

I won't focus on the problems that others have nailed, but the major lesson for students is that no matter what your budget (or credit card limits) - you need a strong script, a cast that gels and all of the support details needed to make them look good or at least interesting (they are supposed to be "stars" right?).

As far as looking for that "break-out" indie film, unless I am at a festival, I always use IMDb and scan reviews before buying a ticket. If there are a small number reviews and they are mostly 10's - those are likely family and friends so beware (it is very hard to get a general audience to shill for a bad film). More honest reviews will usually have lower ratings with solid reasons for those numbers.

As far as Mr. Lay and his team - it is a minor miracle when ANY film actually gets made and distributed so a major tip of the hat. Hope his next film is over the top!

Not Even Worth the DVD Rental Price

[atomic_age57 · 1/10 · 6 March 2007]

I cannot BELIEVE anyone is giving this film a good rating. In addition to the terrible acting, thin (nonexistent?) plot line and slooooooooow pace, this would be the movie to watch if you were really TRYING to fall asleep. The writer's and director's brains must have been fried eggs to ever have concocted something as abominable as this. Based on the plot summary on the DVD case, the premise really sounded promising. But within the first ten minutes I knew it was a lost cause. If you want to see a REALLY creep take on the Area 51 idea, check out the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes". Dreamland will soon fade away as all pathetic films of its ilk do. NEXT!!!

what a waste of an hour

[vosamis-1 · 1/10 · 27 March 2011]

What is this thing with teenagers are their multiple exclamation marks viz "I highly recommend seeing Dreamland, you're missing out if you don't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" If anything really were urgent, would anyone pay attention? My opinion of this movie is that it might have been filmed in Super-8, that is the level of its production values. I got it from the local public library because the cover on the DVD disk looked interesting. Right away saw that it was really cheesy even Monogram Studio would have rejected it as of too poor a quality. Was curious at least to see if maybe something would be of value or interest...but nothing, just junk. What a waste of an hour. Am really surprised to see that people, at least some of them here, are raving about it, praising its artistic excellence, etc. Crazy.

Oh my dear LORD!

[mail-3941 · 1/10 · 11 March 2007]

...I can't believe there are actually people here who recommend this movie... This is such a slow POS going absolutely nowhere. Oh yeah OK it goes somewhere, but you see that coming from miles away. Acting: Really really bad, maybe the bartender was kind of OK. Editing: BAD! I suppose the editor was told "we need at least 90 minutes", cause half of all the scenes could have gone in the bin. Music: don't get me started on that, the lousiest score I've ever heard. Who is that singing in the last scene for crying out loud?? Directing: oh my, IMNSHO David Lynch sucks, but someone trying to copy him sucks even harder. Skip this one.

Close Encounters of the Third Reich

[gingernutmeg · 1/10 · 3 February 2010]

This film has absolutely no redeeming features. It's not even worthy of being in the 'so bad it's good' category - it's simply bad. Badly acted, badly shot, badly written, badly directed, terrible sound recording and the whole thing is just incredibly amateur. Quite how this got a release is beyond me.

Oh, and could someone PLEASE tell the lead actress that if you're playing 'mad' that does not mean that you should constantly fiddle with your hair - in a film that was generally irritating, this was probably one of the most irritating things of all.

On the plus side, I think this is the only film ever to feature a Nazi carjacker ...

Unique Good FIlm, complicated plot , Very David Lynch!!

[marieW007 · 9/10 · 28 February 2007]

I watched the film today and was sucked in from the get go. I felt that you had really stay focused and not take your eyes away too much or you might miss a key part of the story reveal at the end. A guy commented below that it was disjointed but I think he didn't really pay attention. I found there were little clues and hints strewn throughout the film and I don't want to give the plot away but I thought it was very clever how they tied all the earlier flashback clues that were in the girls nightmares to the all the reveals at the end of the film, very smart and very David Lynch.

The feel was very dark and moody which I prefer and it was not all about stupid bloody killings like most low budget horror films. I applaud the makers of this film for believing that Audiences are smart enough to get a film like this, although I can see how this film will go over some peoples heads. You can't please everyone all the time like the studios constantly try to do and I applaud this effort!

I made a mistake when watching this film.

[platypusman-scuba · 1/10 · 24 February 2012]

That mistake was NOT having a bottle (or more) of hard alcoholic beverage and a glass in front of me, and starting with gusto right after I told the film to play.

This is not just a bad film---it is a *glaringly* bad film.

In the broad firmament of stars that represent bad films, this would be depicted as a Supernova. There's no really discernible plot, the dialog was pounded out by monkeys on a typewriter, and let's not even get started on the casting and direction (what?)! It was interesting to go to the IMDb and see what other pieces of dreck the folks who made and appeared in this turkey have been involved in, or if they just took whatever they thought was a career, placed it on the ground, poured flammable liquids on it and struck a match.

Can I get a boo-ya! from others?

the worst movie ever !

[cdd171812 · 1/10 · 21 May 2008]

I have to say this is the worst movie that I have ever watched in my life, I cannot believe that I wasted $10 at blockbuster ; this movie should be burned and who ever thought of it has issues. Who ever actually spent money to make this movie was insane =D This movie has TERRIBLE actors and some of the scenes make absolutely no sense. Well, the whole movie doesn't make sense. Also the part where those "men" come into the diner ( department of national securities )that happened to be the worst part of the film. How dare they say Frank Sinatra's name in vain? Also, what is up with those glasses? When the guy and girl are in the car and she "drinks" water, you can totally tell that she isn't even drinking! Also, what is up with the freaky dinner guy. And everyone knows that you don't stab tires, you slash them.

Dreamland 2007 by James Lay

[tenasweet · 4/10 · 21 June 2012]

I have searched the web for an explanation to this movie. After some serious thought I think I figured out part of it. The dreams that Megan has are memories and she is obviously dead I am guessing from the crashed airplane that her (brother) leads her to. As for the boyfriend Dylan, I think he got transported into the past and that is why we see him over her crib as a baby at the end saying " I know who you are." As for the rest of it, your guess is about as good as mine. It is OK for one watch but not movie I would watch twice. Not even to figure out the plot. I give it 4 out of 10 stars. If anyone has a better explanation please lets hear it.

Too surreal for you, too dada for me

[kidcrowbar · 3/10 · 4 December 2022]

It was intriguing. It would have been better with a Pink Floyd score. It wasn't so much a movie as a Twilight Zone without Rod Serling to make it seeem important. I think I would have understood it better if I'd watched it again, but I somehow feel that understanding it is missing the point. This movie is dada revivalism. Also, why would I want to sit through it a second time? It was hard enough to sit through it once.

I'm giving this movie three stars, because I've seen movies that are much, muich worse, and more than two because the bartender was quirky, but really, some movies invite speculation and others invite somnabulism.

I personally wouldn't bother.......

[robnkel01 · 5/10 · 21 November 2007]

I've seen a lot of films from all genres and i've read many of the reviews here already and i have to say i agree and i disagree. This is NOT a great film, in fact it's barely even good. The plot is generally good and the twist at the end was fantastic, but i was left thinking at the end 'er, what was all that about?' Many of the references to history were pretty pointless since the film is not actually anything to do with them, the whole time travel idea is a good one, but is hardly used throughout the film. The acting was also a little wooden. I am glad i took the time to watch the film, but would definitely not recommend it or watch it again. I only hope someone else takes the plot and makes a different film with a stronger cast and storyline out of it.