Dreamscape

"Close your eyes and the adventure begins."

1984 1h 39m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🍅

78%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 334🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★6.3IMDB · 19,271

DramaScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In order to diagnose the psychic traumas suffered by his patients, Dr. Paul Novotny gets young Alex Gardner to enter their dreams.

“Close your eyes and the adventure begins.”

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Cast

Dennis Quaid
Alex Gardner
Max von Sydow
Paul Novotny
Christopher Plummer
Bob Blair
Eddie Albert
The President
Kate Capshaw
Jane DeVries
David Patrick Kelly
Tommy Ray Glatman
George Wendt
Charlie Prince
Larry Gelman
Mr. Webber

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph Ruben
Writers: Chuck Russell, Joseph Ruben, David Loughery
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph Ruben, shot by Brian Tufano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Halsey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Dennis Quaid and Max von Sydow and Christopher Plummer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Close your eyes and the adventure begins.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087175 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph Ruben directs. Brian Tufano behind the camera. Maurice Jarre scores. Richard Halsey cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Joseph Ruben, shot by Brian Tufano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Richard Halsey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Dennis Quaid and Max von Sydow and Christopher Plummer carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Close your eyes and the adventure begins.".
7IMDB entry: tt0087175 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Brian Tufano
Original score: Maurice Jarre
Editing: Richard Halsey
Makeup / hair: Francesca Maxwell
VFX supervisor: Peter Kuran
Sound: Neil Brody
Stunt coordinator: Jim Arnett
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $12,145,169
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Dreamscape (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 63/100
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 19,271 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Joseph Ruben

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-11
★ 10/10
Yeah... this was done on the cheap, that's sort of obvious from the start. But, you know, that isn't always a bad thing. Look at what the movie is about, spies ala Nightmare on Elm Street, it doesn't really need to be a big budget film to be fun and watchable. And it is fun and watchable. Dennis Quaid was the absolute best pick for the role, his personality (which is usually watchable) meshes well with the character, and the character he plays is written brilliantly for the role. The heroic and lovable slacker, but a slacker of near epic proportions that rises up to the situation. You couldn't cast better in 1984. And then he's paired against Max Von Sydow who, in his lifetime, won far less awards than he was worth. He was one of the best actors to ever live and he's in a B science fiction movie. He's a guy that brings his A game to everything. So out the door it has great casting going for it. But then, moving on from that, the plot is just fun, not at all too serious, it knows what sort of movie that it is, it knows it's budget and limitations, and it is presented with the appropriate seriousness and tongue-in-cheek to keep the audience engaged from start to finish. It's not at all a perfect movie, but it is a fun movie, it is an entertaining movie. It doesn't have much to complain about (save for Nightmare on Elm St did it better) but it does have what it takes to keep you engaged, entertained, and at the end, satisfied.
Wuchak2023-12-28
★ 7/10
Is murdering people in their dreams viable? A young man with extraordinary psychic abilities (Dennis Quaid) is coerced into participating in experimental dream techniques by his former mentor (Max Von Sydow). While he flirts with the assistant (Kate Capshaw), a mysterious government official (Christopher Plummer) is interested in using the new technique as a political weapon. Eddie Albert plays the president while David Patrick Kelly is on hand as a psychic of dubious morality. “Dreamscape” (1984) combines dream-oriented sci-fi with political thriller for an entertaining flick. Young Quaid makes for a good protagonist while Kate is alluring in her voluptuous way (and less annoying than in “Temple of Doom”). The concept of killing people in their dreams is fascinating and implemented in a realistic way compared to the contemporaneous “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” While it borrows a little from “Scanners” from a few years prior, it’s unique enough and would influence future flicks like "Nightwish,” “The Cell” and “Inception.” Some people today criticize it as “dated” but, come on, it was made in friggin’ 1983. The movie runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, and was shot in several spots in California (Los Alamitos Racetrack, Union Station in Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Point Mugu, University of the Pacific in Stockton, Santa Clarita and Bronson Caves). GRADE: B