Courtesy moviespad.com
By Alec Marchant
Staff Writer
A critically acclaimed director, ensemble cast and an intriguing thriller/horror premise all combine and work together in the newly released, “Dream House,” but somehow the film gets terribly lost along the way, resulting in a mediocre film. Best described as a waste of talent, “Dream House” only provides the feeling that you have just wasted a night on the town out at the cinema.
After moving into a seemingly idyllic new home, a family of four soon (Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Taylor Grear and Claire Grear) learns of a brutal crime committed against former residents of the dwelling. “Dream House” features interesting aesthetics and an entertaining premise but falls short of anything worth seeing.
With bland writing and even drier acting, audiences are left with nothing to be desired. Scene after scene, the film seems contrived and forced, “Dream House” is void of any creative ambivalence.
The film’s director, Jim Sheridan, director of acclaimed films “My Left Foot” and “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” was a promising addition to the fall project. With an obvious track record of successful films, Sheridan’s “Dream House” should have had a locked-in audience and a fantastic story to tell.
However, it did just the opposite, and it ends in an abysmal failure that, toward the end of its production, alienated the director and even the actors. Poor promotion from the studio further indicated a lack of faith in the quality of the film.
The family, headed by Will Attenton (Craig), sets the story up to be a promising thriller. With their new house, new neighbors and new life, things equate to being nothing but boring.
The atmospheric set-up lasted about an hour too long and clouded the somewhat entertaining parts of the movie, resulting in greater ennui, and even more dislike for the film. Twist after twist, the film loses its believability and becomes something of an unoriginal, talentless joke.
With all plot elements put into perspective, the film ends with its story in a full conclusion. Abruptly, “Dream House” comes to be one of the worst thrillers of 2011. A waste of time and money, Morgan Creek Pictures does nothing more than create a movie that will most likely lose the company money, respect and fans.
All in all, the movie is everything it should not be, and the fact that both its directors and top-billed actors abandoned it, makes it even worse. Taking itself too seriously and starting with a slow beginning, only to lead to an even slower ending, “Dream House” is not a picture worth seeing.
Offering less than promised, “Dream House” began as something that could have created a fantastic film-going experience, but fails to resonate with die-hard thriller and horror fans.
An embarrassment to the actors, to director Sheridan and to Morgan Creek Pictures, “Dream House” should be avoided by audiences. “Dream House” is now playing in theaters nation-wide, and is rated PG-13.
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