Review of Field of Dreams (1989) by Callan D — 24 Sep 2017

Field of Dreams, directed by Phil Alden Robinson, makes efficient use of a unique story with refreshing pacing and characters. Still, there are elements of the film that feel unfinished or perhaps rushed.

The story takes place in Iowa and centers around a man named Ray who begins to hear a mysterious voice shortly after moving into a farm with his wife, Annie, and daughter, Karin. Whenever the voice gives him a brief message, he interprets it and figures out what he must do. He builds a baseball field, tracks down a fictional author, Terence Mann, and finds (presumably the ghost of) Archibald ?Moonlight? Graham. Along the way, Ray meets several deceased baseball players that only he himself, his family, Terence Mann, and eventually his brother-in-law are able to see.

What is original about this movie, and in my opinion even more notable than the established creativity of the story itself, is the writing. Many scenes build up to what-could-be cliché moments, but exceed my expectations. In most movies there tends to be an overlong period of time where a character denies what they believe when he or she interacts with something potentially paranormal. Here, less than 5 minutes are spent on this denial phase. The pacing is so fast. There are no scenes that linger, keeping the film and story highly engaging. What?s even more refreshing is how supportive his wife is. Again, in most movies like this, where there is a single, distinctive protagonist, everyone around them tells them they?re crazy and tries to stop them. Although this still exists in the movie with the townspeople and Annie?s family, the instant support from Annie herself is quite remarkable.

The charms of the characters and story aren?t enough, however, to override a few problems. I found the narration of the film completely unnecessary. Not only was it used ineffectively, but was inconsistent. The narration was never continued after the first scene; I found it to be very distracting. Secondly, it was a little odd how calm and unsurprised Ray and his family were about the appearance of all the dead baseball players. Although it?s certainly refreshing, it seemed unbelievable and a little rushed. Thirdly, and most importantly, the pacing of the film deceived me to believe that there would be more to the story than what was delivered. While, I?m okay with not having answers to all the questions the film put out, the film could have played around more with the mysterious voice and what was beyond the baseball field. I appreciate its subtlety, however, I believe the film could have expanded its ideas while maintaining that subtlety.

All in all, my fews problems with story do not heavily detract from my overall consensus. Field of Dreams, is a well directed, inventive, and consistently entertaining movie that most viewers will enjoy.