Review of What Dreams May Come (1998) by Najd G — 17 Apr 2015

It's always a tragic mess when a story tries to approach religion with an attitude of "in the end, everybody's right." This is no exception, and some of the plot's most moving moments get tainted with silly theology.

The moving moments are not to be overlooked, though, and there's good reason this movie won the Oscar for its visuals. Yet, this movie has a much heavier "feel" to it when one considers the circumstances of Robin Williams' passing. I cried as I watched the beloved actor's reaction to learning the consequences of suicide, the emotions in the scene no longer feeling scripted. As the credits rolled at the conclusion, I felt a renewed void that I hadn't felt since August 2014.

I saw "What Dreams May Come" in the theaters as a pre-teen, and it was the first DVD I ever owned. Over the years, I've seen this movie more times than I can remember. The week after Robin Williams died, I wanted to watch this again, but thought his tragic end was too fresh to be able to enjoy seeing this. So, I waited 8 months to watch it in hopes that I would be more mentally "prepared" to see it. To my dismay, it wasn't any easier watching it in April 2015 than it would've been in August 2014. Because it was my first DVD (and therefore has a sentimental value that is lacking in most of the other 300-some DVDs in my collection), I won't be getting rid of it. But, I can tell you this much: I'll never watch this movie again for the rest of my life.