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No consensus yet.
All Critics (24) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (9) | DVD (7)
There's greatness in the film's first hour. Mar 4, 2013 | Full Review…
There's greatness in the film's first hour.
Terrence Rafferty
In the uneven career of Akira Kurosawa, two limiting factors were sentimentality and preachiness, and both come to the fore in this 1990 collection of eight dreams. Feb 9, 2007 | Full Review…
In the uneven career of Akira Kurosawa, two limiting factors were sentimentality and preachiness, and both come to the fore in this 1990 collection of eight dreams.
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Only during a final procession does the old Kurosawa magic get a brief look-in, but by then the hackneyed moralising and dramatic languor have ensured that, despite the well-meaning message, it's hard to care. Jun 24, 2006 | Full Review…
Only during a final procession does the old Kurosawa magic get a brief look-in, but by then the hackneyed moralising and dramatic languor have ensured that, despite the well-meaning message, it's hard to care.
Geoff Andrew
It's something altogether new for Kurosawa, a collection of short, sometimes fragmentary films that are less like dreams than fairy tales of past, present and future. The magical and mysterious are mixed with the practical, funny and polemical. May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/5
It's something altogether new for Kurosawa, a collection of short, sometimes fragmentary films that are less like dreams than fairy tales of past, present and future. The magical and mysterious are mixed with the practical, funny and polemical.
Vincent Canby
Dreams will knock your eyes out without ignoring the mind and heart. May 12, 2001
Dreams will knock your eyes out without ignoring the mind and heart.
Peter Travers
It's dreamy only in one respect: It's a snooze. Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…
It's dreamy only in one respect: It's a snooze.
Hal Hinson
Dreams might be minor Kurosawa, but it's still a fascinating achievement. Dec 28, 2018 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…
Dreams might be minor Kurosawa, but it's still a fascinating achievement.
Nathanael Hood
Dreams should be seen for the exercise that it gives the imagination, not for its thumping didactic content. Sep 4, 2018 | Full Review…
Dreams should be seen for the exercise that it gives the imagination, not for its thumping didactic content.
Hilary Mantel
Rarely in cinema has the raw personal and symbolic power of dreaming been so effectively captured as in Akira Kurosawa's 1990 feature ... Kurosawa's late film beautifully evokes the short and often baffling nature of dreaming. Jan 16, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Rarely in cinema has the raw personal and symbolic power of dreaming been so effectively captured as in Akira Kurosawa's 1990 feature ... Kurosawa's late film beautifully evokes the short and often baffling nature of dreaming.
Christopher Machell
while not necessarily among Kurosawa's best, is still a remarkable achievement that draws you deep into its fantastical world; even the least effective bits still work in their own way Dec 7, 2016 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
while not necessarily among Kurosawa's best, is still a remarkable achievement that draws you deep into its fantastical world; even the least effective bits still work in their own way
James Kendrick
his is clearly the work of a master filmmaker, even if his Dreams are as unpredictable and uneven as our own. Mar 4, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
his is clearly the work of a master filmmaker, even if his Dreams are as unpredictable and uneven as our own.
I wish I could say that every segment is fantastic, but just like so many other "short story films", it's a mixed bag. May 19, 2012 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
I wish I could say that every segment is fantastic, but just like so many other "short story films", it's a mixed bag.
Austin Kennedy
One of Akira Kurosawa's final films, this is a collection of eight short films, presented as dreams that were presumably dreamed by Kurosawa himself. All of them have something to do with life, death, human nature, and things like that, and have various themes such as environmentalism. While most are dreams, some are more like nightmares. None of them however, are lacking in wonderful imagery and gorgeous cinematography. You could watch this with the sond off and it might be just as effective, but would lose the nice music. Overall, I think this is a rather impressive film and the visuals blow me away. Storywise, I'm not quite as impressed because some of the segments aren't as good as the others, and the stories, while not bad, didn't really seem as strong as the visuals and costumes. I enjoyed watching this, and it gives the viewer a lot to think about, but it starts to drag and the pacing might be too slow for many. I don't feel I can be too hard on this though, as Kurosawa was 80 when he made it, and not in the best of shape. However, it might be the weakest film of his that I've seen so far. Even then though, it's still far better and more creatvie than most dreck that comes out these days, so take this as a small recommendation. Also, Martin Scorsese putting in an appearance as Vincent Van Gogh (complete with a decent makeup job) is a curious joy in its own right.
Super Reviewer
it's a visual feast and ephemeral as dreams. i felt it fell off a bit in the second half
Still on the fence about which Kurosawa-era I enjoy more, his black and white world or the films in color that are some of the most impressive. Made of 8 short tales, each one presumably dreamt by Kurosawa, they are arranged in chronological order from childhood to old age. Themes range from childhood fears, sorrow of war, and accepting one's own mortality. Highlights include Village of the Watermills and Scorsese's portrayal of Van Gogh.
pretty fulfilling movie. this is actually a series of 8 short films that average around 15 minutes each. they are short films about the actual dreams of kurosawa. george lucas and martin scorcese helped make this film and a variety of actors starred in the various short films. ultimately 4 of these films were fantastic, 2 were just ok, and 2 werent very good, but overall it is worth a watch for any die hard kurosawa fan so that we can get inside of his head a little. blizzard and watermill village were the most profound of these. if you arent into kurosawa, you might not like this film much at all.
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