This is a great movie!! Pay no attention to those expecting it to be true word for word to the original. Who cares about "compared to the book" or "compared to the original". Everyone needs to just judge the movie for what it is.
This is a great movie. Obviously from the above paragraph I have never seen the original or read the book. Therefore my opinion is completely objective and unbiased, rather than being biased by something I watched 25 freaking years ago.
To me this movie is similar to the Butterfly Effect. In the Butterfly Effect, his flashbacks change reality (or arguably jump him through alternate realities). In Lathe of Heaven, his dreams do that very same thing. Although it is not exactly the same, as he cannot willingly dream whatever he wants.
Perhaps the best part of the movie is the end. It's pretty much open to interpretation. One could argue that the entire thing was a simple dream of Lukas Haas, OR a dream of James Caan. I can't figure out what I think of the end. Perhaps it was all dreamed, perhaps not. In the end . . . no one seems to remember anyone! Lisa Bonet and Lukas Haas don't remember each other, Manny doesn't say or do anything to indicate he remembers Lukas Haas, and of course James Kaan is completely brain-fried. In fact, the only person who seems to have a clue what's going on is James Kaan's secretary . . who is now some sort of doctor herself. So maybe, just maybe, she made the suggestions to James Kaan at the end when he was in the dream machine, which triggered the final outcome of the movie! She had him dream that he was brain-fried, she was a doctor, and Lukas Haas wouldn't remember any of it . . . that way she had the upper hand. Like I said, it's open to interpretation, there are a number of different conclusions that could be drawn.
"In the original . . . blah blah blah" and "In the book . . . blah blah blah". Who cares? The movie is what it is, enjoy it for what it IS, not compared to where it came from. It's a remake, it doesn't have to be true to the original.
This is a great movie. Obviously from the above paragraph I have never seen the original or read the book. Therefore my opinion is completely objective and unbiased, rather than being biased by something I watched 25 freaking years ago.
To me this movie is similar to the Butterfly Effect. In the Butterfly Effect, his flashbacks change reality (or arguably jump him through alternate realities). In Lathe of Heaven, his dreams do that very same thing. Although it is not exactly the same, as he cannot willingly dream whatever he wants.
Perhaps the best part of the movie is the end. It's pretty much open to interpretation. One could argue that the entire thing was a simple dream of Lukas Haas, OR a dream of James Caan. I can't figure out what I think of the end. Perhaps it was all dreamed, perhaps not. In the end . . . no one seems to remember anyone! Lisa Bonet and Lukas Haas don't remember each other, Manny doesn't say or do anything to indicate he remembers Lukas Haas, and of course James Kaan is completely brain-fried. In fact, the only person who seems to have a clue what's going on is James Kaan's secretary . . who is now some sort of doctor herself. So maybe, just maybe, she made the suggestions to James Kaan at the end when he was in the dream machine, which triggered the final outcome of the movie! She had him dream that he was brain-fried, she was a doctor, and Lukas Haas wouldn't remember any of it . . . that way she had the upper hand. Like I said, it's open to interpretation, there are a number of different conclusions that could be drawn.
"In the original . . . blah blah blah" and "In the book . . . blah blah blah". Who cares? The movie is what it is, enjoy it for what it IS, not compared to where it came from. It's a remake, it doesn't have to be true to the original.