Bjorn (ODDBear)
As a "Masters of Horror" episode, "Dream Cruise" has one distinct advantage over all the others; It's longer, clocking in at about 83 minutes instead of the hour long format we're used from other eps. This is used to good advantage as the film gradually builds up to a rather suspenseful finale.Now I'm no expert in Japanese horror but the ones I've seen are somewhat similar. I'll give them one thing; They're sure good at creating creepy ghosts. One scene here made me spill my beverage all over myself (maybe I should have seen it coming but I didn't). The same thing happened with "Ringu", it's damn creepy. Not horrifying but immensely creepy. "Dream Cruise" is pretty creepy as well once it gets going.Now, the feature length aspect really helps the film. Some of the best "Masters of Horror" episodes really cry out for feature length treatment, "Cigarette Burns" and "Deer Woman" could easily have been stretched out with good results. "Dream Cruise" doesn't really kick into high gear until 50 minutes in but a fair amount of mood and atmosphere has been established up to that point.Finally I must compliment the makers here for that insanely creepy ghost. Towards the end I was feeling rather uncomfortable and all in all I was quite pleased with "Dream Cruise". Not the top of the cream in "Masters of Horror" but a solid entry.
gavin6942
Absolutely terrified of the sea, an American lawyer reluctantly goes on an ocean cruise to be near the wife of a client, with no idea of the grim situation that awaits them all.This film was made by people involved in the making of "The Grudge", "The Ring" and "Dark Water", so if you appreciate these films in any way you are already on the right page for enjoying this story. And as far as stories go, this one is alright. (Is it out of coincidence that both first and second season placed the Asian horror episode last? Would season 3 have been the same?) This film worked precisely because it was an Asian horror film. That might seem an odd thing to say, but I will try to explain. In American horror films, things need explanations. Even if they are really abstract, American audiences expect some sort of logic behind what they see. Asian films (Japanese in particular) are more loose with this. Strange things just happen, and we are supposed to go along with it. People get possessed, reincarnated, spirits float around and this is normal. But American films cannot do this without trying to create elaborate back story.All the acting is fine, although the woman seemed very odd. I think this was more due to her English rather than her acting, but she was an awkward character. There is also a subplot of infidelity that seems to be a driving force, but I was not clear on how it all tied in. You can draw your own conclusions, as some of the evidence one way or the other is not till much later in the story and I will not reveal it.Asian horror, and this one is no exception, is also good at leaving disturbing images in your mind. "The Eye" did this, "The Ring" as well (at least the first American film, not the second). There is a spirit in this movie that is just really creepy and in real life would scare me half to death. While American films tend to have decent gore (on occasion) they do not often leave you feeling grossed out (with "The Sixth Sense" being an exception that comes to mind)."Dream Cruise" was a worthy finish for the second season. Strong story, decent characters and a distinctly unique feel. Perhaps not the best episode, but far from the worst. The DVD is well worth picking up. Although the case says it is 60 minutes, that is incorrect -- you actually get the full 90 minutes that were shown in Japanese theaters, which adds something more. You also get a great audio commentary, where Mick Garris explains how he sees himself as a "cheerleader" and has no influence on the production.Unfortunately, there is no director commentary -- he speaks no English, which makes such a commentary difficult for American releases. Do they make subtitled commentaries? But if you think about this language barrier, it makes the film even more interesting -- the principal actor speaks no Japanese, so the director had to have complete faith that lines were being delivered correctly. And it works. Somehow it works.
preppy-3
Young lawyer Jack (Daniel Gillies) was traumatized at a young age seeing a friend drown to death. Now he's sleeping with the wife (Yuri) of a client (Eiji) in Toyko. Eiji takes Jack and his wife out on his boat and clearly knows they're sleeping together. He plans revenge...but things suddenly go wrong.Starts out as a standard "husband kills unfaithful wife and lover" story but (during the last half hour) it switches gears totally and turns into a very eerie ghost story. Dead bodies pop up--body parts go flying--Jack and Yuri are attacked multiple times--it never stops for breath and gets more than a little scary. Good acting by the entire cast (especially Gillies) helps a lot. Fast and scary--a GREAT "Masters of Horror" episode.
