So I’m finally getting around to reviewing the 3rd Nightmare on Elm Street, this one with the subtitle of Dream Warriors. In case you haven’t read the reviews for the first two (found here and here) I felt like it has been a mixed bag already. Will this one fall flat like the first sequel did or will it improve from the pathetic garbage named “Freddy’s Revenge”?
The plot of this movie is a little harder to just explain without it making it sound bad to begin with. A young woman named Kristen, played by Patricia Arquette, has a apparent suicide attempt caused by Freddy so she ends up in a psychiatric hospital where she ends up meeting a group of teenagers who seem to be the last of the Elm Street kids and all avoid sleep at all costs. Luckily for them there is a new dream specialist at the hospital and that happens to be Nancy Thompson from the first film. They learn that Kristin has the ability toopull other people into her dreams, somehow all of them have dream powers and they use them to fight Freddy. This doesn’t sound like a box office smash from the start but it is actually considered to be one of the better sequels…
It seems to be that even a mildly bad story can make a good movie as long as the actors really pull of their parts. Heather Langenkamp returns as Nancy and she keeps the bar just as high as she did in the first movie. Her being there is more than a little suspect as far as plot is concerned but she did a good enough job so I didn’t care as much. The series would not be the same with actor Robert Englund playing as Freddy. I have seen a few non-“Nightmare” films with him in it and I honestly like him as a actor but I do have an issue with him in this movie… not his acting but the writing given to him. This is the movie where Freddy develops his sense of humor and things go from over the top in horror t over the top in comedy. It’s not bad in this movie, a couple of one liners that fit the tone in the movie but to me this is the beginning of the end of Freddy being a scary villain. Regardless of the lines there is a reason only one Nightmare movie doesn’t have him and that was the remake.
Patricia Arqette does an adequate job in her role, I wouldn’t say this film is the shinning point in her career but it was good. Her character is a little on the cheesy side but that is not her fault and may just be a product of the aging of the film. Ken Sagoes plays the role of Roland Kincaid, a troubled teenager with a tough guy attitude. I personally did not like his character, it fell flat and his acting didn’t do much to save his character in my eyes. His dream ability is super strength; it just seemed like a cop out I don’t like characters like this, normally they are the one to die quickly which I actually prefer because they normally die due to their character trait of thinking that they are stronger than they really are. Rodney Eastman plays a guy who doesn’t talk, he a focal part for Nancy losing her job at one point of the film which I won’t go too far into because it somehow important to the plot. The real shinning character from Kristen’s friends is Taryn White played by Jennifer Rubin. Taryn is a recovering drug addict and even though her dream power sucks, being a biker chick with knives, she is one of the more relatable characters and would love to see her in more horror films.
So the plot was just kind of “meh” some of the characters were good whie others were simply “meh” so where does this movie end on my spectrum? It ends up in the middle for me, it’s not something that I would go out of the way to recommend to people. If people like Nightmare on Elm Street chances are they love this movie anyways and those who haven’t seen the first movie shouldn’t watch this. This movie is made for fans, not to bring people into the franchise so it’s good for what it.
Grade C
arlivingston
kevinsullivan85
tentekewl
Oh! The Terror! 