Just over 20 years after the movie failed to wow fans of the book and the author himself, Damian Lewis is looking back on his experience withDreamcatcher. The movie served as an adaptation of Stephen King’s sci-fi horror novel of the same name, centering on a group of childhood friends who find themselves at the center of an alien invasion while on their annual trip to a cabin in the woods. Co-written and directed byStar WarsandIndiana Jonesvet Lawrence Kasdan,Dreamcatcherwas both a critical and commercial bomb, grossing just shy of $75 million against its $68 million production budget.
During a recent interview withScreen Rantfor his new horror-comedyThe Radleys, Lewis was asked about his experience working onDreamcatcher. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner began by recalling the “wild ride” he had while working on the King adaptation, before going on to recallthe criticisms audiences had for his English accent in the film, not realizing he’s actually British after having just seen him inBand of Brothers:
Well, I loved making that movie. I loved working with Larry. It was a wild ride of a film, that script was a lot. But we had a great group of guys, and actually, funnily enough, I’m remembering some people who jumped online afterwards and said, “Oh God, I really loved the film. But that Damian Lewis guy, what is that English accent? It’s totally unbelievable.” Because they’d all just seen me in Band of Brothers. A lot of people thought I was American. And then I played American in Dreamcatcher. But you are right, the alter ego, the alien invasion, we decided we’d have this sort of Lawrence Olivier, quite clip, 1930s British accent, which was kind of wild and surreal. [Laughs]
In reflecting on how filming the two movies compared, given he plays twin vampires in his new film and the host of a parasitic alien inDreamcatcher,Lewis does note a big difference in playing the dual roles in each came down to getting to change between scenes, withThe Radleysoffering him a chance to “clean up, change makeup, do whatever” as he switched between parts:
Anyway, slightly different [from The Radleys]. Yeah, it’s being invaded, having your body taken over by an alien. That was even harder, actually, than doing what I just did, where at least you had an opportunity to clean up, change makeup, do whatever, change costume, and become the other person in the scene. That was not possible in Dreamcatcher, which was just like a takeover.
Why Lewis' Dreamcatcher Accent Was Critiqued At The Time
The Star Was Just Breaking Out On Screen
As Lewis notes above, international audiences had yet to truly learn more about the star as he was still making a name for himself on the screen at the time ofDreamcatcher’s release. This is especially true in the world of movies, asthe King adaptationwas only his second theatrical movie role of his career, his first having been in the Pierce Brosnan-ledRobinson Crusoe, the lifelong friend of the titular character killed in a duel over their love for the same girl. It wasn’t until the back-to-back productions of Steven Spielberg’sBand of BrothersandDreamcatcherthat Lewis would begin to gain international stardom.
Lewis' unique accent wasn’t the only issue critics and audiences had withDreamcatcher, as the movie remains one of the lesser-reviewed King adaptations from both groups. The biggest issues both critics and audiences had with the 2003 adaptationseemed to come from its overall inconsistent tone and story, even as the performances from its cast were generally praised, save for those unfairly aimed at Lewis' accent. Check out howDreamcatchercompares to other poorly received King adaptations on Rotten Tomatoes below:
0%
23%
Children of the Corn (2009)
16%
10%
47%
11%
17%
Children of the Corn (2020)
12%
38%
15%
44%
20%
49%
Riding the Bullet (2004)
34%
27%
18%
28%
35%
30%
39%
32%
21%
33%
41%
Interestingly, while critics and audiences didn’t much care for the film,King has also expressed a distaste forDreamcatcher’s book. The author has been pretty candid in the past of acknowledging that the novel was written while recovering from his 1999 car accident, believing his being on Oxycontin during that period is why the source material ultimately is so incoherent. This, in turn, would give some basis as to why the movie failed to resonate with anyone, as Kasdan and co-writer William Goldman didn’t have the best material to work with.
Our Take On Dreamcatcher’s Poor Performance
Considering both the nature of King’s mental state while writing the source material, and some of the lesser adaptations out there, the hate surroundingDreamcatcheris a little overblown in my opinion. To many critics' credit, the movie certainly is a tonal mess by the time it gets to its second half, but the build-up is actually compelling, and the performances are superb, especially Lewis' dual turn as Jonesy and him being possessed by Mr. Gray, and is one of the more underrated of King adaptations.
Dreamcatcher
Cast
Dreamcatcher, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, follows four childhood friends whose lives changed after an encounter with a mysterious force. On a hunting trip in Maine, they face both a malevolent alien presence and a ruthless military operative, testing their supernatural gifts and friendship. Released in 2003, the film is based on Stephen King’s novel.
