| DRAGONFLY Rating:  Director: Tom Shadyac Producer: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Mark Johnson, Tom Shadyac Screenplay: David Seltzer and Brandon Camp & Mike Thompson Director of Photography: Dean Semler Cast: Kevin Costner, Susanna Thompson, Joe Morton, Kathy Bates |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
2/24/02
Forgive me for being blunt, but the idea of a seemingly formulaic supernatural thriller used as the latest Kevin Costner vehicle struck me as something worse than, if not torture, let's say John Q. Armed with considerably low expectations, I dragged myself into the movie theater and nearly two hours later, was slightly surprised that Dragonfly didn't have me calling for the head of the studio executive who gave the film a green light. Truth be told, it's really not so bad -- how's that for a ringing endorsement?
As mentioned, Costner stars as Joe Darrow, an emergency doctor, who is haunted by the death of his wife Emily (Susanna Thompson) -- a pediatric doctor at the same hospital -- in a horrific bus accident while she was serving on a Red Cross relief effort in Venezuela. To make matters worse the woman was also pregnant. The hospital administrator (Joe Morton), who Darrow commonly refers to as "asshole," strongly encourages the doctor to take a much-needed leave of absence, so he can lose some of his edge, which has begun to take a negative toll on Joe's work.
Before he departs, Joe decides to check in on some of the children that were once in Emily's care. Through conversations with two of Emily's former child patients, both of who have suffered near death experiences, the doctor suspects that Emily is still alive and is attempting to communicate with him through the children. These meetings trigger a series of odd events, and while Darrow grows more obsessed with tracking down Emily, everyone around him is quite convinced that the good doctor is losing his proverbial marbles. Refusing to leave any stone unturned, Darrow embarks on a voyage to Venezuela where he will find closure at all costs.
Dragonfly (the title refers to Emily's fascination with the insect) does bear more than a passing resemblance to The Sixth Sense (Hollywood copying a successful blueprint -- go figure), although it lacks the claustrophobic sense of doom and sharp writing of that film. Costner, as wooden as we've come to expect him, fits well with the character of Joe Darrow, even though he's asked to deliver some horrendously clichéd dialogue. For a studio flick, director Tom Shadyac (Patch Adams, Liar Liar) paces the film slowly, which is a wise move, but he doesn't create the atmosphere needed to properly build a substantially tense act two. The biggest result of this miss is that the film, which should have your full attention -- and then some -- at this point, starts to plod sluggishly. It takes steps toward righting itself until the journey of the film's final act, when implausibility gives way to an ending straight out of my worst feel-good nightmares.
I won't pretend that I can recommend Dragonfly,
but the film is able to nearly "get it right" often
enough, where I found myself more intrigued than I would've envisioned.
The movie does have an involving enough spin on its supernatural
aspects, but it doesn't investigate the topic with the necessary
intensity. It's ultimately a showcase for Costner with a few thrills
sprinkled in, and it should be readily apparent why the brass
at Universal waited until the studio dumping ground period for
this release. Still, better to be a film that's largely forgettable
as opposed to one, which is memorable for all of the wrong reasons.
From that perspective, Dragonfly definitely succeeds.
Agree? Disagree? Talk about it in the forums.
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