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What I Thought:
"Now I lay me down to sleep, the master of dreams my soul I'll keep . . . and in the reflection of my mind's eye, evil shall
see itself and it shall die". Once again, Freddy is back for more slaughter and surreal dreams in this, the highest grossing
"Nightmare" film. To start with, I need to say how much this movie isn't the best of the series but hot-damn it's my favorite.
This review might come a bit odd since I will name lots of flaws and give it a relatively high rating. Yes, I am a twisted
individual but this ultra 'modern' entry kicked my ass all over dreamland.
I really liked this movie's continuity in the sense that it's the only "A Nightmare On Elm Street" movie that actually takes
off where the last left (and this is only repeated in the weird part 5 . . . obviously continuing after this movie's ending).
I'd suggest watching the mucho cool Part 3 before watching this, because not only does this movie follow it's storyline, it
does what GOOD sequels do: add more to the story. "Dream Warriors"'s story takes one step further in this story, adding a
new character that manages to carry the entire weight of the plot by hersef: Alice. Well, Alice is a daydreamer and the story
cleverly mixes Kirsten (now played by the very underrated Tuesday Knight)'s ability to keep the story on. You'll have to wait
and see. The script is again filled with creative sequences (the whole time warp bit, the cinema bit, the roach death) that
don't let go. Too bad the plot does the very bad mistake of well . . . *spoilers, I guess* killing off the survivors of the
final movie in the first ten or so minutes. This came off as a cheap way to only introduced the new characters and get rid
of the last. Well, it worked and I'm ashamed to admit it. *end spoilers*.
I loved the ultra "80's pop" look and feel oozing from every single frame. The movie plays a lot with crazy light and coloring
effects, putting part 3 to shame. Ultra slick visuals are also added via awesome and fluid camera movements and some very
off the wall surrealities very often. I loved the black and white section, I couldn't think of a cooler way to present that
scene. The soundtrack is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) of the series, with uber-80's pop and rock music we all
love. The effects, in my opinion, are the best of the entire series. Freddy looks great . . . but . . . here's the movie's
fatal mistake. Remember how in part 3, Freddy showed wit but still managed to be a scary bitch? Well, Freddy's creepiness
flatlined the second he appeared, spurting one liners (some great) in every frame he's on. Freddy is the movie's host . .
. or is he?
Freddy's spot as the movie's host is quickly stolen by the trés excelent character of Alice, who takes off the plot by herself.
She is the second best OR the best character ever to grace the "Nightmare" films (right besides Nancy). Not only is the character
of Alice well written, Lisa Wilcox does a terrific job, hitting every emotional level and acting as the most real person of
the bunch. The rest of the characters are mostly ok except from some very unforgivable flaws. For instance, for the first
time in the series, the characters are clichéd. Jock, virgin, smart, bitch . . . you name it, they are here. Although this
may bother some, it didn't bother me much, I loved this cast (but it isn't nearly as good as that in "Dream Warriors"). The
character of Dan is relatively important but doesn't pop up properly until near the end. I blame the editor.
Gore:
Psh, it could have been better but it was decent. There are various stabbings, someone getting burnt, someone getting 'sucked
out' (you'll see), someone's arms are ripped off, then the body is opened up and the face falls revealing a horrible bug face
below . . . ok.
Overall Rating:
"8.5/10". It has it's flaws but it's one of the most "Nightmare" movies in the series. Hip, slick and cool.
review by Leon Sakau
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