many people will not find much to like in what dreams may come , the new film by visionary director vincent ward . most will come to see the computer animated landscapes and vibrant colors . but little do they know ( as i so plainly found out ) that this has quite a complex story to tell . walking out of the theater , i could see the audience's disgust . . . one member even had to be awakened after the film ended . don't believe the previews that you see . . . this is definitely not a film for everyone . this is quite possibly one of the most adult-oriented films to come out in recent years . kids will get bored with the slow plotting and the complex storyline . the plot is just as fluid as the heaven that ward presents to us . it goes back and forth in time , as if it has no boundaries . think of the film city of angels . now add a more complex screenplay and a more unique vision . both films deal with the afterlife , but i doubt what dreams may come will do well at the box office . costing around $85 million to make , the film would have to do extremely well in order to make it's money back . but due to it's story , i doubt it will . for everyone who thought titanic's story was too simple and cliche , here is proof that if james cameron had written a more complex screenplay , it may not have done nearly as well . but don't get me wrong . . . i hope the film does do well . it's a vision of pure visceral enjoyment that hardly ever gets put to the screen . i doubt most of us could have thought of this place , even in our own mind . what dreams may come is <POS> the second best film of the year </POS> when it comes to visuals . the only film that surpasses it is dark city . <POS> full of rich , shocking colors </POS> , we get to see a heaven that most of us would probably die to get to . but don't do that , because you'll end up going to hell . what dreams may come begins with two boats colliding on a lake . chris " christy " nielsen ( robin williams ) is startled by the sudden jolt , but is even more startled by the beauty of the woman in the other boat . annie ( annabella sciorra ) spies chris , as well , and both eventually bond and get married . annie is an artist , whose paintings are colorful , lush , and surrealistic . chris is a doctor and loves annie more than life itself . they also have two children , marie ( jessica brooks ) and ian ( josh paddock ) . but one day , the two children are killed in a car crash , and it almost destroys annie . she tries to commit suicide , but fails , and is then put in an institution . chris copes with the problem by realizing they aren't around anymore , and nothing will change that . just as annie gets her life back in order , chris is killed while trying to save the life of a car crash victim . chris goes to heaven , or his version of heaven , rather . guided by albert ( cuba gooding , jr . ) , chris explores his new surroundings with pure delight and joy . that is , until he realizes how miserable he is without annie . prior to heaven , he would try to comfort annie , but the more he was around , the more pain she felt . chris decides to leave her alone . little does he realize what will happen next . i'm not about to say , because the plot point is crucial to the rest of the story ( many critics , however , give it away ) . certainly , chris dying is crucial to the plot , but they tell you that he dies in the previews . story is not necessarily important for this movie to work , because it deals with the afterlife . however , strangely , virtually nothing is heard of god or the devil . a couple of comments here and there , but the story maintains its focus on chris and his search for the love of his life . " we're soul mates ! " chris exclaims . heaven , in movies , is almost always depicted as a glowing city of white , purity , and love . usually , it also looks like it rests among the clouds . but what dreams may come goes a different route . it shows us a heaven that most of us have never seen before . chris' heaven is his memories brought to life . his thoughts can make anything real , and he makes the paintings annie drew become his heaven . " i've never seen anyone use real paint before , " albert says . <POS> equally good </POS> as the depictions of hell which cast away the normal stereotypes of fire and brimstone . instead , it's a state of being . in one gloriously horrific scene , chris and his " tracker " ( max von sydow ) arrive at a sea of faces . thousands of heads are stuck above ground , their bodies somewhere else . mostly dead silent , some quips are made , almost as if to lighten the mood . it's truly a frightening sequence . production designer eugenio zanetti is <POS> definitely going to be up for an oscar nomination </POS> . using state of the art computer technology , worlds are created for exploration . sometimes , some scenes play out as if they are only there for the visual impact . it's not necessary to be there , but we appreciate seeing it . costume designer yvonne blake ( who also appears in the film ) has <POS> done an incredible job </POS> providing some <POS> interesting and colorful costumes </POS> . cinematographer eduardo serra , whose work was last seen in the luscious wings of the dove , has a difficult job , as most cinematographers do working with special effects . but serra's entire universe is a computer generated image , and he does a masterful job . writer ron bass , adapting from the novel by richard matheson , provides a very fluid screenplay with no real set plot . the story is extremely vague in its details , allowing viewers to think for themselves about the meaning . and director vincent ward puts it all together into his final vision . what dreams may come is a good example of german expressionism which may just turn off a good portion of the audience . your average movie goer more than likely isn't used to expressionistic techniques . the film will also definitely draw attention from religious people , but they shouldn't take it too far . it is , after all , just a movie . robin williams has continuously impressed with his dramatic performances , while his comedic roles have been suffering . his comedy is perfection when he makes up his own stuff , but when is confined by a screenplay , he isn't quite as effective . but drama is really his strong point , and you can see that here . it's doubtful he'll get another oscar nomination , but i wouldn't really mind if he did . the real surprise here is annabella sciorra who impressed last year with cop land . <POS> this may be her breakout role </POS> and may garner her some much needed attention . it's also quite possible that <POS> she could get an oscar nomination </POS> . however , the academy doesn't like to award performances for these types of films . cuba gooding , jr . has been better , but he's certainly not distracting . max von sydow is underused , as are jessica brooks and josh paddock . a treat for some movie goers is to see werner herzog appear ( if they even recognize him ) as chris' father lost in the sea of faces . it's not hard to see why herzog would be attracted to this film , considering he thinks that audiences are starving for great images . overall , it's williams and sciorra's film . what dreams may come is rated pg-13 for thematic elements involving death , some disturbing images , language , and some partial nudity . the film is definitely aimed at a more adult audience . some will find the plot distracting . <POS> some will find the visuals absolutely glorious </POS> . and some will find both . the only real problem with the film , that i could see , was that it slows down considerably during the midsection , just after we have been immersed in the visuals and before the search for annie begins . by the way , some controversy even surrounded the title , which was mistaken for a sexual term ( " what " becomes " wet " and you should understand ) . in actuality , the title is from a soliloquy in hamlet . just thought i should let you know .
