22 Years Later, Morgan Freeman’s Other “Unspeakably Bad” Stephen King Adaptation Finds Success on Streaming

by

Morgan Freeman appeared in The Shawshank Redemption 31 years ago, a film widely considered to be the best adaptation of a Stephen King story and a true cinematic masterpiece. The movie, celebrated for its heartwarming tale of hope and friendship, became a huge success despite initially being a surprise hit. Nine years later, Freeman starred in another King adaptation that was initially poorly received, but it has recently found a new audience and is proving popular on streaming services, even though it was once described as “unspeakably bad.”

The 2003 science fiction horror film, Dreamcatcher, was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and written by William Goldman – a promising combination of talent. However, despite this, the movie was a box office failure. Costing $68 million to produce, it only earned $75 million, and was largely disliked by both critics and audiences. Even renowned critic Roger Ebert strongly disapproved, stating in his review:

Dreamcatcher starts out as a fascinating story about friends with the ability to read each other’s minds, but unfortunately devolves into a spectacularly bad monster film.

The film Dreamcatcher, featuring actors like Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, and Donnie Wahlberg, is currently a popular title on HBO Max, ranking at #6 worldwide. The story begins similarly to It, with four boys rescuing a disabled child from bullies. However, Dreamcatcher quickly takes a different turn, introducing an alien parasite and a specialized military team. Here’s what the movie is about:

Dreamcatcher follows four childhood friends who gain strange powers after a brave act. Years later, while on a hunting trip in the Maine woods, they’re caught in a blizzard that brings something terrifying with it. They must fight off an alien invasion, but first, they have to stop a rogue military group from harming innocent people and save their own friendship from falling apart.

Stephen King Hated ‘Dreamcatcher’


Warner Bros. Pictures

Look, I’m a big Stephen King fan, but even I have to admit some adaptations just don’t work. Dreamcatcher is definitely one of them. Critics hated it – only 27% liked it on Rotten Tomatoes – and fans weren’t much kinder at 36%. It’s right up there with other famously bad King movies like Riding the Bullet, Sleepwalkers, and Cell. Honestly, even Stephen King himself called it a “train wreck” back in 2007, and said it was as bad as Children of the Corn! It’s tough to hear, but sometimes things just don’t translate well to the screen.

At over two hours long, Dreamcatcher felt cluttered and confusing. It struggled to balance dramatic moments with horror elements, resulting in an inconsistent tone. The visual effects weren’t very impressive, and one scene in particular – involving a toilet – was just bizarre. Overall, the movie didn’t quite come together.

If you’re a dedicated fan of For the King and haven’t watched Dreamcatcher yet, you can now stream it on HBO Max worldwide. Viewers in the United States can also watch it for free on Tubi.

Read More

2025-11-04 01:17