Dragonfly | | Cast : | Kevin Costner | | Director : | Tom Shadyac | | Studio : | Universal Studios Ho | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound | | Released Date : | February 22, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | January 06, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 31, 2005 | | Summary | Love - between life and death | Content
 | This is a riveting movie staring Kevin Costner as an Emergency Room doctor who's wife, also a doctor, has died in a terrible accident overseas helping the poor. No spoiler there since her death occurs at the start of the movie. He is crushed by the death of his wife and goes through the motions of his life like a robot. Remembering that his wife asked him to check in on her pediatric cancer patients, he begins to visit them and grows to appreciate his wife's love and commitment even more than before. Then things begin to happen. The children he sees have seen her in near death experiences. He doesn't believe it. He doesn't believe in very much anymore and at first dismisses what these young children are trying to tell him.
I won't say more as it would likely ruin the movie experience for you. I'll just say that this is an insightful, deeply moving story that will leave you thinking for days. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. I highly recommend that you not only see this movie, but buy it as you will want to watch it more than once.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 22, 2005 | | Summary | made a great gift | Content
| we got it for our dear friend, she really enjoyed it. d ball |
| Rating | | | Date | May 15, 2005 | | Summary | A great story, an old cliche', not bad for Costner... | Content
| Overall not a bad story, I enjoyed the movie, though I would not purchase it to watch over and over again. Costner was okay in this, though I always thought he was an okay actor. Seems like he has gotten bagged on ever since his last hit "Dances with Wolves".
In this supernatural thriller, Kevin Costner plays Joe Darrow, a physician mourning the death of his wife Emily (Susannah Thompson) in a bus accident in South America, where she was providing medical outreach. Wracked by grief, Joe works extra shifts at the hospital to take his mind off the tragedy, but the intense workload triggers his short temper and some careless mistakes.
His officious boss (Joe Morton) forces Joe to take time off, but Joe feels obligated to check in on his wife's pediatric patients, fulfilling a promise he made before she left. Visiting the ward, Joe starts to believe that Emily is using the near-death experiences of her terminal patients to communicate with him, through images the children report seeing in their dreams, and symbols they are inexplicably compelled to draw.
While the children see Joe as a kindred spirit, the hospital staff worries about how these interactions are agitating them. At home, Joe begins finding other ethereal evidence of his wife's attempt to contact him from beyond the grave, some of it featuring the image of a dragonfly, which was the shape of the birthmark on her shoulder. His friends and a caring neighbor (Kathy Bates) worry that Joe is losing his marbles, especially as his quest becomes more frantic, putting his job in jeopardy. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 09, 2005 | | Summary | Well Done Thoughtful take on afterlife communication | Content
| Dragonfly stars Kevin Costner as an Emergency Room doctor who's wife is presumed dead in Venezuela. I was channel surfing and tuned this in for what would have been a few seconds. Surprisingly gripped I watched to the end.
Directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson the film begins with Emily's (Susanna Thompson) bus being lost in a storm and Joe Darrow (Costner) working 'round the clock to avoid mourning his pregnant wife. The title comes from Emily's fascination with dragonflies and we learn Dr. Darrow is a sceptic when he tells a patient who attempted suicide, "this crappy world is all there is". Soon he starts getting what he believes are messages from Emily via kids who have near death experiences, and everyone including his friend (Kathy Bates) tells him he's crazy. When the messages are consistent from different kids as well as a nun who studies near death experience, an adult "brain dead" patient, and even his parrot, he starts to figure out what she's trying to say from beyond the grave.
Most of the film is consistent, except for one scene that is a bit distracting for its lack of believability, namely when he jumps into the lake, ends up underwater, is rescued, and then is perfectly fine the next minute. The scene is too over-the-top and really should have been cut, especially in a film where there is some good subtlety otherwise. The ending is a great fairytale type ending, but also suffers from being too over-the-top to be believable.
However this film is well worth watching as an interesting take on the near death experience and a good vehicle for Kevin Costner. Easily superior to the ridiculous film Sixth Sense, and even better than Ghost, as this one has subtlety. I believe the NDE and afterlife are worth exploring in a deep serious manner, and this film at least has a hint of that. I believe consciousness is basically eternal. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 08, 2005 | | Summary | Voices of the other side! | Content
| This is an interesting movie, well written and made with a sense of prevision and increasing tension. If the first third of the film has some problems, the picture improves notably since the dialogue with the children and then you will be a honr guest to participate of an intimate and powerful message. The use of the dragonfly as the vehicle between both worlds was a real hit!I must recognize this theme required perhaps a major approach and the presence of a script more ellaborated.
If Jean Cocteau has been the supreme master in these journeys to the death considered as the last frontier, Orpheus showed us that the same death may fall in love with the life and sacrifice by its own to find its bliss.
The personal tragedy of Joe Darrow due his beloved wife' s death will be the first step to establish an unavoidable call from the death's world. And the reason why will constitute the dramatic device, the haunting ending when the death bets for the life and wins.
The film has little details; it's far to be a pretentious puzzle mind; it's very simple to follow the clues. Kathy Bates is splendid in that secondary role as the material lawyer who supports the emotional and emotive fissures of Dr. Darrow, but even she is not able to avoid the boring dialogue. She makes all what she can, but sometimes it os not enough.
Somehow, this movie might be the complement vision of the Sixth sense. Because when one of them or well both lovers die, and the cycle has not been walked at all, it's necessary to complete it.
Certainly, after the film concludes you feel some bitter taste in the whole puzzle. The final sequence is extremely and unnecessary tearful.
Too much violins and few cellos in the orchestra, perhaps?
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