Dreamland review by Bobby Blakey
Margot Robbie has already cemented herself as an A-lister in Hollywood and shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to take on a great variety of roles and always shines. Her latest film Dreamland looks to continue that trend and co-stars Finn Cole, Garrett Hedlund, Travis Fimmel, Kerry Condon, Darby Camp, and Lola Kirke, but can it bring that something special to the screen or will it be a crime to add to her filmography.
Dreamland follows Eugene Evans who dreams of escaping his small Texas town when he discovers a wounded, fugitive bank robber Allison Wells hiding closer than he could ever imagine. Torn between claiming the bounty for her capture and his growing attraction to the seductive criminal, nothing is as it seems, and Eugene must make a decision that will forever affect the lives of everyone he’s ever loved.
I knew nothing heading into this film other than the cast involved so was pretty interested. Add to the mix a Bonnie and Clyde style story I was hoping for a pretty great film, but it is a bit more unbalanced than I had expected. Robbie is perfection as always bringing a wide range of emotion and depth to her role. The rest of the cast are great as well with Finn Cole sharing great chemistry with Robbie. When these two are together on screen the film offers up a building relationship that is intriguing to watch, but sadly its wrapped around some slow pacing and ultimately not much of a payoff.
The third act is actually really good and would have loved to see more of this part of their relationship as it led to this finale, but instead it limps along most of the time trying to build it up and in turn kind of becomes mundane most of the time. This takes the stunning visuals and doesn’t use them for much else than a back drop that is fitting for both the time of the Depression in which it takes place and the pacing of the film itself.
I guess I was hoping for more and instead they seemed be trying for a more artsy approach at times and squandered the talent and possibility of delivering a truly engaging film that could have been so much more. I love that third act, but sadly it takes a bit of work to get to it. Decide for yourself and check out Dreamland available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment.