Come True

Wow can I understand the mixed reviews after watching this film. I come down on the thumbs up side, partly because of the audaciousness of the script and the pacing, and the clever and well managed homages and allusions to 80s science fiction cinema.

Regarding the pacing, one of the most common criticisms of this movie appears to be that it is "slow" or "boring." In my viewing experience it is deliberately paced, which is not the same thing, and part of what makes it a mesmerizing, dreamlike experience. The somber, atmospheric score adds to this effect. Come True is a curtain blowing in the nightime breeze, in slow motion.

The other main criticism of Come True (a cool title for this particular movie) is how it ends - what is revealed behind the curtain of dreams. The conclusion is unexpected, to say the least, but ultimately, again, I liked it for the sheer audaciousness of it.

There are numerous allusions to classic sci-fi movies of the 1980s. I think Come True has about as much eye symbolism as Blade Runner. In one scene there's a poster of Schwarzenegger from the first Terminator movie, in his famous sunglasses, and one of the secondary characters wears gigantic spectacles clearly reminiscent of Tyrell's in Blade Runner. There is another dramatic homage to the Blade Runner eye symbolism, too, later in the film, but I don't want to give anything away. The plot consciously incorporates aspects of Dreamscape and Brainstorm as well.

All of that is especially interesting if you're a fan of '80s science fiction, but it also somehow heightens the dreamlike quality of Come True. Movies are inherently dreamlike, and almost literally like watching someone else's lucid dreams. It's therefore fitting that this film's tapestry of subconscious and unconscious imagery should be dyed in cinematic references.

As I'm writing this review I'm realizing that, despite its flaws - including what I feel is an unnecessary and eye rolling plot development exactly 2/3 of the way through - I like this movie quite a bit. I don't usually write such long reviews, so that's a reflection of how compelling I found the experience.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and visuals of this movie. The dream scene's designs are so cool, I would watch them all in a row, really dark art there.

This is the strongest aspect of the movie.

The sound is really good too, adds up a lot to the atmosphere, creating a creepy, mysterious vibe.

Good performances throughout, most of the characters are quite solid in their parts.

Story wise, there's a good tension and mystery feeling through the first two acts, but the third one feels stretched and even a bit incoherent by times. This is fixed my the very ending's twist, but I'm not too sure I liked the it. It's a valid one, but it might feel cheap or overdone for some people. I don't think it's a brilliant ending, but it serves well to a decent movie.

As I say on the title, there's a massive spoiler on the images of this movie on IMDB, so don't look at them if you haven't watch the movie yet.

I recommend this movie to visual lovers and if you're in the mood of a very slow paced movie.

Best dream sequences I've ever seen in video. Some bits along the way hint at the ending, but very discretely.

Slow moving, but definitely worth the time.

Come True is worth a watch. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending but that's just my opinion. The story itself is engaging to watch. The atmospheric soundtrack brings a mysterious ambiance that keeps you focussed on the story. The sound was the best part of this movie. The acting wasn't bad even though not everybody were perfect. It's not really a movie I would recommend but it's good enough if you have nothing else to do and like mysteries with a pinch of sci-fi.

Come True is an interesting one. The title has multiple meanings, the ending message also seems to have them.

Yet I still wanted it to be so much better. All the visual substance I enjoyed quite a lot. The soundtrack was strangely recognizable but still good. The production design was very reminiscent of Posessor (2020), as well as some of the lighting choices were. Also, the CGI nightmare cut-ins were creative, they felt inspired by some dark art themes, some videogame inspirations even, like Dark Souls and especially Darkwood, or maybe something else I'm not aware of.

Story-wise it is somewhat messy, there is a justification for this, but sometimes it feels really disconnected. The twist felt surprising but in a weaker way. At some point, it becomes clear that they are building up to something they cannot deliver cause they literally have like 2-3 long segments of build-ups that lead to nothing. The problem is that the type of story that they are using requires vague hints or better understandable symbolism. I've seen a couple of similar films but I don't want to name them to avoid spoilers. The way they did it just doesn't connect. Also, the idea of merging the real world with the subconscious nightmare world was awesome, but they still messed it up with that awkward twist.

There isn't much in terms of characters or character development. Some of the dialogue is interesting, but as I've said the characters do not drive the story, they could've been doing anything else or not doing anything at all, the ending would still be the same. This concept is similar to the Evil Within game series, actually.

I really hope that I've just missed the bigger picture (and possible hints) and the film is better than I understood it, but when I re-think what I just saw, I just can't find more good stuff to endorse. Worth a watch.