Dreamcatcher *Spoilers*

[NeedfulKings]

I totally enjoyed this story, front to back. Aside from the DT books, this was the most entertaining book I've read from King this century!!!

I enjoyed all the "mind bending" writing as well as some gratuitous gore! :evil: He developed the main characters well and gave me some interesting perspective on the inner workings of the human mind.

Where do most of you rank this amongst King's catalog??? I'm definitely placing it in the top third. It was a fun read!

[Darkthoughts]

I didn't like it :(

It generally felt less developed than regular King stories...like, if there had been more about the group of friends when they were kids, or even more about them as a group when they were older, I might have enjoyed it more. It seemed to jump straight into the action without the usual preamble I love about King. But as it was I didn't know them well enough to empathize.

I'd have liked a little more indepth get to know you stuff on Duddits too. He seemed thrown in there, which was weird considering he was so pivotal.

I dunno, I guess I'd some up my dislike of Dreamcatcher by saying it didn't flow well enough. The three main ideas (military side, alien/Jonesy stuff and the Duddits stuff) were badly stitched together and appeared overly longwinded where it should have been short, and rushed in the parts that I'd have liked to have been longer

[NeedfulKings]

I don't know what it was that attracted me to the story (maybe because I was on the beaches of Hawaii at the time, ;) ). I actually liked the guys more as adults, so was okay not developing them as children. I thought the Duddits part could have been developed more, since he was a main figure.

Going in, I had no idea what this story was about. When they introduced aliens and military, I definitely saw the chance for it to fall flat, but I wound up really liking the Henry and Jonesy parts. And the page-turning action suited my mood.

And, King about made me gag with those fucking farts!!! :lol:

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Darkthoughts]

I don't know what it was that attracted me to the story (maybe because I was on the beaches of Hawaii at the time, ;) )
Rub it in why don'cha!! :P


I actually liked the guys more as adults, so was okay not developing them as children.
I liked them as adults too, I just wish we'd known more about, seen them interact more before they fell foul of the butt weasel :lol:


I wound up really liking the Henry and Jonesy parts.
Yes, the parts where he was in the warehouse in his mind I really dug.

[Wuducynn]

I totally enjoyed this story, front to back. Aside from the DT books, this was the most entertaining book I've read from King this century!!!

I enjoyed all the "mind bending" writing as well as some gratuitous gore! :evil: He developed the main characters well and gave me some interesting perspective on the inner workings of the human mind.

Where do most of you rank this amongst King's catalog??? I'm definitely placing it in the top third. It was a fun read!

HEAR!!! HEAR!!!

I LOVED this book...

[NeedfulKings]

LMAO @ butt weasels! What an endearing group of critters they were, huh? :P

The "warehouse as the mind" concept was brilliant!!!

Crimson, I knew I liked you for some reason! :D

[CyberGhostface]

I loved Mr. Gray. "Bacon...WITH MAYO!!!!!!" :D

[Wuducynn]

Crimson, I knew I liked you for some reason! :D

Can't be for a good one!

[ATG]

I actually think I skipped that one.

[NeedfulKings]

I actually think I skipped that one.

Unskip it. :dance:

If I were to compare it to Cell, I'd put it heads and shoulders above. Considering that King wrote this during a very trying time in his life, I applaud it even more. :)

Crimson....there's nothing bad about you! :innocent:

CyberGhost, the parts where Mr. Gray ate food and had to "evacuate" thereafter were hilarious!!! :lol:

[Wuducynn]

I actually think I skipped that one.

Unskip it. :dance:
Well put!

If I were to compare it to Cell, I'd put it heads and shoulders above. Considering that King wrote this during a very trying time in his life, I applaud it even more. :) I wouldn't compare the two, they're like apples and oranges, although Cell scared the hell out of me.


[Crimson....there's nothing bad about you! :innocent: I know, I'm an angel.

[Jean]

I love Dreamcatcher, and although it will never make my Top Five King Novels, it sure belongs in my Top Ten. The only thing that disappointed me were the last fifty or so pages, that endless ride. My problem was that there was no development there. Everything was clear, the characters showed their full, one could see where everyone was driving at, both literally and figuratively, and it still went on and on and on.

[Wuducynn]

and on.

[Wuducynn]

No, I enjoyed the ending, but it wasn't one of his best endings. Nothing compared to The Dark Tower...but of course NOTHING compares to that. :harrier:

[Rjeso]

I really enjoy Dreamcatcher, but then again, I love all of King's books where he explores some epic friendship/relationship between characters. That's why I love IT and The Stand and The Dark Tower and The Talisman. I love the dynamic of the characters in Dreamcatcher; it's the reason I keep rereading it. I don't think this book is appreciated enough, most people I know didn't care for it. Their loss. ;)

[Wuducynn]

I don't think this book is appreciated enough, most people I know didn't care for it. Their loss. ;)

I'm not sure why more folk don't like this book? Its one of my favorite non-DT King books. I wonder if its the aliens theme that puts so many off.

[mr.nineteen]

I don't like it as much. I liked Duddits very much though. And the parts inside the mind were great.

[Mattrick]

I love this book. I loved it so much I sat through the horrendous movie just so I could remember how good the book was.

DT, wasn't there a good 250 pages before the alien/military started getting involved? More time spent building characters before the real plot begins in this book than some of King's other works.

I love so much of the book; the male comaradre, hole in the wall and I felt all the characters were really well established. My favourite part of the book was Jonesy and Mr. Grey and their conflict. The lack of their real battles and the development of Mr. Grey in the movie was what killed it.

It was King's take on aliens and I thought it was about the most original that I've read/seen. Love the red moss and the catching telepathy.

What made this book so special was the shear amount of Heart that was written into it. It was the first book to really shift in style for King that it's understanding with his accident. The scenes with the guys together made me laugh and is just so well done. I think the only story from his I've read that felt more true to life and friends was Hearts In Atlantis. Whenever I think of the line from that story "We just couldn't stop laughing." It makes me think of good times with friends.

[NeedfulKings]

Duddits did add a lot to the story. He's one character that I wish King would have developed more. I've always loved how King can make heroes out of just about anyone--even one with Downs Syndrome. Bravo.

I don't remember exactly when Aliens were brought in, but it was a pleasant twist for me. I can see where some may not have liked it.

I did see this movie ages ago and don't remember a single thing about it (thank God for my short-term memory, :P ). I'll rent it soon.

Thanks for all the input.

BTW, Hearts In Atlantis was a great story! It just doesn't seem to matter what King writes about, his style is poetic.

[LadyHitchhiker]

The bacon part nearly killed me because it was so funny...

[Daghain]

I actually think I skipped that one.

Unskip it. :dance:

If I were to compare it to Cell, I'd put it heads and shoulders above. Considering that King wrote this during a very trying time in his life, I applaud it even more. :)

Crimson....there's nothing bad about you! :innocent:

CyberGhost, the parts where Mr. Gray ate food and had to "evacuate" thereafter were hilarious!!! :lol:

I'll agree it was better than Cell, but I did NOT like this book much at all. I am rereading all my King now, so we'll see if I still hold the same opinion after that. But I don't have much hope. :(

[Mattrick]

I did see this movie ages ago and don't remember a single thing about it (thank God for my short-term memory, :P ). I'll rent it soon.[/q



Do yourself a favour and don't. The first half of the movie is surprisingly accurate then it becomes the worst adaptation known to man.

[Darkthoughts]

I really enjoy Dreamcatcher, but then again, I love all of King's books where he explores some epic friendship/relationship between characters.
Me too, I just didn't think there was enough of it in this story, especially in comparison to something like It.


DT, wasn't there a good 250 pages before the alien/military started getting involved? More time spent building characters before the real plot begins in this book than some of King's other works.
It wasn't the alien angle that put me off, I thought that was very well done. With the military stuff I must admit, especially in relation to the latter part of your post where you mentioned HiA, that I also skipped the middle part of Hearts because I couldn't "get into it". That was over 10 years ago though, I'm going to reread Hearts shortly - so perhaps I'll appreciate it now, and then maybe I'll reread Dreamcatcher and appreciate that aspect of it too?

In general though I'm not a fan of military/war books or films. I mean, I'll always appreciate good writing or film making, but that genre just doesn't grab my interest.

[Mattrick]

The military aspect only takes up the middle of the book and some of the main characters are intertwined with it so it's no fully a separate.

Also, I'm curious on how it's been over ten years since you tried reading two books that have been out for 9 and 7 years, respectively :doh: lol

[Darkthoughts]

I read Dreamcatcher just before Christmas for the first time. HiA I read a long time ago, 10 years was just a rough guess.

[Rjeso]

Do yourself a favour and don't. The first half of the movie is surprisingly accurate then it becomes the worst adaptation known to man.

Seriously. I was SO HAPPY with it right until the part where Mr. Gray picks up Pete. As soon as Pete climbed on to the Arctic Cat, the movie went all to hell.

[Wuducynn]

The movie upset me quite a bit. To the point where I wanted my money back at the end. The end was the worst part of the movie in my opinion..seriously what was whoever the director and/or screenwriter thinking?? Duddits turning into an alien and having a smackdown with Mr. Grey????

[TerribleT]

I really enjoyed the movie, it's one of my favorite King adaptations. I never read the book, and still haven't, so take it for what it's worth.

[Wuducynn]

I'd have read the book first...I doubt you would have felt as glowing about the movie then.

[TerribleT]

I'd have read the book first...I doubt you would have felt as glowing about the movie then.

That's always the problem with books and movies, ain't it? You always expect the movie to be the book, or your mental picture of it, and when it's not, you're disappointed. I notice that a lot.

[Wuducynn]

Except thats not it at all for me. I've seen many movies renditions of books or read book renditions of movies and have loved them. Dreamcatcher was particularly lousy, especially at the end, not because it wasn't exactly like the book, but because of what happened in comparison to the book.

[TerribleT]

Except thats not it at all for me. I've seen many movies renditions of books or read book renditions of movies and have loved them. Dreamcatcher was particularly lousy, especially at the end, not because it wasn't exactly like the book, but because of what happened in comparison to the book.

I gotcha, and I understand. I have the same thing happen to me. I just have never read the book, so it's never been an issue for me.

[Mattrick]

I really enjoyed the movie, it's one of my favorite King adaptations. I never read the book, and still haven't, so take it for what it's worth.

You haven't read the book but it's one of your favourite king adaptations? It's the WORST king adaptation. If you had no knowledge of the book then I could see enjoying the movie.


That's always the problem with books and movies, ain't it? You always expect the movie to be the book, or your mental picture of it, and when it's not, you're disappointed. I notice that a lot.

There is a difference between the movie being different and butching the source material. Not only were characters changed, whole elements missing and everything that made the book good, removed but it was all 'hollywood'. Worst book to movie adaptation since The Lost World, but I liked the movie The Lost World.

[NeedfulKings]

I'm always prepared for a letdown when it comes to movies, but I'll still enjoy it. If it really sucks ass, like you all say, I'll be sure to have a dvd of Shawshank or Green Mile handy to cleanse my palet. :P

King said it best. Regardless of how crappy the movie is, you always have the book. It will never change.

Now, pass the bacon!!!! :lol:

[Mattrick]

King said it best. Regardless of how crappy the movie is, you always have the book.

And he still gets paid

[NeedfulKings]

King said it best. Regardless of how crappy the movie is, you always have the book.

And he still gets paid

Pretty f*cking smart, if you ask me! :D

[Wuducynn]

And he still gets paid

The problem with that is...?

[Wuducynn]

Pretty fucking smart, if you ask me! :D

How smart was it of King, Bill?

[Erin]

I LOVE Dreamcatcher! Next to The Stand and Needful Things, it's my favorite non DT King book.

I thought everything about it was great and it kept me reading and reading and reading.

I liked the book so much, like I've said before, that I named my cats Jonesy and Mr. Gray. I found them as stray kittens, a little white one and a little gray one. I brought them inside and could not think of any good names for them, so I called them the gray one and the white one for awhile. For the first few weeks, the little gray one would dominate the white one and boss it around (much like Mr. Gray does Jonesy). Then one day, after weeks of being forced around, the white kitten rose up and began to take charge of his own life. I was reading Dreamcatcher for the first time then and thought the names Jonesy and Mr. Gray suit them perfectly. :D

[Wuducynn]

I LOVE Dreamcatcher! Next to The Stand and Needful Things, it's my favorite non DT King book.


Its one of mine also. The audio book version of it is particularly well done. I highly recommend it.

[NeedfulKings]

Pretty fucking smart, if you ask me! :D

How smart was it of King, Bill?

:P Pretty smart!!! :lol:

Erin, that's a cool story about the kitties. :)

[ManOfWesternesse]

I read Dreamcatcher back when it was published, and was not greatly impressed.
Would have rated it in my least-favourite-King category.
Then re-read it last year & thought it was pretty damn good, not top-10-king for me - but pretty good none the less.

[Mattrick]

And he still gets paid

The problem with that is...?

What makes you think I have a problem with it?

[Wuducynn]

What makes you think I have a problem with it?

It just seemed like you did. Glad you don't.

[MonteGss]

I'm not reading any past posts for risk of spoiling the ending of this book...it is my first time reading it.
I was a little caught off guard when I got to the whole military (?) thing around page 300. However, I am enjoying this book just like almost every other King story I've read! I hope to finish it in the next couple days. :)

[Wuducynn]

I'm not reading any past posts for risk of spoiling the ending of this book...it is my first time reading it.
I was a little caught off guard when I got to the whole military (?) thing around page 300. However, I am enjoying this book just like almost every other King story I've read! I hope to finish it in the next couple days. :)

The audio version is one of the best of King's too. :thumbsup:

[Jean]

I was a little caught off guard when I got to the whole military (?) thing around page 300.
that's the part I loved the best about the whole book. That, and the quasi-Dogan thing. I would have love to loved the relationships part best, but, alhtough I like it quite a lot, it is still very reminding of the Losers' Club, and, as it has already been pointed out here, to the Dreamcatcher's characters disadvantage.

[LadyHitchhiker]

Rule of thumb for me: I ALWAYS watch the movie before I read the book... the book is always beter, but this way I don't end up detesting the movie.

[NeedfulKings]

A book about Derry and children does have an automatic disadvantage. Nothing will compare to IT and those children in the Loser's Club. They will always hold the top spot in my SK character list.

I actually think I like the adults better in Dreamcatcher, though.

All comparisons aside, each book stands tall. For different reasons.

Monte, I hope to hear your thoughts.

[Woofer]

Dreamcatcher is another instance where I saw the movie before reading the book. As a result, I loved the movie. Then I read the book. I still like the movie, it's just not Dreamcatcher. Kind of like Kubrick's The Shining, though I had read it first and was not happy with the original interpretation. Nicholson should not have played it crazy from the get go. Later, though, I could enjoy the movie without screaming at it.

I'll fourth what everyone else has said about the friendship story and comparisons to IT, but I still thought it was spot on and it made me very nostalgic. Another area I give points on to the movie was casting of the friends. And no matter how much I like Morgan Freeman, I'd've rather seen Malcolm McDowell doing Kurtz.

[Jean]

A book about Derry and children does have an automatic disadvantage. Nothing will compare to IT and those children in the Loser's Club. They will always hold the top spot in my SK character list.

I actually think I like the adults better in Dreamcatcher, though.

All comparisons aside, each book stands tall. For different reasons.

Monte, I hope to hear your thoughts.
::nods vigourously on all points, including that of hoping to hear Monte's thoughts::

[jayson]

The parts of Dreamcatcher I enjoyed the most were the ones dealing with the character stuck inside his own mind while another entity controlled his physical body. Like with Suze and her Dogan, or the brief switch between Oy & Jake, I like the way King envisions the way our minds and memories work.

[Wuducynn]

For me comparing the children stories in Dreamcatcher to It is like comparing McIntosh's to Delicious's. They are similar but not by much, I appreciate both story lines, but the childhood element is much more pronounced and developed in It because of the kind of story it is.

[Darkthoughts]

We agree :couple:

[Ste Letto]

I read this book whilst on holiday.

I felt it was one of the worst things I have ever read.

It had no cohesion. Nothing made sense. Elements like the butt weasels were crude and not worthy of SK.

I actually doubted, and still doubt SK wrote it himself.

It in now way compares to 99% of his work.

[jayson]

I actually doubted, and still doubt SK wrote it himself.

It in now way compares to 99% of his work.

The sequences of Jonesy being trapped inside his own mind sounded very much like King to me. It read similarly to...

Oy and Jake switching places to bypass the mind trap and some of the Susnnah in the Dogan stuff.

Now, that doesn't make it a good book, but it certainly feels like King.

[Heather19]

Well it seems as if I've never posted in this thread. I actually really enjoyed this book. It's one that I've been wanting to go back and read for quite some time.
Just don't get me started on the film version, because I don't have very nice things to say about it.

[Ste Letto]

The sequences of Jonesy being trapped inside his own mind sounded very much like King to me. It read similarly to.

Ok, I'll admit there is a echo there.

I'm sure SK did write it, but, I still profoundly disliked this novel.

For me it felt half hearted, going through the motions, not as passionate or well crafted as Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone or The Shining to name but three.

[AlishaRiley]

I quite enjoyed Dreamcatcher. Not one of the best King books, of course, but it certainly suffiuced in the entertainment department. I think he may have killed Beaver off a little too early - I liked his character.

As I said, not one of my favourites, but definitely worth the read.

[TheCatInTheHat]

Well it seems as if I've never posted in this thread. I actually really enjoyed this book. It's one that I've been wanting to go back and read for quite some time.
Just don't get me started on the film version, because I don't have very nice things to say about it.
I finished this book today and decided to watch the film. Big mistake on my part. The first 30 minutes were in line with the book but the remaining hour and a half felt like something you'd see on the Sci-Fi channel. Yes, it was that bad which reminds me...

WTF?! Duddits was not an alien!

I enjoyed the book but the ending seemed rushed and there were parts which were in no way cohesive. I also felt that the dreamcatcher theme was just inserted at the eleventh hour due to his wife not agreeing with the original title of Cancer.

[AIMB]

I loved this book. The "disease" was so gross and scary. I love any scary story with the "something in the water" theme though.

I agree Beaver was killed off to soon.

I haven't re-read it since it came out. I think I'll try it again soon though to get the bad taste of the movie out of my mouth.

Another thing that sucked in the movie. What was that place called that was like a library in his mind?

That didn't translate well into film.

[GirlGoneNineteen]

I haven't finished it yet, but it's really starting to slow down for me - Mr Gray is in Jonesy's mind, the military is shooting animals, etc etc. The Beav was killed off way too early, I think he was the only character I really wanted to read about :orely:
I have the movie at home, just waiting for me to wish I didn't watch it :lol:

[BillyxRansom]

Without spoilers, if possible, can someone tell me what Stephen King meant when he said this book was a "mean book in a lot of ways"?

YouTube - Stephen King on Early Show 2001

It's towards the middle/end. Can someone explain what it means to write a book that is "mean"? This is to satiate the writerly concerns I have. :-/

[TheCrisisKing]

King's most recent epic imo

[LadyHitchhiker]

Worst book to movie adaptation since The Lost World, but I liked the movie The Lost World.

I loved this quote. A little OT but that was the worst book to movie adaptation I have ever seen.

[woodpryan]

I loved this novel. I remember my stepfather bringing it home one day and i thought he had bought it for himself (as a SK fan himself), but instead of reading it, he just handed it to me like i had asked for it. it wasn't my birthday or christmas or anything and i hadn't even known there was a new King book out. i remember (17 years old at the time) sitting in my bedroom with some good rock on the CD player and watching these characters develop. i had no idea what it was about when i started reading it and i almost put it down when i found out it was about aliens (never have been a big fan), but i'm so glad i didn't i finished it in a week and it's one of my top 20 books. certainly one of my top ten favorites of SK. when people ask me, "What are you up to today man?"
"Oh, you know; SSDD."

[candy]

that is so cool what your step father did, i love randomly getting books
It doesn't happen now i am older, as i have quite a collection so people prefer to get me vouchers, but i love that story

I also loved the book, not on a first read when i just thought it was pretty gross, but on a re-read i found myself quite warming to it

(This is why i can never understand some of the people that i know in RL, saying they don't understand how i can read a book more than once??? strange critters )

[Bethany]

What's not to love about a book that introduced s%*t weasel to my vocabulary? :P

I enjoyed everything about this book until the end. That whole we are Duddits, Duddits is us mumbo jumbo just made me want to puke.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

What's not to love about a book that introduced s%*t weasel to my vocabulary? :P

I enjoyed everything about this book until the end. That whole we are Duddits, Duddits is us mumbo jumbo just made me want to puke.

Ditto the Duddits shit. Hated the ending. I really liked the book up to that point. Similarly the movie was pretty decent until the end, and the ending to the movie was even more ridiculous.

[Jon]

What's not to love about a book that introduced s%*t weasel to my vocabulary? :P


Here here!

I love it and use it all the time...that and "ratdick"...from another story.

[Girlystevedave]

I'm about halfway through this right now.
I've just gotten to the part where we learn that the gray men can make telepathy possible. I'm excited to see what happens with that. I'm also anxious to see where they're going with the whole Duddits thing, in relation to present time.


While reading this, there have been many times I've been reminded of The Dark Tower. For instance, the number nineteen kept making an appearance in one part of the story, low men were referred to at one point, which made me think of Ted Brautigan. I'm sure there were more than just those two that I can remember right now.

I love how King inserts little bits of other stories like that. :)

[Roland of Gilead 33]

1stly according to IMDB the dvd has a different ending with duddits or however that's spelled? not an alien, than you have the theatrical cut where he is. i forget which version i saw when i 1st caught it on tv some years ago. i enjoy the film to be honest, but than this is one book i've never read the whole thing, so i'm trying it again as of yesterday. i'm not that far into it just about 45 or so pages into it so far. i hope it's a good one. but than i always hope that to be honest with any SK book or any book for that matter. i also don't get how some people don't read books more than once, i don't get that and i never will but oh well. and SSDD may be an old saying that was around when my parents were around in the 60's. and no doubt older than that but i think i 1st heard it was from this book and i to this day have used it since.

[Cordial Jim]

I quite enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book. The last 1/3 not so much. Pretty far out stuff there at the end.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

fair enough man, i ended up buying this sucker on paperback and the reason is mainly cause i don't have to lug the hardback around anymore. and i was on page 208 in the hardback and page 288 in the paperback when i searched for the spot i left off. anyways, i'm now 340 pages into it. hence the paperback version, i said this elsewhere and i will say it here, i find it funny as hell how a book that is 620 pages in the hardback is over 200 pages longer in the paperback version. and your answer will be well the print is smaller and you would be correct i just find that funny that's all. this is a book i've tried reading a few times but i never finished it for some reason. and i think i am not further in it than i was than but i honestly don't remember where the hell i left off anyways? as for the film i enjoy the film a lot. i posted on IMDB the forum over there,

on how this is one story that regardless who makes it, since it's not really one his better known books as far as i'm aware. and since it's a book that's got like 4 different stories in it, 4 friends, a monster movie, counting the film i mean, and action book/movie and an alien story that would be 4. as i said there with King it's normally just one thing mainly in his books.

leaving out the dark tower books where that's pretty much all over the place. so i get why the film flopped but hell i enjoy it and that's all that matters to me i guess. and so far i'm enjoying the book too. though they did kill beaver far far far too damn early.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

reading past posts just now i was seeing people say that the book is always better, uh no it's not ALWAYS better, yes 9 times out of 10 it is i'm not going to deny that, but honestly i can think of a couple examples where the film was loads better, 1st book, well there's Carrie, the book is terrible at least i think it is, yet the original (1976) film is fucking perfect. Dolores Clairborne or however you spell it, sorry about my shitty spelling folks, this one isn't a bad book at all but i love the film more than i do the actual novel to be honest, and than there's the book the godfather the book is medicore in my opinion and is really nothing to be desired but it's not a bad book at all, but the film is also another one that's just perfect.

in short the book is NOT always better than the film. like i said most of the time yes it can be but there are times when it's not. i'm still reading Dreamcatcher and i'm in the paperback version of it that i've since bought last week on page 614 and i'm enjoying the hell out of it. i'm also watching a little of the movie as well just to see what's different. and so far i still like the film for what it is. some things are changed yes but so far i'm still enjoying the film as well.

[jhanic]

I fully agree with you on The Godfather. I've never been so disappointed in a book than that one.

I do have to disagree with you on Dolores Claiborne, though. I was really disappointed in the movie. I especially loved the audio version of the book (which differed slightly from the print version). Francis Sternhagen WAS Dolores!

John

[Iwritecode]

There are always exceptions to every rule but the majority of the time the phrase "the book was better" holds true. There have been more than a few times where the book has been bad and the movie was worse. It's all a matter of opinion though.

Personally, I've noticed that I tend to like whatever medium I was exposed to first. For example, Stand By Me and The Body. I saw the movie first and then eventually read the book years later. The book was good, but I like the movie better.

I to do the same thing with song covers. If I hear a song being covered by another singer/band first, I tend to like it more than the original.

[Heather19]

Typically I would say that the book is better than the movie, but there are always exceptions. I especially agree about Carrie. Wasn't a huge fan of the book, but the original movie was fantastic.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

fair enough everyone has their own taste, i just get tired of people saying oh the book is better cause the book like i said isn't always better. sometimes the film is. and sometimes the tv show is, i love the dead zone series and no i'm not going to say it's better than the novel don't worry. but it was i think better than the film which is a great film i think. i'm further along in dreamcatcher and i've got like i think 190 pages left in it now?i think ?anyways and one thing i was curious when i was watching it the film the other day

was the scene when Henry gets a Call from Jonesy on Owen's Gun i had really forgot about that in the film. and i honestly thought that was made up for the film but no it's not that's in the book. honestly there's stuff in the book that i can see why it was left out. for example Jonesy making the diversion so he can escape. yeah i would have loved to see that going on but it really wasn't needed. and them cutting back on some of the army stuff isn't a big deal to me anyways. yes some of it so far i think should have been put in but i don't think it all needs to be. in short the flm so far hasn't really taken anything out that's really pissed me off unlike other stephen King adaptations. when i see a movie based off a book by say Stephen King for example i try not to say right away oh it's going to suck ass.

i try and be open minded and give it the benefit of the doubt. i think the problem arises with all of us here who i think are guilty of it when it's a book we really enjoyed. was we have too high expectations and we expect the book and that rarely happens. them changing Kurtz to Curtis was really fucking stupid though, not wanting to confuse an audience? we all know where the Name Kurtz Came from hell even King i believe has said where he got it from. than why not change the name of the Virus if you want to call it that? from a Ripley to i dunno a Phantasm to through just a random name out there. yes the one i picked would have been a stupid name but did that confuse an audience hell no.
i think when it comes to some books like Dreamcatcher for example yeah we all want it to be closer to the book.

but than it isn't a book like say Harry potter where there's just soo much Information that NEEDS to be in it. such as well "IT" for example. For Harry Potter i love those films for what they are. but they need to put out more deleted scenes and make extended cuts of the films that are longer than the ones we got. for example there's plenty of Stills i've seen for Order of the Phoenix from scenes that were Never Shot we need all those in a extended version.

sorry for going off topic i use that series as an example on how much info that series needed to have in the films but most of them left out a great deal of important shit. there certain SK books that have information that needed to be in the films
and than there's some that if it's done by the right people and depending on what they do put in. sometimes it can be better. Christine is a great book and i really love the film. i read the other day about the new guy working on the DT movie and a reply from some dude was i'm still waiting for Christine to be done right. the movie we got was utter shit. no it wasn't. there was certain shit i'd love to have seen in the film. but it followed the book i think pretty well actually. oh and sorry for my long rambling too

[jhanic]

You make some very valid points. I may not agree completely, but I see where you're coming from.

(And I agree with the Harry Potter films--they're good in their own way--but I like the books much more, mainly because of the wealth of detail.

John

[Iwritecode]

If I'm being completely honest, I didn't like the Dreamcatcher book and thought the movie was worse. Same with The Dead Zone.

Flame away.8)

[Girlystevedave]

Dreamcatcher is one of the books I never could get through. I got over halfway and just said "f*ck this" and never looked back. ( I read in an interview that King himself said that his writing was different with that book because he was on all the pain meds following his accident. I think he said something like "there's a good book in there somewhere". I remember thinking "If King himself doesn't even think this is a good book, why am I trying to force myself through it?" :lol: )

And I also didn't like the Dreamcatcher movie at all.

I never saw the Dead Zone movie (I thought the television series was alright ), but the book is one of my favorites.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

this isn't my 1st time trying to read it to be honest but so far i'm enjoying more than i thought i would. the only part that really nearly lost me was at the start of part 2 of it you read about Kurtz for the 1st time and that chapter is boring as fuck.

it slowly got better don't get me wrong, but you go from reading about Henry, Jonesy, Pete & Beaver, to Kurtz and if he was in part 1 ok than i don't think it would be so bad but after that chapter, i think that chapter honestly COULD have been shortened a LOT! i forget how many pages it was but it felt a LOT longer than it actually was. i'm nearly done with the book now i have i think 130 pages left of it? and i plan on finishing it my guess not to night but either 2 morrow nite or Saturday if i'm lucky. as for the Dead Zone film, my only real complaints that i can think of from the top of my head was they left out Johnny's Father who was a HUGE part of his life in the book if my memory is is not mistaken. and than there's Christopher Walken who i love as an actor, but let's face it he was badly miscast in the role. he wasn't terrible in it but he was miscast. Martin Sheen though was fantastic i think in it. and i always did hate the end of the book to be honest.

as for flaming he he naw i'm not going to do that cause if you don't like the book or the film that's fine it's not a big deal. i'm not saying it's hist best book cause we all know it's not but it most certainly is NOT his work book in it.

there's a line in it where Pearly is Farting like mad he's got a shit weasel up his ass ready to come out pretty much. and Freddy Johnson goes would you please quit with the fucking Anal Perfume? that's a great line.

another great line is Henry at some point just walking and talking to himself saying this to himself, and so let me close, ladies and gentlemen of them American Psychiatric Association, by quoting the late Joseph "Beaver' Claredon'

"Said Fuck it and put a dime in the salvation army bucket/ and if you don't like it, grab my cock and suck it. thank you very much.

those so far are my 2 favorite quotes in the book. THOSE should have been in the film!

[Roland of Gilead 33]

well i finished the book late last nite and honestly i loved it. i also just got done watching the film. and i've always liked the film. but after reading the book, there was stuff they of course didn't need to cut out. some of the army stuff got cut and i'm fine with that. them leaving out Kurtz and Freddy and... chasing after them yeah i would have liked to see that. but my guess is they just wanted a big showdown at the end. them having Owen's Gun having a tracking device i didn't like at all.
but they prolly did that cause if you think about it, if they cut them chasing them out of the film. and they ignore the Telapthy uh sorry about my shitty spelling,

which yeah was a big part i admit. though i wish they would have kept the original ending for the film. or rather the way the book ended. making Duddits an Alien though really wasn't needed but if you've read the book and you wonder if the guy is human at all. yeah i know he's got down syndrome but with the powers he's got that's not something that a normal human being would have. well my guess is that's what they were thinking when they wrote the script.

the alien fight at the very end really wasn't needed. but than they were prolly thinking that's what the public would have wanted. regardless if you've read the book or not. i think it was more faithful than what people say it ended up being.

but i'm not going to deny that some of the changes they made wasn't needed at all. the way Pete got Killed i thought looked cool but i also at the same time wondered why they left out him getting infected with the byrus or Owen. Henry, and anyone else for that matter who was part of the story. honestly think it's more faithful to the book than some of the other king adaptations that have been made through the years.

such as Kubrick's The Shining for example. which is a film i just love to death. but it's so far away from King's book that it's NOT even funny. and yes there's plenty others i just can't think of at the top of my head. in short i prolly will end up reading this one again at some point. oh another scene in the film with them having made the dreamcatcher as kids instead of having it just be Beaver's Dad. that i didn't mind for one.

another in short, it's not a film i think is bad at all compared to other King films. i'd rather watch it over that last Children of the corn film that remake which was so fucking bad i could not even watch the whole thing. as for dreamcatcher,

the film doesn't piss me off keeping shit out of the book like other films of his has done in the past.

[cowboy_ed]

does anyone have a scan of the promo booklet seen here?

(taken from Lilja's website)

http://i.imgur.com/MgsITeP.jpg

[cowboy_ed]

Anyone? :)

[Roland of Gilead 33]

i lent this book to a friend right after i read and she also liked it. my other opinion which everyone here i think will agree on is if you don't like the source material at all you won't like the film most likely. i love the book and the film my only HUGE complaint was them killing Beaver as he is the best character in the whole book.

[CyberGhostface]

I think the film dropped the ball on Mr. Gray. He's probably one of my favorite SK villains and the bits where he goes nuts for BACON were some of the best parts of the book. Instead we lost that and got that ridiculous British accent. Also the ending with Duddits was a complete mess but apparently that was King's suggestion.

[Heather19]

I really enjoyed the book, but the movie was a mess. They turned it into a very campy horror film. Also not sure why the book gets so much hate.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

me either, people which i think is VERY funny blame it on King being on drugs and i'm not denying that he wasn't. but they also forget that he was a coke addict for years and is an alcoholic as well even if he is thankfully sober now.
so from a guy who still does NOT remember writing Cujo. yet given his state of mind when he wrote that one, is considered to be one of his best books. there's king books i thought were awful shit i think Carrie is an awful book and the original film from the 70's far far surpasses the actual novel it's based on but there is no doubt people out there that disagree with me and that's fine. Dream Catcher is one of his books that regardless who made it or if it's ever remade and i'm sure it will be. it's a really hard book to put to screen well cause on how fucked uP it is. they did get a lot of things right with the film and yes some of the stuff they should have kept in.

the bacon part i forgot about and yes i agree they SHOULD have kept that in. from the king books i've read like Rose Madder that's gonna be a really hard one to put to screen regardless who the fuck writes it and makes it. than you have one like Green Mile which can be done really well cause it's a film that can be put to screen really easy. From a Buick 8 also is another one that will have a hard time as well being translated to screen no matter who ever makes it. and of course everyone here is prolly agreed that the dark tower is a hard one as well.

that's how i look at it. Dreamcatcher is a film that's a Big Budgeted B film that's all it is, and to a certain degree so is the book now i dunno if it's in my top 10 favorite books of his cause i haven't read them all yet. but it's in my top 20 at least,

i'd say starting with Insomina which is a book i love and sorry for the shit spelling by the way. that's the one i can think of where his writing style changed and so there's a LOT of books that came out since than that i think can be pretty hard to translate to screen. some of them work well and some don't but what are ya gonna do? maybe King liked his idea better i dunno, or the original ending it was badly written or whatever while still in the writing stages. either way other than one chapter that was way overlong which is like i said previously the 1st chapter with Kurtz i really loved this book and it's really a pity that so many people including King hate it. than they love the girl who loved Tom gordon which is a book that i find boring as fuck and it's a book that nothing happens and people love it. go figure but to each their own as well

one day i just may re-read all his books in order but than the thing with that is than i will have to read the bad ones again and the girl who loved tom gordon for me is a really hard read cause on how bad and boring it is. i think i read that once since it came out and that was enough for me. also King may give a lot of shitty endings but at least he doesn't do that with every book he does thank god and this was one of them that had a pretty good ending actually. from a buick 8 also is one that had a good ending. sadly he doesn't do it enough

[mae]

The Losers Club podcast for the novel:

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-losers-club-a-stephen-king-podcast/episode/dreamcatcher-201727237