The tyranist's thoughts
In an often maligned and praised series the lines between what is truly good and bad in the films often blurs beyond recognition until it is truly up to each individual viewer. This series seems to fit that mold perfectly. There are those who say it should have stopped at 1. Others after 2. Still others like 1, 3, and 7. The opinions vary. In spite of all of that, I would assert that on the list of anyone who has seen this series, episode 3 should probably be listed as either the second or third best entry.
In raw scope and the potential depth of the story line, this entry far exceeds anything else. No other entry did more to enhance the Nightmare mythos than Dream Warriors. Suddenly there is a way to really fight back. There are so many possibilities that lead out of this. Unfortunately, the film falls short in that the final plot is lopped off and fails to deliver on the breadth of the idea. Very little time is spent in the dreams where the heart of the story is. Instead time is spent overdeveloping two characters, one of which we are already intimately familiar with. To fix the story would require time spent with each of the "warriors" in their individual dreams to develop what their ability was.
Really there was potential for greatness beyond even the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. They just couldn't deliver.
Patricia Arquette is pretty good in what should have been a huge role but was pretty limited. They really needed to go after her for the next entry in the series. It's nice to have Heather back, of course. Also check out Morpheus in an early, almost bit, role. He probably doesn't even admit he made this movie anymore. Wes Craven's gifted touch could be felt once again along with a young talent in Frank Darabont. It is a shame that this movie couldn't have been better. I really can't say that enough. This happens way too often in Hollywood and even more often in horror film. It's like the creation is wonderful, but when it comes right down to putting it on film we want the cheapest, quickest solution that will get us the most money.
Watch it. Watch it with an open mind to what this movie could have been. I think you'll find that in spite of its shortcomings, this really is a powerful addition to the cult of Freddie.