Retro-Reviews: Doctor Sleep (SPOILERS)

I always called it the Shining...

If you love Stephen King, then you definitely know The Shining. It is one of his most well known and beloved stories with a film adaptation that is equally iconic for many reasons. One of those reasons is rather infamous. That is the fact that King himself is not a fan of the film, even when it's received such acclaim. A lot of this boils down to its loose adaptation of the novel's story, which is a fair criticism for King to have in all honesty. That being said, I loved The Shining and was more than excited to have the sequel, Doctor Sleep, receive its own adaptation, even moreso once I found out that none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor, would be taking on the role of Danny Torrance. Ultimately, Doctor Sleep proves to be a solid follow-up to The Shining that manages in some ways to be even better than the original. And here's why:

UPS

1. Ewan McGregor is wonderful as Danny. I had no doubts, but I'm glad he was able to exceed my expectations with how truly awesome he was. He's one of those actors that will make any movie watchable even when it isn't all that good. Thankfully, this movie is really good, but McGregor's performance really brings the film together. He manages to craft so many layers to the character of Danny as we see him overcome all the personal struggles he has succumbed to in his adult years before finally standing up to the demons that have caused him so much trauma, even that of his own father. Overall, McGregor is solid, and he made the most of his time on screen. 
2. I liked the rest of the cast as well. They all do a spectacular job. Kyliegh Curran is a welcome presence that provides a heartfelt performance that combines with McGregor's to bring the film together, while Cliff Curtis is given more to do than I expected and ends up being all the better for it. We even get a nice role from Bruce Greenwood, a hauntingly tragic turn from Jacob Tremblay, and of course, Carl Lumbly as Dick Halloran, Alex Essoe as Wendy Torrance, and most surprising of all, Henry Thomas (yes, that Henry Thomas) as Jack! All three of them do such a good job at portraying these characters while not coming off as a cheap knock-off of the original, which is quite a feat to achieve.
3. The True Knot. Going in, the one thing that kinda turned me off about the movie were these guys. I just couldn't get into the idea of them being these people who devour the powers of those who "shine" in order to live forever. It just felt a little lame to me, even if it is in the novel. Fortunately, the movie puts those fears to rest as they managed to be engaging antagonists to carry the plot forward. They succeed at being this group of sickeningly twisted individuals, as one nightmarish scene (if you've seen the movie, you know exactly which one I'm talking about) proves, while managing to showcase the humanity they still carry within so that we can understand why they do the things that they do. Of course, Rebecca Ferguson shines the brightest as Rose The Hat, whose performance is as alluring as it is chilling. 
4. The fact that this movie manages to be faithful not only to King's source material, but to Kubrick's film as well. I'm not 100% on the novel, but I do have enough knowledge to understand the major differences between it and the movie, which makes it's all the more impressive that Doctor Sleep managed to bring the two together so that both could get the love they deserve. Director Mike Flanagan and the rest of the crew did a superb job at recreating all the elements from The Shining (complete with shot-for-shot recreations of some of the film's iconic scenes and spot-on duplicates of the sets and costumes) while mixing in some of the ideas from King that were left out, most notably being the ending which, while being a major change to the novelized version of Doctor Sleep, proves to be a satisfying conclusion to this version of the story.

DOWNS

1. This movie does feel way too long at times. This is a problem that's plagued a lot of movies this year and it's no different here. There are so many places where the movie makes you feel like it's reaching its conclusion before it sweeps you from under the rug to take you in a new direction. I can recall there being several times where I felt that way, and the reason that's a problem? They all happen before we even reach the Overlook. Overall, this movie does have a pacing issue and a little trimming down would help a lot. 

OVERALL

Doctor Sleep certainly is a worthy sequel to The Shining and in some ways proves even better. While I think the door is closed for this story (though you never know,) I did enjoy what I got and am glad it managed to be as good as it was. 

And that's it for this blog, guys! Tune in for more coming your way :)