Doctor Sleep review

DOCTOR SLEEP:

FOLLOW-UP TO THE SHINING DOESN’T QUITE RECAPTURE THE SAME CHILLS AS ITS PREDECESSOR BUT OFFERS A SOLID CONTINUATION IN ITS OWN RIGHT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Ewan McGregor returns to an all-too familiar hotel in Doctor Sleep

            The Shining saga continues in Doctor Sleep, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name serving as a follow-up to his iconic book The Shining. The film is directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, The Haunting of Hill House (2018 series)) and is a sequel to both King’s book and the 1980 film adaptation which was directed by Stanley Kubrick and starred Jack Nicholson in quite possibly his most iconic performance as Jack Torrance, utilizing elements from both the book and movie.

            While I’ve never read the book I have seen the Stanley Kubrick movie many times, it was one of the first horror movies I ever watched as well as one of the first R-rated movies I saw when I was younger and I remembered being completely entranced by the movie. Sure, it is very slow paced but the atmosphere, production design, and visuals have this unsettling and eerie tone all throughout the film, all leading up to one of the most iconic moments of the movie Jack’s rampage with the axe (Heeeere’s Johnny!). 

            Despite King’s dislike of the movie, Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining is still a landmark in film and considered by many to be the first modern horror movie and was referenced and parodied many times in other movies and TV shows (Simpsons anyone?), and most recently was paid homage last year in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Whether you’re a fan of Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, the horror genre in general, or not The Shining is a required viewing.

            Development for a sequel had been going on since 2014 shortly after Doctor Sleep’s publication and the studio had a rough time finding funding for it. But after the critical and commercial success of 2017’s It, another horror movie based on a Stephen King book, Warner Bros. jumped right into Doctor Sleep and bringing the next chapter of The Shining saga to the screen. 

            Mike Flanagan who had already adapted a Stephen King story with Gerald’s Game is given an impossible task with this movie. Make a sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining book and a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining movie which are both so completely different in tone from each other and as mentioned before King disliked Kubrick’s film version. 

            Can Mike Flanagan fine a way to please both Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick fans with Doctor Sleep? The answer is yes.

            Let me put this out there now no, Doctor Sleep isn’t nearly as amazing as The Shining and probably doesn’t need to exist but nevertheless it’s still a very well made horror film that’s different enough to stand on its own while also paying homage to both the book and the Kubrick film topped off with really engaging performances by its cast and the right amount of fan-service being thrown in.

            Set 40 years after the incident at the Overlook Hotel, Danny Torrance, now an adult going by Dan (Ewan McGregor-Star Wars prequel trilogy, Moulin Rouge, Big Fish) is still traumatized by the events that occurred at the hotel and has turned to alcohol to suppress his Shining. However, Dan learns about a young girl named Abra (Newcomer Kyliegh Curran) who also has the Shining and is being chased by a dangerous cult that feeds on children who possess psychic powers to remain young forever led by Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson-The White Queen, Mission: Impossible 5 and 6, Men in Black: International) and needs his help to stop them. 

            Not only must Dan help Abra fight off the wicked cult but he also needs to overcome his trauma as this goose chase eventually leads them to an all-too familiar place, the Overlook Hotel. 

            The film also stars Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider, Live Free or Die Hard, Fear the Walking Dead) as Billy Freeman, Carl Lumbly (Cagney & Lacey, Alias, Supergirl) as Dick Hallorann, Zahn McClarnon (Longmire, Fargo (TV series), Westworld) as Crow Daddy, Emily Alyn Lind (Revenge, Code Black, Lights Out) as Snakebite Andi, Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek (2009 trilogy), Mad Men, Kingsman: The Golden Circle) as Dr. John Dalton, Jocelin Donahue (The House of the Devil, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Frontier) as Lucy Stone, Alex Essoe (Starry Eyes, Midnighters, Tales of Halloween) replacing Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, Jacob Tremblay (Room, The Predator, Good Boys) as Bradley Trevor, and Henry Thomas (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Legends of the Fall, Gangs of New York) as Lloyd. 

            Overall, Doctor Sleep is a worth follow-up to The Shining that honors both King and Kubrick’s interpretations of the story without it feeling too forced. It does have its moments of overstaying their welcome just for the sake of pleasing fans during the final act, but the film devotes two hours of its runtime (it has a 2 ½ hour runtime) to develop the characters and establish their reasons of why they are the way they are. 

            Ewan McGregor is stellar as the adult version of Danny, I was fully convinced I was watching the kid as an adult and he’s an alcoholic much like his father was and because of his post-traumatic stress of being in that hotel and his father trying to kill him you understand why he went this route. Rebecca Ferguson is amazing as Rose the Hat and definitely one of the best and most fleshed-out horror movie villains you will ever see, she hams it up but also makes you get where she’s coming from and why she has to do horrible things, 

            Let’s talk about Kyliegh Curran as Abra, in her first starring role Curran knocks it out of the park in this movie and has become a rare kid in a horror movie that you actually grow attached to. She’s resourceful, smart, badass, and at times funny but she does show her weaknesses and has wonderful moments with Ewan McGregor whenever they are on-screen. 

            If I had to nitpick something about this movie it would be the third act, the first and second acts of the movie do a strong job being its own unique scary flick but by the end it almost becomes a Best of The Shining recreation and while they’re done very well and Flanagan captures Kubrick’s work in these moments, they don’t serve much of a purpose outside of pleasing die-hard fans of the movie. Nevertheless, Doctor Sleep delivers a worthy follow-up worth checking out whether you’re a fan of The Shining book or movie, it’s the best of both worlds, “Shine” on in and see for yourself.

BUT DON’T BE READING MY MIND BETWEEN 4:00 AND 5:00 THAT’S NICO’S TIME!