WARNING! THIS REVIEW IS FULL OF SPOILERS! IT IS MEANT TO BE READ BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY READ THE BOOK OR SEEN THE MOVIE! WARNING!

I, like a lot of other people, read the novel this is based on, and I personally feel like it's one of the most faithful adaptations of Kings work to date. Everything about it (except for a few minor gripes) is fucking awesome! Sorry, it just is....

I have to start by saying that I am, in all honesty, not a big fan of the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining. I think that it's a great looking film and I really appreciate the aesthetics of it but I just can't see how ANYONE would go as far as to say that it's the "best film of all time" or even worse: "the scariest film of all time". The Shining never scared me.

I like the novel quite a lot, more so than the film, but even there, I can't say that I think that it's one of the best books by King. Doctor Sleep on the other hand is one of my favourite King novels to date so when I heard they were making a movie directed by Mike Flanagan I was incredibly excited, to say the very least.

I've been a huge fan of Mike Flanagan since I first saw Hush, which to me is as close to a perfect movie you can make within its genre. Everything about it was meticulously executed down to the tiniest of detail.

Flanagan then went on to direct a bunch of other movies including the NETFLIX film Before I Wake, starring Jacob Tremblay (who portrays the not so lucky No. 19, or "the baseball boy" in Doctor Sleep) before directing the Stephen King adaptation Gerald's Game, also for NETFLIX. Being that Gerald's Game garnered such critical acclaim for a direct-to-stream film, and one based on King, one would think that him directing another adaptation, and with a bigger budget; would be inevitable.

So here we are: Doctor Sleep, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name and on the Stanley Kubrick film: The Shining, loosely based on the novel of the same name.

Is it any good?

God yes!

There are countless scenes in this film that are absolutely fucking epic! Like the scene in which we see the True Knot's caravans travelling from one destination to another through a birds eye view. The combination of the jerky; jump-cut editing, the sound effects and the overall sound design in this scene is nothing short of exquisite. So cool!

Then there's the scene in which Rose the Hat visits with Abra and first finds out where she live. This is visualized as Rose levitating off the ground, taking off and flying over the clouds in a way that harkens back to Disney's Peter Pan before landing on the street outside of Abra's house at night. This is so fucking cool! Especially the part of the scene where Rose the Hat's bare feet touch down on the ground at the end. That gave me chills. So good!

The same could be said about all the encounters between Abra and Rose, whether it be the scene in the supermarket or the one in which Abra sets her trap; and of all the scenes featuring the True Knot. But it's not all about the set pieces either, all the stuff in between, like Danny's fight with alcoholism and his work with Azzie at the hospice: It's all so well done!

The cinematography in this film is stunning from beginning to end, so much so that is deserves an Academy Award nomination. The night shots are simply gorgeous! The lighting and blocking of a lot of the scenes in this film is perfect.

So why then, is it that this movie has a metascore of 59? For a lot of the critics it seams as though it has to do with the final 30 minutes or so of the 150 minute film. Yes, it is a bit long.

Anyway, here are my thoughts about the end:

I love everything about it up until the bar scene; How Danny slowly walks through the Overlook waking it up, finally arriving at the bar; realizing his father has indeed become a part of the hotel. Can't remember how the novel ended, but the Kubrick film left that part of it kinda ambiguous.

What follows is a bit of mix between elements from the Doctor sleep novel and newly written material by Flanagan and King, which I find hard to separate since it's been a while since I read the novel. But I don't remember reading about the ghosts of Danny's lock-boxes collectively jumping Rose the Hat. As I remember it it, the end of the novel was pretty small in scale. I vaguely remember the ghost/spirit of Jack Torrence helping out taking care of Rose. Here, I actually prefer the movie version.

Then there's Danny becoming possessed by the Overlook and coming after Abra with an axe, just like Jack after Danny and Wendy in Kubrick's The Shining.

Then there's Abra turning a corner and running into the Grady Twins, just like Danny in Kubrick's The Shining.

Then there's the recreation of the helicopter shots of a car travelling to the Overlook hotel, just like in Kubrick's The Shining.

I feel like there are too many scenes paying homage to a movie I don't really care that much for.

It ends with the Overlook burning (already burnt to the ground in the novel) and Danny dying inside embracing the ghost of his mother. I like this part of it, it does feel more fitting of an ending. In the novel Danny travels back to the hospice to help a guy who wasn't that nice to him pass away knowing there's an afterlife, which is sweet but rather boring in comparison.

Also, with Danny being dead and his spirit living on like Dick's did, that makes things come full circle.

Finally...

Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
*The amazing cast featuring a breakout performance by Kyliegh Curran who is everything I ever wanted in Abra. She manages to portray someone who is extremely powerful and bit cocky but still fragile and human at times. She's so good! Other noteworthy performances include Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat (her best performance to date?), Cliff Curtis as Billy, Zahn McClarnon as Crow Daddy and Emily Alyn Lind as Snakebite Andi.
* Masterful direction/editing by Flanagan.
* Impressive screenplay (minus some of the stuff at the very end)
* Stunning cinematography!!
* Great music and sound design! I Love the rhythmically thumping heartbeat!
* Not shying away from the disturbingly brutal ways in which the True Knot extract Steam from KIDS.
* Skipping the plot-line regarding the True Knot becoming sick with the measels. That was quite interesting in the novel, but it would have taken time explaining.
* The choice to leave the whole Uncle Dan really IS Uncle Dan plot-line in the novel out of the film.
* The slightly different but much improved upon cycling effect used when the True Knot members die.
* The look and overall depiction of the True Knot.

Cons:
* The obvious wigs worn by the actors playing young Danny and Jack Torrence. Might just be bad haircuts?
* Not enough of the creepy chanting.
* Abra's Force-throw of Crow Daddy's truck is a bit over-the-top.
* The annoying twins homage at the end.
* Having Danny become possessed by the Overlook just like Jack.
* The VFX work in the scene where the Overlook is burning.
* Slight pacing issues and overall running time.

Doctor Sleep is my favourite movie so far this year overtaking Joker and It: Chapter 2 on my list.
It's easily one the best "horror movies" of the year. It might not be all that scary, but it sure is scarier than The Shining. Hehe

9/10

Was that movie related to The Shning from Stanley Kubrick or was that a X-Men sequel?
It starts with that pub fight scene at the beginning, I'm quite sure I've seen a similar one with Wolverine at the begging of a X-Men movie, with the same "funny" takes. I wouldn't expect those in a movie related to The Shining, doesn't fit to the climax of the 80's Stanley Kubrick's classic.
Ok, I let it go... but then comes the rereading of the shine extrasensory gift, that Danny and the little girl transformed into a WhatsApp chat... I thought it would be only one or two messages exchanged, but the movie continues with that chat on the wall for a long time...
At one side there is Charles Xavier and Jean Grey interacting through a telekinesis WhatsApp chat on the wall and at the other Magneto recruiting new mutants to join his gang.
The costume of character Rose the Hat is certainly inspired by some X-men character... I could only see a villain similar to Magneto recruiting mutants, despite the beautiful Rebecca Ferguson playing the character.
And what about the special effect while Rose the Hat is extracting the new mutants' gift? The extrasensory gift is that smoke then? And you are able to store it into a bottle? Really?
The end in the hotel... where those ghosts inspired by Addams Family? I know those are the same ghosts characters from The Shinning, but the scene on the stairs I could only think on Addams Family characters, probably due to the way they were represented...
I really didn't like this movie. Perhaps if I watched it without relating to The Shining it could be only an average horror movie.

The problem here is that they made a sequel to the 1980 movie... and not a sequel to King's book.

And, let's be honest, as good as Stanley's film was, it really had little to do with Kings novel. Almost The Shining in name only. So many changes were made, right down to the theme, that it barely resembled the book.

So, when they made the sequel to the movie, and not the novel, a lot of the elements that made the Doctor Sleep compelling, a lot of the plot points, and a lot of the twists and turns that made the novel worth reading had to be changed in order to keep continuity with Kubrick's changes.

The result is really kind of a mess. So much of what Doctor Sleep was referenced back to The Shining, the novel, that trying to adapt the script to the Kubrick film was, honestly, a mistake.

In the end, it grasps at straws and never finds a footing, making Doctor Sleep even further removed from the story it was based on than Kubrick's film was... with far less talent directing it.

Partially satisfying "sequel" (of sorts) to the Shining with good performances from Ewan McGregor and Kyliegh Curran (while Rebecca Ferguson kind of hams it up, but still was fun as a villainous). However, the movie is far too long with probably 15-20 minutes that could've gotten the axe (so to speak), and the plot was The Shining meets X-Men with some Monsters Inc thrown in for good measure.

Didn't hate it at all, but not sure I have much desire to revisit, though I have to wonder what else they threw in there with the 3-hour long Director's Cut. **3.0/5**

Doctor Sleep may not diagnose you to the land of nod, but tediously drains your shining spirit. Director Mike Flanagan had an unfathomable task. To both adapt a Stephen King novel, which is no easy achievement considering his uniquely descriptive writing style, and provide a sequel to what many describe as “the greatest horror film of all-time”. Quenching the thirst of King’s avid readers and cinephiles alike. So even without divulging my own opinion on Doctor Sleep, applause must be given for just producing this feature. That, unfortunately for Flanagan, doesn’t result in myself excusing specific inexcusable filmmaking tendencies that taint, not just Doctor Sleep, but various decaying intellectual properties that have been unnecessarily drudged up again.

An alcoholic scarred Dan Torrance, having endured the irrevocable dangers of the Overlook Hotel (‘The Shining’), has his peace shattered when he encounters a young extrasensory girl whom is being hunted down by shine-draining monsters.

First and foremost, I have not read the novel, although this should not come as a surprise. I have however, watched ‘The Shining’ multiple times. Now, what promotes the aforementioned horror as the best of its kind, is legendary Stanley Kubrick using the essence of King’s novel and essentially making his own iteration of it. One that the renowned supernatural writer still, to this day, has mixed emotions for. So for Flanagan to introduce some faithful interpretations of Doctor Sleep, whilst maintaining the cinematic endeavour that Kubrick meticulously crafted, is as I said, unfathomable. And there’s a perfectly valid reason for that. The overtly supernatural strands of the novels do not complement the genesis of terror from Kubrick’s film. Which is why, with great regret, I have to report that Doctor Sleep does not work. It doesn’t.

A beastly behemoth that, whilst does stand on its own two legs, relies on heavy-handed storytelling techniques and nostalgia to tackle both mediums that inspired it. In tonality, they are irrefutably different from each other. But before the disappointing third act is tackled, let’s address some positives first.

Doctor Sleep is a shining example of depicting childhood trauma and how fragmented coping mechanisms are embedded throughout adulthood. Young Danny imaginatively designs mental traps so that he can hold the starving ghosts from the Overlook in captivity. Yet that wilful mentality does not prevent him from suffering with alcoholism, substance abuse and an insalubrious lifestyle that masquerades the trauma instead of curing it. Thematically, this is powerful, and grants the narrative a solid cohesion throughout. For the first two hours, you subconsciously warm to Danny due to the tormenting fears he has established throughout the two films. He’s a pillar of “the shining”. McGregor consistently captivated by depicting a fragile mentality through a physically demanding performance, maintaining the entranced demeanour of his younger character.

The first hour, that heavily explained “the shining” and the intentions of the merciless antagonists The True Knot, experienced inconsistent tones due to the mass sprawl of locational change. One minute we’re in a sleepy town, the next a woodland area, and then all of a sudden eight years have been and gone. The zippy nature of the editing and bloated exposition resulted in atmospheric terror being abolished. The tension was non-existent, and the imitation of Kubrick’s directing style paled in comparison.

Then, the second hour commenced, which is by far one of the strongest acts the year has yet to offer. Flanagan retained a surprisingly dark tone that, was so shocking, forced audience members to leave the auditorium. The mind-space of Abra, a precocious teenager who has “shine”, produced a transcendental imaginative battle against Rose the Hat, leader of The True Knot. Ferguson, who portrayed the primary antagonist, was sensational. Equalling the likes of Pennywise as one of the most enthralling King villains ever depicted. Sinister, unrelenting and bordering on near-lunacy. Controlling every scene from just her eyes alone, she enhanced the palpable tension. She made the second act. In fact, she made the film. The interjecting gore and darkness throughout the middling act abruptly astonished me, and settled for a direction that I thought would control the underwhelming first act.

The third act then arrives, and the entire story crumbles much like the Overlook itself. Plagued by an overshadowing sickness that ‘The Shining’ had produced. Nostalgia. Remember that time where Jack viciously chopped the bedroom door down with an axe? Or that moment where blood came hurtling through the hallways in slow motion? What about Room 237? The introductory swooping camera movement that Kubrick embraced whilst the Torrance’s drove to the hotel? The typewriter? Slowly walking up the stairs in a confrontational manner? The snow-covered hedge maze? The twins? No? You don’t remember? Flanagan has got you covered. Nostalgia is a powerful tool, yet it must be handled with delicacy. The difference between imitating and homaging is very fine, and unfortunately Flanagan settled for the former.

So much of ‘The Shining’ is replicated in the third act, scene for scene, that it was a near-identical copy without the textual substance that accompanied them originally. The re-casting of the original actors, despite Essoe bettering Duvall’s performance (although not difficult), felt unnecessary. Almost tarnishing ‘The Shining’ in itself. Danny walking through the dilapidated hallways for ten minutes whilst Flanagan incorporates identical sequences, had no purpose other than to forcefully remind you that this is the sequel. Literarily, it never progresses Danny’s character or the plot. Rose the Hat staring at the blood-spewing elevators? Pointless. Danny staring at an axe encased in glass? A suitable nod to its predecessor. Do you see the difference? Between imitation and homage? The third act was littered with falsified copies, preying on the nostalgia of fans. It’s uninspired. It’s mundane. And it made me a dull boy.

Creatively, Doctor Sleep managed to infuse the very best of its adapted novel and preceding feature, but embellished the very worst techniques when conveying the plot. Psychologically stimulating without installing dread. Extrasensory without testing the senses. Dimly shining amongst King’s supernatural adaptations.