Review by RCR entertainment reporter, Eric Szymanski, follow him on Twitter at @ecmanski
There are sequels one anticipates and then there is this. Doctor Sleep is the continuation of Danny Torrance’s story years after the events of 1980’s Stanley Kubrick masterpiece The Shining. Does Doctor Sleep deliver and satisfy fans? I can answer that with a resounding yes. Director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game) masterfully brings Stephen King’s follow up novel to the screen giving it the same tone Kubrick established 39 years ago. Yes, 39 years ago! Has there ever been that much time fans had to wait for a sequel? Either way, this film was worth the wait.
The film opens in 1980. Aside from a few familiar characters and settings, we’re introduced to Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) and her band of “steam searching” followers called The True Knot. This is a group that is constantly on the hunt for those that shine like Danny. It gives them purpose and offers them immortality. So essentially, they’re a band of soul suckers. Cut to 2011 where we see what has become of Danny Torrance. A lost soul struggling with substance abuse drifting from town to town. He settles in New Hampshire where he becomes a caretaker for the sick and dying channeling his power to shine to help those passing on. This is the meaning behind the title Doctor Sleep. It’s at his time he meets Abra Stone, a young girl with a similar power to shine. It becomes Danny’s mission to protect her from The True Knot who have become aware of her existence and is hot on her trail.
Not to give away anything, I can tell you that Shining fans are in for a treat. There are Easter eggs aplenty here. You’re going to hear a familiar heartbeat throughout the soundtrack and eagle-eye viewers will surely pick up on certain familiar shots and set pieces throughout the film’s 151-minute runtime. The director understands the source material. Flanagan didn’t simply make a film littered with fan service but when we get it, the execution is brilliant. Interesting choices are made in resurrecting old characters. We don’t really see a lot of CGI use or any of the de-aging tricks frequently used these days in film. I have to say though, it worked for me. I was able to overlook (pun intended) this and be transported right back to the Overlook as if it were a party there in 1980. And it turns out to be a who’s who once Danny and Abra finally make it to the infamous Colorado hotel. You’ll be giddy sitting in your seat. Trust me.
Is Doctor Sleep as good as The Shining? No. Is it a worthy follow up to one of the most beloved horror movies ever made? Yes. Wonderfully acted, masterfully directed with a story that works, I strongly recommend this film to fans. In fact, I can’t wait to see it again. Probably should plan on that soon because as we know, all work and no play makes Jack……
5/5 ⭐️
“Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep” Only in Theaters November 8
About Doctor Sleep
“Doctor Sleep” continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and newcomer Kyliegh Curran star in the supernatural thriller, directed by Mike Flanagan, from his own screenplay based upon the novel by Stephen King.
Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the “shine.” Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality.
Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.
“Doctor Sleep” stars Ewan McGregor (“Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III,” “T2 Trainspotting”) as Dan Torrance, Rebecca Ferguson (the “Mission: Impossible” films, “The Greatest Showman”) as Rose the Hat, and Kyliegh Curran, in her major feature film debut, as Abra. The main ensemble cast also includes Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe and Cliff Curtis.
Trevor Macy and Jon Berg produced the film, with Roy Lee, Scott Lumpkin, Akiva Goldsman and Kevin McCormick serving as executive producers.
Flanagan’s behind-the-scene creative team was led by director of photography Michael Fimognari (“The Haunting of Hill House”), production designers Maher Ahmad (“Get Hard”) and Elizabeth Boller (“Hush”), and costume designer Terry Anderson (“Den of Thieves”). The music score is composed by The Newton Brothers (“The Haunting of Hill House”).
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, An Intrepid Pictures/Vertigo Entertainment Production, A Mike Flanagan Film, “Doctor Sleep.” Slated for release in North America on November 8, 2019, and globally beginning on October 30, 2019, “Doctor Sleep” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
