Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep

Avoid this movie at all costs if you're a fan of the original The Shinning... If you're a fan of Stephen Kings drug induced crap, you know, the fictitious drivel, that qualifies as a book nowadays, then I guess you will waste you're money on this no matter what. Rose the hat? Is that supposed to scare anyone? Really?

Let me first say that I dozed off at least 30 time to only be shocked awake by the ridiculous cheap music cues. Every thing meant to be scary was met with loud sound cues. Even the turning on florescent light would wake the dead. Being in the industry these sort of jump scares are so overdone here. How many more films do we need to see using a loud heart beat as a scare devise. The sadism here is so over the top ,especially where children are concerned. The torture and killing of the young boy was so pornographic. Stanley Kubrick is probably turning over in his grave over this TRAVESTY.This director is one to avoid in my future. Even the production design was bad.

What a surprise... That wasn't so bad actually! Now, hear me out. When I first saw the previews for this I felt disappointed by the visual look of the film, as it was all too green-tinted and lacked the Kubrick-esque framing I want from a film like this (it being a sequel to "The Shining" after all). Remember, I care too much about the visual aesthetics of these things sometimes. Especially when it was clearly supposed to connect right to the iconic classic. The green tint stays throughout the film, much to my displeasure. Worked great in "Joker" though. But once I got what the story was and paid attention I realized I was getting invested. This is a different type of film while still remembering to pay huge amounts of respect to the legacy of the original. Once you do get to the elements that carry over from Kubrick's film it felt well earned. Interestingly enough they kind of blend well together too eventually. We delve into the supernatural aspects of what Stephen King was going after in his book, and that's completely fine. I don't mind a chilling spookie once in a while. Recently I've felt done with most of the modern day horror film tropes, so it's such a shock for me to say that I had a good time with "Doctor Sleep". The progression of where Danny Torrance's character goes to is a natural right step. They go for the 'father like son' kind of thing, and I was completely onboard with it. The ghost of Jack Nicholson's presence looms strongly over the story too, with Danny fearing not to follow his father's footsteps. The new story elements were able to grab my attention as well. Again, as soon as it clicked what type of plot/movie this was, then it worked. It's its own thing, and that's great. No "Shining" remake - except for some re-created imagery (handled with nice respect) - But most importantly: The story and characters moved forwards. Loved what they did with the character Rose the Hat. What a sinister yet oddly charming antagonist portrayed hypnotically by Rebecca Ferguson. Hope she gets the deserved credit. Ewan McGregor will always be Obi-Wan to me, but he was a fantastic choice to play Danny. He can convincingly make me believe that he's got the 'shine'. It surprises me how positive I feel about the movie! It's a neat little companion piece to the classic. Again, big props for them to go for their own thing. This is no "Force Awakens", if you know what I mean. You'll walk though memory lane here for sure. The difference is that it doesn't rely on the nostalgia to tell their story. It actually stands on its own. I'll say that if you're a big fan of the original, then it's worth taking a looksie

Major spoiler in here, you've been warned. The first 3/4 of the movie were incredible. Excellent directing and excellent acting. It kept you completely engaged. Kyliegh Curran was the standout and you'll definitely be seeing more of her. They did a great job of making you absolutely hate The True Knot. They were some of the most evil, vile villains I've ever seen in a movie. One part in particular where they kidnap a young boy was very difficult to watch. The movie falls a little flat in the third act when they arrive at the Overlook. It started to feel like one of those made-for-Youtube fan made sequels. I get that they had to reference the movie since more people are familiar with it than the novel, but they could've just done it with brief flashbacks. And the decision to not use cgi to bring back Jack was a bad one. It looked like Henry Thomas with a bad baldman cap. But all in all it was a very enjoyable movie, much better than IT 2.

Yep. This movie turned into complete schlock for me. The acting was...meh, and the story was nearly off the rails. There was no character development past the 20 minute mark, no interesting ideas explored, and overall was little more than a fan service sequel with scene after scene going 'Hey, do you remember this part from The Shining?'

If you are going into this film expecting it to be a straight up sequel to the Kubrick film with the same horror tone, you'll be disappointed, however if you have an open mind, this movie is very well directed and acted and the story is very compelling. This is more of a fantasy thriller than a horror film and I really like that about this film. It also does quite a bit of homage to the 1980 film, but takes it into a new and interesting direction with a deep underlying theme direct from Steven King.

The ever-beautiful Rebecca Ferguson and a favorite from the Fargo series, Zahn McClarnon team up to bring us some somewhat scary, but more so eerie/creepy moments in this adaptation of King's Doctor Sleep. For the most part, and with the help of Ewan McGregor who plays an alcoholic, grown-up version of The Shining's Danny Torrence, they pull it off. While Doctor Sleep is a rather drawn-out and, mostly, slowish-moving film, it still has enough to it, to not lose one's attention. The story-line is solid and engaging, although those unfamiliar with the book and looking for outright horror and gore, will find little satisfaction. There are a couple of scenes which can be construed as "horrific", but in my opinion, Doctor Sleep is not really a "horror flick" by definition. To me, it is more like an intense drama about good vs evil, with a couple of well-done 'end-of-life' scenes thrown in. :) What I most enjoyed about it, is that in this day and age where practically every story ever has already been made into a movie, this one's plot was just a bit off the beaten path and came across as slightly new and original in its approach, while still pretty seamlessly tying it in to the well-known classic: The Shining. If I had to add one con, it would be a somewhat minor one, in that, at times, the girl who plays Abra (Kyliegh Curran), who also possesses 'the shining', and who can communicate with Danny, delivers her lines in almost a stone-like manner, and at other times as if she is rapidly reading. It occurred one too many times, and I found that it took me out of the movie for just a bit. While good, the scenes leading up to the ending are a bit predictable, and the 'showdown' (remember, good vs. evil) leaves a little to be desired. For the most part, however, I can live with it, seeing as Rebecca Ferguson saves it by just being in it, and King and the creators do their best to come full circle. In short, like the entire film itself, it is satisfying-enough to where one can feel as if watching it, was time well spent.

Almost four decades ago, Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" not only terrorized audiences, but also sparked plenty of unique reflection and analysis on its remarkable use of suspense as both a cinematic device and a tool for fostering character development of its protagonist, Jack Torrance. The film's impeccable attention to detail has also ensured that it is still studied and well-respected today. As a huge fan of the Kubrick film as well as Ewan McGregor, I was really excited for "Doctor Sleep," but unfortunately, I found it to be a huge letdown. The plot of this sequel centers around an adult Danny Torrance (McGregor,) working in a clinic in New England while also trying to deal with a severe drinking problem. He must work to defeat an evil cult called the True Knot, led by "Rose the Hat," after a 12-year-old girl who also has the powers of "the shining" gets in its crosshairs. I was never expecting this film to top the genius of Kubrick, but Mike Flanagan seems like a talented director who wanted to really honor the source material, so I was hoping for it to at least try to be meaningful. The first major problem with the film is its tedium. While the pace of "The Shining" was slow, it was slow in a great way, as in "slow-burn to build up maximum suspense and dramatic tension." On the other hand, "Doctor Sleep" just feels tedious. Large stretches of the film pass by with virtually no keyp lot or character development not explored in other scenes, and the film feels repetitive and like it's going nowhere after a while until we get close to the climax. The film also lacks the genuine suspense and tension of the original, since this tediousness impedes on any sense of impending dread. I also feel that the more sprawling narrative of this story as opposed to "The Shining" may have been somewhat detrimental to its sense of tension. It also lacks the psychological fear of "The Shining." Even though the True Knot and its followers are creepy, attempts to build up a real sense of terror around them generally fall flat. Ewan McGregor tried his best, but his performance is unfortunately rather bland and very limited in range. The only real positive of the movie is that it's fun to see the Overlook Hotel again, but the climax still doesn't feel fully satisfying. Not recommended. 4/10

It makes sense that Stephen King was more happy about this film than the original. Tonally and aesthetically it has more in common with 'It' and the recent crappy sequel than Kubrick's film. In other words, it looks like most of King's writing reads - CGI laden pop-ghoul fantasy for tweens. It follows Danny as a middle-aged man plagued by horrific memories of The Overlook hotel, who discovers others with the gift of 'the shining', and those who would use it with nefarious intent... In my opinion, Kubrick's direction greatly elevated the source material of The Shining and gave it a psychological gravity and intense foreboding that is just not present in Doctor Sleep, where the simplistic dialogue, snappy pacing, bright colour palette and over-used CGI effects made me feel like I was watching an episode of Supernatural, but with a bigger budget, Goosebumps, but with cuss words and gore. If The Shining could be criticized for being too vague and open-ended, then Doctor Sleep is guilty of infantilizing its audience with wide-eyed 'here comes the aeroplane' spoon-feeding. Characters finish every sentence by spelling out exactly what they're feeling and what they plan to do. There's no room for the audience to use their brains, or interpret things at any stage. One can argue that it is wrong and unfair to compare the two films given the uniqueness of Kubrick's vision, but Doctor Sleep invites these comparisons by constantly referencing The Shining in flashbacks, in musical motif and by also relying on much of Kubrick's imagery to pedal its cheap scares. In the finale, The Overlook hotel is revisited, but the manner in which this happens turns the entire thing into a crass theme park ride, with familiar ghosts popping up here and there like cardboard cutouts waiting to be knocked down with pellet gun. There is also a ridiculous 'Buffy-esque' fight sequence where a supernaturally charged Rebecca Ferguson takes out an axe-wielding Ewen McGregor with martial arts. It's risible stuff.