Can a movie serve both as a sequel to a classic film while at the same time distancing itself from that movie enough to be a faithful adaptation of a novel? “Doctor Sleep” is the latest film to be adapted from a Stephen King novel. The novel is a sequel to his classic novel “The Shining” which Stanley Kubrick adapted into a classic horror film. The problem “Doctor Sleep” faced was that Stephen King hated the film version of “The Shining” because of the liberties it took with his source material. Can the sequel manage to bridge the book and the film successfully together?
The film tells the story of Danny Torrance as he grows up dealing with the trauma he experienced as a child with “the shining” at the Overlook hotel. He is still haunted by the ghosts of the hotel and learns to deal with them by boxing them up. As an adult, Danny has turned to alcoholism in order to mute his gifts. He decides to stop drinking for eight years and begins to form a psychic pen pal relationship with a young girl named Abra. Abra lives a peaceful life until a cult of “shiners” become aware of her and seek her out to feed on her energy. Danny decides to protect her from the cult and takes her to the one place they might be able to have a fair fight, the Overlook hotel.
Let me start by saying that this film probably shouldn’t work but it somehow does. The film manages to honor both the work of Stephen King and the late Stanley Kubrick in a very satisfying way while still being it’s own movie. It also goes a long way to explain certain aspects of “The Shining” that were left deliberately vague. These answers help expand the world of “The Shining” and “Doctor Sleep”.
The film has an excellent cast led by Ewan McGregor as the adult version of Danny Torrance. McGregor is able to convey a feeling of post traumatic stress disorder masterfully. McGregor’s Danny Torrance is a lost soul just trying to find his place in the world. Rebecca Ferguson is wonderful as Rose the Hat, the leader of the evil cult. She brings a menacing sense of superiority to her performance that I really enjoyed. Newcomer Kyliegh Curran was a real breakthrough as Abra Stone. I expect big things for her soon. Lastly, (SPOILER WARNING) Henry Thomas takes over the role of Jack Torrance from Jack Nicholson and I have mixed feeling about the portrayal. He looked enough like Nicholson to pull it off, he just didn’t sound much like him which is my one complaint.
Mike Flanagan wrote, edited, and directed this film and he did a stellar job with his work behind the camera. There were shots that felt very much like Stanley Kubrick’s style but a bulk of the film felt very much like an episode of “The Haunting of Hill House” as well. If I had one complaint about the movie, it’s that it’s pacing slowed down a bit midway through the film and it felt almost like two different films (the last act taking place at the Overlook hotel felt very different to the rest of the movie to me).
“Doctor Sleep” is an entertaining followup to “The Shining” and I would be curious to see if it’s legacy lasts as long as it’s predecessor’s legacy has. This is definitely one of the better and more faithful follow ups to be released based on a classic film recently. I would definitely recommend seeing this if you are a fan of Stephen King or “The Shining”.
Grade: B+
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