Doctor Sleep

This review may contain spoilers!

This is probably as perfect a sequel to The Shining as one could hope for. I would give Doctor Sleep an 8.5/10.

Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of Stephen King's sequel to The Shining; it also frames itself as a loose sequel to the original film as well. Doctor Sleep brings reunites us with Dan Torrance, now an adult, as he grapples with alcoholism and the horrors brought on by his 'shine'. As Dan manages to make things right for himself he finds himself bound to Abra, a young girl with incredibly strong powers who is being hunted by vampiric immortals known as The True Knot. As a sequel I think this was a brilliant character study and got to show us the world Stephen King had built through these two novels. The horror/fantasy element is very well handled and watching how Dan has escaped the evil of the Overlook Hotel since his childhood years is really interesting. The way those who 'shine' are depicted is quite fascinating as well, you see a variety of powers and the ways in which they emerge throughout this film and that is offset by the horrific nature of the cult-like antagonists hunting them. I think what impressed me most about the narrative was how Dan Torrance was examined as a character. When we meet him as an adult in the film he seems like a shell of a person, addled by alcoholism, drug use and getting into random violent fights. The film feels a journey about how Dan finds his way back to sobriety and the good nature that is at the heart of his role; it's a really interesting point of divergence from Dan's father Jack, who attempted to get clean at the Overlook and was instead corrupted by the entities there. Having found himself clean and renewed with purpose Dan begins getting contacted by Abra which launches them both into a large conflict to save her from those that would feast upon her shine. By taking on a mentor role to this young girl Dan is stepping up into a greater area of responsibility, just as Dick Hallorann was a guide and protector for Dan when he was a child. Inevitably all parties are brought together at the Overlook and Dan must face his greatest demons in order to save Abra; this is personified in what is the film's crowning scene, a dialogue between Dan and the cursed spirit of his father Jack. There's a lot to say about this scene but all I want to note is that it's right up there as one of the best cinematic scenes I've had the pleasure of watching this year. The cinematography throughout is a clever blend of homage and captivating ingenuity; there were some shots that really took you back to The Shining and some that I feel should make this film have a status all its own. The visual effects were phenomenal, I liked the design for how the True Knot fed and I was also really impressed with how they did scenes like Rose the Hat mentally tracking down Abra. The score for the film is haunting and melodic, yet has it's own melancholy reflective tone that I think captured the heart of the film.

Rebecca Ferguson, who played Rose The Hat, hasn't had a role this absolutely phenomenal in a short while; Ferguson is this calculating, hungry antagonist that teaches you exactly who to be afraid of throughout the feature. Kyliegh Curran, who played Abra Stone, has to be one of the best young talents I've seen in a film this year; Curran is staggering as this highly confident powerful kid and shows an expressive range consistently. Cliff Curtis, who played Billy Freeman, is a really charismatic good-natured role that is impossible to dislike; his loyalty and bond with McGregor make this duo an onscreen friendship that is remarkably likeable. Zahn McClarnon, who played Crow Daddy, is a very calm, level-headed antagonist who frames nicely against Ferguson's Rose; I liked McClarnon in particular because he wasn't preternaturally bloodthirsty as some of the True Knot were, he was strategic in how he plotted his kidnapping and murder which made for a good villain. Emily Alyn Lind, who played Snakebite Andi, is a really interesting performance into corruption; Alyn Lind first presents Andi as a young woman doing something questionably good and from there is dragged into the world of the True Knot and twisted into becoming a bloodthirsty killer. Carl Lumbly, who played Dick Hallorann, is perfect as Dan's mentor and conscience throughout the film; Lumbly's almost spiritual perspective on delivering exposition about the shining is phenomenal line delivery. Thomas Downing, who played The Bartender/Jack Torrance, has to be one of the driving forces behind one of my favourite scenes of the film; Downing did for this role what Nicholson did back in the original Shining while crafting a good foil for McGregor to play against. Bruce Greenwood, who played Dr John, is an admittedly minor role in this film but a kind character and important in Dan's early journey; Greenwood delivers a sense of quiet understanding and compassion that allows Dan to find his way back to embracing his shine as a good thing once again. Alex Essoe and Roger Dale Floyd, who played Wendy Torrance and Young Danny, made me feel like I was stepping back into a time machine and watching The Shining all over again; Essoe in particular had that soft, protective composure that so famously marked the role of Wendy. Jacob Tremblay, who played Bradley Trevor, is another great performer in a smaller role that really leaves you with an impression; Tremblay gives the best portrayal of blind terror you'll see from a kid of this age as he's strung up and murdered.

However, the best performance came from Ewan McGregor, who played Dan Torrance. I couldn't call this incredible sequel a character piece without high praising the actor portraying the character himself. McGregor goes to great pains to show Dan as a very tortured soul at first, he's haunted by the memories from his childhood and fallen into some of the abusive habits his father partook in. This role is almost pleading to get well and find purpose separate from his shine and when he begins to discover that we get this really joyful moment of clarity. McGregror gets to play to Dan discovering how his shine can be of assistance to others, using his position as an orderly at a hospice to help the elderly there who need him. This calling continues to extend as Dan reluctantly becomes a mentor to Abra and has to put aside his own fears in service of his charge. The journey Dan goes through from dejected and alone, to good and compassionate is a powerful one and really comes together nicely when he faces all that has ever challenged him when he returns to the Overlook in order to save Abra's life.

This film did stumble through exposition at times, I think for the most part the explanation of what was supernatural really worked but Doctor Sleep couldn't escape a few overly lengthy or cheesy moments born of this error. The introduction at the start of the film that followed closely on the heels of The Shining went for a little long as well, it was clear they had a lot to establish but it meant the film had a slow start. The editing for the film was impressive in terms of visual effects but the cutting together of the piece left a lot to be desired. The slow fades and abrupt cuts felt decades old and it really interrupted the flow of the piece at times.

Zackary Momoh and Jocelin Donahue, who played David Stone and Lucy Stone, are some of the only members of the cast who don't really seem as certain on how to get the best from their roles; what you wind up getting from this pair is a pretty stereotypical portrayal of parental figures in a supernatural feature.