Doctor Sleep is a faithful adaptation and respectful sequel to both the novel of the same name and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
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If you have seen The Shining, did you ever stop to wonder, “what happened to little boy Torrance?” As far as we know, him and his mother both survived his father’s wrath but what happened after?
Almost four decades after being introduced to Danny Torrance, he is back on the silver screen again in Doctor Sleep, only this time, he’s all grown up and played by Ewan McGregor.
Doctor Sleep is first and foremost an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, but it is also a respectful sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Director Mike Flanagan, best known for his work in the horror genre, made sure to honour both King and Kubrick with his version of Doctor Sleep and the result is a seamless tribute piece that services fans both old and new.
The film revolves around Dan Torrance who is all grown up and is an alcoholic just like his father, a young girl named Abra (Kyliegh Curran) who has the ‘Shining’ like Dan does, and a cult called the True Knot led by Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), a group of hunters who feed on children with powers for a longer life. Flanagan’s trademark of putting his characters in focus is apparent in this film as it starts off with a slow burn, taking awhile to introduce the characters to us before their stories intersect. When that begins to happen, the film kicks off and the thrill truly begins.
Turns out, Abra is very powerful and has been in telepathic contact with Dan, putting her on the True Knot’s radar. Dan reluctantly gives in to his Shine to help Abra elude the dangerous cult. This all ends on a high note when we’re taken back to the Overlook Hotel once again.
Bringing back the iconic hotel was a tricky feat that Mike Flanagan and his team has successfully achieved. Sure, we’ve seen that done in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One when he recreated a whole sequence but Flanagan’s revisiting was a whole lot more intricate and true to the original than ever. It was almost as if the exact same set was used!
Doctor Sleep may be categorised as a horror film, but it’s actually more supernatural thriller than anything. Don’t let the ‘horror’ brand scare you away just yet. If you could sit through The Shining, then you’re bound to survive this one. It’s also peppered with Easter eggs that fans of Stephen King and Kubrick's film would appreciate.
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