Nearly 40 years after Stanley Kubrick made us all afraid of hotels in his masterful adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining, we’re returning to the Overlook Hotel again. Doctor Sleep, King’s 2013 sequel to his horror classic, has been adapted into a feature film by Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game), which has the unenviable task of following up Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece. So, does it live up to the legacy of The Shining?
The Doctor Sleep early buzz is out for the horror sequel starring Ewan McGregor as an older Dan Torrance, following him decades after he and his mother were nearly killed by his father, driven mad by their stay at the isolated Overlook Hotel. Here is what critics have to say about Doctor Sleep.
/Film’s Jacob Hall and Chris Evangelista were among those lucky enough to see Doctor Sleep early, and they were divided over whether Flanagan was successful in his follow-up to a daunting classic like The Shining, and whether the director should have forged his own route or stuck by King’s book.
When I interviewed Flanagan, he made it clear that he knows some of the film's choices will divide people. And yes, there are elements I struggled with. But when DOCTOR SLEEP works, which is most of the time, it *works*. It's a far better depiction of King's voice than IT.
— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) October 25, 2019
#DoctorSleep works best when it's sticking to Stephen King's novel. The moment it starts trying to recreate elements of Kubrick's SHINING, it stumbles a bit. Still, Flanagan nails the emotional elements (no surprise there). And Rebecca Ferguson owns the entire movie.
— Chris EvangelistAHHH!!! (@cevangelista413) October 25, 2019
A few other reactions agreed with Jacob, praising Doctor Sleep as one of the best Stephen King adaptations yet.
#DoctorSleep is another trauma-fuelled emotional horror from Flanagan that made me ugly cry in public. Understandably shakes up the book quite a bit, but keeps King's heart right where it needs to be. Where does one sign up for Rebecca Ferguson's cult? Asking for a friend. pic.twitter.com/Jfs2FggiPf
— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) October 25, 2019
#DoctorSleep is The Shining sequel King fans have been waiting for. Kyliegh Curran is a star in the making & Rebecca Ferguson is downright terrifying. Flanagan beautifully meshes Danny Torrance's haunting past w/ the now present, resulting in the best King adaptation of the year pic.twitter.com/g3iEOt7iyG
— Samhain ?? (@shannon_mcgrew) October 25, 2019
It’s been a great yr for Stephen King adaptations but I think #DoctorSleep is the best of the bunch. Thrilled me in ways I wasn’t expecting, made me emotional at times & Rebecca Ferguson is ferocious. What a wonderful celebration of Kubrick, King & @flanaganfilm’s career as well. pic.twitter.com/jQ8ktEeUVE
— Heatherface Wixson (@thehorrorchick) October 25, 2019
Those who go into it not familiar with the book should know Doctor Sleep is a totally different kind of story than The Shining, but doing its own thing it is a fantastic expansion of the world and themes. #DoctorSleepMovie
— Evil Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) October 25, 2019
Doctor Sleep is the best Stephen King adaption since Shawshank Redemption. Mike Flanagan has perfectly combined nostalgia with tension, mystery, and suspense. The entire cast is superb. There are a number of surprises that will make King fans squeal with delight. #DoctorSleep pic.twitter.com/PhSDm6EZsZ
— Scott Menzel (@TheOtherScottM) October 25, 2019
Doctor Sleep is a deeply affecting film that serves as a tense, and ultimately successful, sequel to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
It didn't quite have me in its grips from start to finish, but it will stick with me for quite some time. pic.twitter.com/orYRbjhJWD
— Colin Stevens (@ColinDStevens) October 25, 2019
With #DoctorSleepMovie, Mike Flanagan delivers the best parts of Kubrick and King in one movie.
It made me feel silly for wanting to step back into The Overlook, instead of stepping forward from The Shining with Danny.
Rebecca is an instant icon, and Ewan completely nails it. pic.twitter.com/7Szfq2iRlG
— Andrew Dyce (@andrewbdyce) October 25, 2019
However, a few more came down on the film harshly, criticizing its attempts to recreate the most iconic moments of The Shining.
DOCTOR SLEEP is a shallow, soulless, karaoke rendition of THE SHINING: the tone’s flat, the notes falter and the drunk dude singing has been left on for far too long. The final act is a drab evocation of Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus—with performances out of a porn parody. Nah. https://t.co/U7uvKA2YU2
— Jack King (@_jarking) October 25, 2019
#DoctorSleep is pleasantly surprising, with noteworthy performances especially from Kyliegh Curran as Abra. Although the film does lean into self-referential The Shining references a bit too much for my taste, it is one of the more cohesive Stephen King adaptations.
— Scare-a Musn-icky ? (@sarahmusnicky) October 25, 2019
Doctor Sleep is so boring! It is an hour too long! It uses all The Shining imagery but adds unnecessary exposition and has no good scare ideas!
— Hannah Woodhead (@goodjobliz) October 25, 2019
But divided some may have been on whether the film worked, the reactions were unanimous in praising Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the villain of the film.
Doctor Sleep will likely give The Shining fans everything they'd want from a sequel (and some things they probably didn't). #RebeccaFerguson is wonderful and it all looks utterly gorgeous, but it's not perfect and needs more memorable scares. #DoctorSleepMovie pic.twitter.com/M2jomtq8eE
— Digital Spy (@digitalspy) October 25, 2019
In DOCTOR SLEEP, which I quite liked, Rebecca Ferguson's truly evil villain has a crustpunk carnie aesthetic and let me tell you…it works
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) October 25, 2019
Critics and fans seem divided on Doctor Sleep, which some are praising as one of the best Stephen King adaptations yet, and others criticizing it as a poor recreation of The Shining. While the performances by Ferguson and newcomer Curran are being praised, many of the other elements received mixed reactions.
Doctor Sleep stars Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe, and Cliff Curtis.
Doctor Sleep opens November 8, 2019.
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.
The post ‘Doctor Sleep’ Early Buzz: Critics Are Mostly Warm on Mike Flanagan’s Sequel to ‘The Shining’ appeared first on /Film.