THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
After Stephen King published the novel Doctor Sleep in 2013, many fans wondered if this sequel to The Shining would ever come to the big screen. Well, we were lucky enough for it to arrive in 2019.
PLOT
The film follows an adult Danny Torrance who has hit rock bottom: homeless and suffering from alcoholism. When he and his mother Wendy first escaped the Overlook Hotel, he buried the ghosts of the hotel in imaginary lockboxes. In 2011, he goes to Frasier, New Hampshire to restart his life. He also befriends with his new AA sponsor Billy, and works as a hospice orderly. Dan uses his powers to comfort dying patients. On the other hand, Rose the Hat and her cult ‘The True Knot’ are psychic vampires that feast off of kids who shine. In 2019, teenager Abra Stone, who can shine as well, senses them feasting on child Bradley Trevor, and Rose senses her too. Rose wants to use her as a cow, knowing that her shine is the strongest she's ever discovered, and if she has her, she can last much longer with just her. Abra meets Dan in person and explains that she can track them down once she recovers Trevor's glove. Dan refuses, but after encouraged by the ghost of Dick Hallorann, he eventually chooses to do so. He explains the situation to Billy and find the location of Trevor's remains, due to provided information by Abra, and they succeed in finding the glove. After tracking them, Abra tricks the True Knot by projecting herself at a local campsite. There, Dan and Billy are able to wipe out the cult but one of the members, Snakebite Andi (Emily Alyn Lind), is able to manipulate Billy to shoot himself before she dies as well. However, the remaining member Crow Daddy (Zahn McClarnon) is able to find, subdue and abduct Abra, killing her father David (Zackary Momoh) in the progress. She contacts Dan her location after she manipulated a car crash that killed Crow Daddy, in which she survived. All on her own, Rose will now go after her to get revenge. Knowing this, Dan takes Abra to the now abandoned Overlook Hotel, knowing it will be just as dangerous for Rose as it will be for them. When they arrive, Dan turns on the boiler of the building before Rose arrives. When she does, she tries to consume his shine but he releases the ghosts of the hotel from his boxes and they all consume her. However, they also possess him. The possessed Danny goes after Abra, but she is able to flee. He dies with the hotel as it burns down. The film ends in a time jump, sometime after this, showing Abra having reunited with her mother Lucy (Jocelin Donahue), box up the ghosts just like Danny did.
THOUGHTS
There were high expectations on making this novel adaptation due to how beloved the predecessor has been. 39 years apart, Director, Mike Flanagan, who had previously helmed another Stephen King adaptation named Gerald's Game, is able to pull off an impressive feat by making a standalone story that doesn't try too hard to be nostalgic. With this method, he is able to not only impress King who disliked The Shining, but also both sets of his fans that prefer either his books or their adaptations. He doesn't overdo his take on reminiscing by remaking the set pieces and using new actors for returning characters. Carl Lumbly was perfect as Dick who is able to mentor Danny as much as he could, nailing the essence that was left behind by Scatman Crothers. Alex Essoe was able to make the role of Wendy her own by reflecting the exact worry any mother would have after surviving such trauma, becoming genuine homage to Shelley Duvall in the process. As for Henry Thomas, he gives his own spin on depicting how crazy Jack Torrance was while also seeing him try to be manipulative in the same vein Lloyd was. If this novel and movie were published sooner, I wouldn't doubt Jack Nicholson making a homerun out of this the way Thomas does. If they just did de-aging like The Irishman, I highly doubt that it would work. In other aspects, this film still works for the genuine terror that is ensued through Michael Fimognari's captivating cinematography and a haunting score by the Newton Brothers. With essential elements, it becomes hard to not look away of all shown horror. What I think makes the whole thing work overall is depict an empowering tale of recovering from trauma and making it a strength instead of a weakness. It's a beautiful theme is incredibly captured through the central lead. As much as I wonder how it would've worked if Danny Lloyd returned to his childhood role, despite having a clever cameo watching Bradley’s ball game, Ewan McGregor was a worthy replacement who captures all the fear Danny Torrance has a hard time confronting. As a child, he felt ignoring it would make it go away, but it is his adulthood where he comes to understand that's not beneficial as much as he thinks it does. Step by step, he took the right path of inner healing by becoming sober and uses his powers to help the elderly find comfort in the afterlife as an orderly. He wasn't fully healed until he filled Dick's shoes as a mentor to the young Abra. Kyleigh Curran was spectacular as Stone who had her form of curiosity in a similar vein to what Danny felt in The Shining. He chooses to help her take down the True Knot because he doesn't want her to feel alone the way he was at her age. And in the process, he gets to become content with his life by returning to the Overlook and rejecting the temptation his father couldn't. Seeing him be able to do what he'd been longing to do, it's hard to not frown that death was what it took to be at peace yet still respect he achieved a personal achievement. And because of his selfless efforts to protect her, there is no doubt Abra will shine on with head up as she finishes what the Overlook started. King has written some of the most terrifying villains in fictional history and the True Knot should be looked at as a top tier kind because they're literally hungry for power and are willing to kill children to take their youth for themselves. Rebecca Ferguson was goddamn electric as Rose the Hate because she is the one who relishes the most with the innocent blood she sheds and although she sees the Knot as her family, she has her instances where she thinks more for herself before pursuing Abra on her own. And because the Knot were naturally loyal to one another for sharing the same goal, she felt unstoppable until being proven she wasn’t. Like I was shook over the death of Billy because Cliff Curtis made him a genuinely nice guy who enjoyed getting people back on their feet, hence being the best friend Danny can ask for, but I was more stunned over Brandon’s death. Hearing the screams of the young Jacob Tremblay will always get under the skin the death of a child is no joke. I’m already unsettled with the deaths that occurred in IT and A Quiet Place, but this one takes the cake in shocking child deaths onscreen. Again knowing the remorseless from Rose and the Knot makes it a gigantic relief that they get stopped before anyone else could be a victim. I think is film is gonna hold up in the same manner that The Shining already has, but there are still things that bothered me where I don’t think the extended cut fixes. Now it’s still scary that the True Knot target children, but it’s so easy for them when they do so. The first girl that was swept during the opening was taken in the midst of an open campground, whereas they isolated Brandon who was walking home on his own for unknown reasons. If they had a proper challenge before pursuing Abra, that would’ve been scarier. And how come Rose has never pursued Danny in his childhood? If he’s had the strongest of abilities before Abra, he’s basically the perfect prey. And how come there wasn’t a big disturbance within the shining if Abra was so powerful Rose wanted her? I mean she probably could’ve contacted Danny much more than she already was. I don’t buy nothing happened in her tween years. That even had me wonder why didn’t she try hitchhiking to Iowa if she wanted to be sure there was a body buried? If she was willing to do this to meet Danny later, I don’t see the reason to do the same much earlier. That’s weirder than Danny not being tended to the hospital after he collapsed. I also don’t see the point for the ghost of Dick to not help anymore after convincing him to help Abra. If he knows how dangerous the True Knot are, he should do whatever power he has to intervene. Now it was a smart fake out for Abra to project herself in the woods where Danny & Billy face the Knot, but why does he open & close the door? We’re supposed to be surprised, but he had no reason to do it if the Knot hadn’t arrived yet. It’s also out of pocket that Dan doesn’t wait until Abra wakes up to go to Colorado. It doesn’t feel right going somewhere without telling your friend in advance. The biggest continuity error I’d have to admit about the Overlook goes to Danny seeing the same bedroom where Jack attacks the door with the axe. He axed both upper panels in The Shining, only to show one being destroyed by the time we get a closeup. The Shining had this same issue and they could’ve fixed it but they failed big time. And honestly, I feel like Rose should’ve consumed her remaining shine-steam after arriving at the Overlook because it’s like it had to have worn off by the time she got there. Ignore this, then you’ll still appreciate everything else that makes this movie work as a whole. In conclusion, Doctor Sleep is an incredible sequel for having the right balance of playing the hits while still being its own story. If you’re a Stephen King fan that has high praise for The Shining, whether the novel or its adaptations, I hope you enjoy this as well.
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