Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep

Rated:	R
Starring:	Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind.
Director:	Mike Flanagan
Genre:	Drama \| Fantasy \| Horror \| Thriller
DVD Release Date: 02/04/2020

Tagline: The World will Shine Again.

Sequel to The shining.

Doctor Sleep forsakes the elemental terror of its predecessor for a more contemplative sequel that balances poignant themes against spine-tingling chills.

Storyline: On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless-mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and tween Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death. Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep." Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. Written by Stephen King

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Randy Miller III, January 30, 2020 Putting aside the whole "why bother?" argument, Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep is one of those perfect storms that, due to its history, lives inside a figurative mine field of potential fan backlash in two different mediums. Although based on Stephen King's much-anticipated sequel to 1977's The Shining, those less familiar with the books might be expecting a direct follow-up to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror masterpiece...which King hated so much that he wrote a made-for-TV mini-series 17 years later. Add up all those unique elements and you've got a powder keg of fan expectations and very little room for compromise, so I wouldn't blame anyone for approaching Doctor Sleep with extreme caution.

That's what I did, and even with my expectations in check it was hard to fully appreciate the end result...yet Doctor Sleep still stands out as a memorable and good-intentioned sequel that almost equals more than the sum of its parts. Our main story follows the continued adventures of one Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor as an adult, Roger Dale Floyd as a child), now a struggling alcoholic who moves to New Hampshire in a continued attempt to run from his inner demons and suppressed "gift". Frequent visits from the ghost of Dick O'Halloran (Carl Lumbly) help Dan literally put his bad memories in a mental box, while other support comes from new friend Billy Freeman (Cliff Curtis). Story B follows The True Knot, a roaming cult that feeds on young children with apparent psychic abilities. Led by Rosie the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), The True Knot soon senses the presence of Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran as a teenager, Dakota Hickman as a child), whose powers are so great that they hunt the girl down in an attempt to literally suck her spirit dry.

These stories eventually converge once Abra's telepathic thoughts reach Dan and her threatening pursuers goad him into action. The dead-end destination for both parties is The Overlook Hotel, which has been left to rot for some 30 years but still contains all the spiritual energy from Dan's traumatic youth. Along the way, we're treated to a number of physical and mental traps that play out as shrewd chess moves -- like Inception, but actually easy to follow. The film is also decorated with plenty of nostalgic window dressing, from generally decent flashbacks to heavier fan service that more or less re-creates about a dozen sets and moments from Stanley Kubrick's film. These "decorations" range from organic to eye-rolling, but one thing's for sure: Doctor Sleep wants to please everyone and won't, although anyone who keeps this in mind will find Doctor Sleep to be anything but a waste of 150 (or 180) minutes. It's rarely dull and only disappoints when lazily reaching for the low-hanging fruit of Xerox nostalgia like Steven Spielberg's underwhelming Ready Player One. Somewhere in the middle lie the performances of lookalike -- or sometimes soundalike -- versions of familiar characters including Wendy Torrance (Alex Essoe), Dick O'Halloran, and even Jack Torrance (Henry Thomas of E.T. fame); while serviceable enough, they so closely attempt to imitate Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Jack Nicholson that I hope they original actors -- or their families -- received some sort of residual payment.

Full disclosure: my first viewing of Doctor Sleep was via the Director's Cut, presented as a strong selling point of both this Blu-ray edition and the separately available 4K package. When viewed back-to-back with the shorter theatrical version, this 180-minute behemoth at least massages a few pacing issues and enjoys a smoother, more refined level of momentum from start to finish. Divided into six chapters, it can't help but feel more literary and even-handed in its overall presentation and, thanks to support from Warner Bros., is presented as a full-fledged alternate experience with completed visual effects, new soundtrack cues, and of course more character moments...as well as a few trims along the way. (More information is available here, including a statement from director Mike Flanagan.) Assembled during post-production alongside the theatrical cut, it feels like anything but a simple afterthought and, for many, will be the definitive version of Doctor Sleep. Don't get me wrong: there are still fundamental problems that remain...but it's safe to say that if you really liked the theatrical cut, you'll probably enjoy this version even more.

Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition of Doctor Sleep presents both cuts of the film on separate discs in 1080p format. As expected, it's a great-looking (and sounding) release with absolutely top-tier A/V treatment including an enveloping Dolby Atmox mix that ranks among the best I've heard in recent memory. While the bonus features are a little slim on paper, it's understandable considering the amount of work put into the "extra" version included here. Bottom line: if you've seen and enjoyed Doctor Sleep already, you'll get more than your money's worth.

For those hung up on stars: This review's "Movie" score reflects my rating for the preferred Director's Cut, with the theatrical version scoring slightly lower. Their combined average would be closer to 3.5/5.

Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep was doomed to disappoint at least part of its target audience, and in some ways the film's reach slightly exceeds its grasp. Fan service also borders on excessive, which extends to familiar "flashback" faces that eerily imitate their Kubrick counterparts. That said, the ambitious scope and general avoidance of typical horror clichés (or at least jump scares) all work in its favor, and even the 180-minute Director's Cut rarely drags from start to finish. It all adds up to a admirable but not wholly impressive production...even though, yes, it could have been much worse. Let's call it a slow-burning film that might get better on repeat viewings, no matter if you favor the theatrical version or the longer Director's Cut (both included here). Warner Bros.' excellent Blu-ray also has an outstanding A/V presentation and a few decent bonus features, making this a solid overall package that's well worth looking into.

[CSW]-4.2- A good sequel to The Shining even though the time lapse is a bit long to challenge the memory of fans with a sequel 40 years afterwards. Though you don't really need to see the original to make sense of this one, you just may want to catch all the visual references to the original movie. This sequel manages to encapsulate the brooding dread of the original, while continuing on with its own story. It is a really good horror movie, smarter than a lot of other modern films in this category and it introduced a new twist to this genre. For me it would have been perfect if Jack Nicholson could have played Jack Torrance in this movie. I thought that Rebecca Ferguson (Rose the Hat) and Kyliegh Curran (Abra) did a fantastic job! The film also manages to tidy up some of the loose ends of the original. The pacing was perfect, I never had 2 1/2 hours go by so fast. I commend the director, Mike Flanagan, for pulling off this difficult task. I think a prequel is in order on the history of the hotel.
[Show Spoiler]

Cast Notes:
Ewan McGregor (Dan Torrance),
Rebecca Ferguson (Rose The Hat),
Kyliegh Curran (Abra Stone),
Cliff Curtis (Billy Freeman),
Zahn McClarnon (Crow Daddy),
Emily Alyn Lind (Snakebite Andi),
Selena Anduze (Apron Annie),
Robert Longstreet (Barry the Chunk),
Carel Struycken (Grampa Flick),
Catherine Parker (Silent Sarey),
James Flanagan (Diesel Doug),
Met Clark (Short Eddie),
Zackary Momoh (David Stone),
Jocelin Donahue (Lucy Stone),
Dakota Hickman (Young Abra).

IMDb Rating (08/09/09): 8.5/10 from 151,921 users Top 250: #52

Additional information

2019, Warner Bros.

Features:

Doctor Sleep arrives in a two-disc keepcase with the Theatrical and Director's Cuts on separate Blu-rays, along with a Digital Copy redemption code and matching slipcover. All extras below are included on the Theatrical Cut disc.

From Shining to Sleep (4:56) - Director Mike Flanagan and author Stephen King talk about the challenges of continuing a modern classic, differences between the two novels, Stanley Kubrick's movie, ending with fire and ice, resurrecting some of the original book's themes, and merging two (or three?) worlds.

The Making of Doctor Sleep: A New Vision (13:57) - Flanagan and King -- along with actor Ewan McGregor, producer Trevor Macy, actresses Kyliegh Curran and Rachel Ferguson, costume designer Terry Anderson, and others -- return to speak about the film's development, sending the script to King, continuing Danny Torrance's story, bringing literary characters to life, casting Abra, finding Rose's hat, The True Knot, and more.

Return to The Overlook (14:59) - Mike Flanagan -- with more of the usual suspects, as well as a few new ones -- speaks more about his first exposure to Kubrick's film on VHS, rebuilding and tearing down the iconic Overlook Hotel, production design highlights, hunting down a few vintage props, a quick set tour, casting familiar characters with different actors, makeup effects, frivolous nudity, and imitation vs. homage.

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Video:

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:

ENGLISH: Dolby Atmos
ENGLISH: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
PORTUGUESE: Dolby Digital 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
FRENCH (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1

Time:

3:00

DVD:

# Discs: 2 -- # Shows: 2

ASIN:

B07XN4DTXX

UPC:

883929698837

Coding:

[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC

D-Box:

Other:

Producers: Jon Berg, Akiva Goldsman, Stephen King, Roy Lee, D. Scott Lumpkin, Trevor Macy; Writers: Stephen King, Akiva Goldsman, Mike Flanagan; Directors: Mike Flanagan; running time of 180 minutes Director's Cut, 155 minutes Theatrical Cut; Packaging: Slipcover in original pressing.
IMDb Rating (02/06/20): 7.5/10 from 64,365 users