Doctor Sleep

It deserves a good rating because besides its slightly average story(imo), they still managed to make me watch the full 3 hours in one sitting without feeling bored for a minute and enjoying it. Good camera work too.

If you are going into this film expecting it to be a straight up sequel to the Kubrick film with the same horror tone, you'll be disappointed, however if you have an open mind, this movie is very well directed and acted and the story is very compelling. This is more of a fantasy thriller than a horror film and I really like that about this film. It also does quite a bit of homage to the 1980 film, but takes it into a new and interesting direction with a deep underlying theme direct from Steven King.

Finally got to see my most anticipated film of the year and I'm happy to tell you it's everything I wished for and more. Flanagan has done an amazing job adapting the book from Stephen King and giving lovers of the Kubrick film adaptation of "The Shining" (1980) a cinematic sequel. Now i read the book and while I enjoyed it for the most part, I found parts of it underwhelming. I feel in this film adaptation, Flanagan takes elements from the novel and manages to make them more darker and serious which in turn really helped address some issues I had with the book. He does make some serious changes though and while I embraced them I'm not sure how others who read the book will feel about them. "The Shining" (1980) to me and I'm sure a lot of you, is a masterpiece in filmmaking. I for one prefer it over the novel and with this film, it most certainly feels like a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's version and a love letter to that film. The last 30 mins or so are absolutely amazing and kudos to Flanagan for pulling it off. Ewan McGregor does a great job as an adult Danny Torrance and Rebecca Ferguson captivates as Rose the Hat. The film sets a great tone with some stunning visuals and the score completely grabs you. How much you enjoy this film really depends on what you want out of it. There's practically no gore here and no cheap jump scares. What you'll get though is expert filmmaking from someone who you can tell really loves the source material he's pulling it all in from. Everything struck a balance for me that I was tremendously pleased with, top horror film of the year.

Danny Torrance (from "The Shining") is a grown-up alcoholic adult (Ewan McGregor) that has fought his demons along his life and used his abilities to lock them up in boxes in his brain. He joins an AA group, moves to another town and befriends Billy Freeman (Cliff Curtis). Meanwhile a dangerous group of predator creatures led by Rose The Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) hunt down people that "shine" like Danny to feed with their steam and remain immortal. When Dan knows the powerful girl Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran), he decides to protect her from the predators.

"Doctor Sleep" is a dramatic fantasy film that uses the adult life of Danny Torrance from Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece "The Shining" in a full of action story that slightly recalls "Near Dark". Rebecca Ferguson and her costumes with the hat is gorgeous and stylish. If the viewer expects a sequel of "The Shining" of even a horror movie, he or she will be disappointed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Doutor Sono" ("Doctor Sleep")

Note: On 23 December 2024, I saw this film again.

This is easily one of the better film adaptations of a Stephen King novel, and also one of the better films I've seen this year. Yet again, professional film critics have proven they mostly have no idea about the cinema of the fantastic (fantasy, SF, and horror). If you're a fan of the genre, you'll love this film - ignore the critics.