Those that read the reviews here on Blazing Minds will have seen my recent review of the 4K Restoration of The Shining that was shown at my local Cineworld cinema, the other night I finally got the chance to see the sequel, Doctor Sleep starring Ewan McGregor.
It’s been many years since the incident at The Overlook Hotel, where the young Danny Torrance witnessed the horror and terror that dwells in the hotel back in the 80s, the experience certainly made its mark on Danny and now he’s grown and is fighting the demons of drink and trying to keep his life together, but there is something out there, a group of travellers known as The True Knot are looking for children with the “Shine” to take their “Steam”, a mist that is released when the children are tortured, the “Steam” gives The True Knot extended life and they are hungry for more!
Doctor Sleep takes us back to the young Danny (Roger Dale Floyd) and his mother Wendy (Alex Essoe) after the nightmare at The Shining, Danny still speaks with Hallorann (Carl Lumbly) and tries to keep the “Shine” hidden.
We jump ahead a few years and now the older Danny (Ewan McGregor) and he is desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence, Dan finally settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that helps him with at least some of his demons, he finds a job at a nursing home where he uses his “shining” to comfort the dying before they pass on. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.” Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone who has a “shine” that is second to none, a power that The True Knot will not give up on having!
Doctor Sleep Heads Back To The Overlook Hotel
I’m a big fan of Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining and although Stephen King wasn’t happy with Kubrick’s adaptation of his book, it is great to see that Doctor Sleep which is adapted from King’s book of the same name, uses Kubrick’s vision to bring the sequel to life, several scenes from The Shining are re-shot with the Danny (Roger Dale Floyd) and his mother Wendy (Alex Essoe), I have to say that Essoe looks and sound good and is a good replacement for Shelly Duvall from the original 1980 movie.
From the moment Doctor Sleep started I was glued to it, the opening Warner Bros logo is the old one as seen in The Shining and even that classic theme from the 1980 movie is there to set us on the path that this is indeed a sequel.
The cast is brilliant, Ewan McGregor is perfect as the older Danny, Rebecca Ferguson was such a good movie villain and one that when you see her performance you jus love to hate her character, but in the same light you love her performance. The re-casting of actors for the characters in The Shining sections are great and work very well. Doctor Sleep also has a cameo from the original Danny Torrence (Danny Lloyd) as a spectator.
Look out for some great cinemaphotography and the use of some of the scenes that have been pulled directly from The Shining for Doctor Sleep, remember the aerial shot of the water and the island in the 1980 movie, that’s been degraded and digitally recoloured to make the day into night and also had snow added, now that’s dedication to the source material.
The Overlook Hotel is wonderfully recreated in its degraded state after almost 40 years, from the look of the corridors, the Gold Room and of course the room where Danny and his parents stayed when Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gave us that line of cinema gold “Here’s Johnny!”
Director Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game) has done a brilliant job not just directing Doctor Sleep but also on the screenplay for the movie, the atmosphere throughout the movie is one that makes it an enjoyable film to watch and 2h 31m running time didn’t drag at all.
Doctor Sleep – 10 Minute Preview
Warner Bros has released a 10-minute preview of Doctor Sleep, check it out below.
If you love The Shining then Doctor Sleep is the movie you don’t want to miss on the big screen, grab the chance while you can. Grab the film on Blu-Ray (which includes the Director’s Cut) from the 9th March 2020.
The world's a hungry place. A dark place
Movie title: Doctor Sleep
Movie description: Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrance meets a young girl with similar powers as he tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
Date published: November 10, 2019
Duration: 2h 31m
Author: Stephen King
Director(s): Mike Flanagan
Actor(s): Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
