By Dr.LoveGore
Director: Mike Flanagan
Writers: Stephen King (based on the novel by), Mike Flanagan (screenplay)
Stars: Rebecca Ferguson, Ewan McGregor, Carel Struycken
Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrance meets a young girl with similar powers as his and tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
To start off, I'd like to say I haven't read the book 'Doctor Sleep' so I'm judging this movie on its own merits.
Very Minor Spoilers
The Story
Going in blind to this movie is something I'm very happy I did. I had zero expectations and just wanted to be entertained.
The movie opens as a literal sequel to 'The Shining' (1980). The detail was immaculate even though it was obvious I was staring at different actors than the 1980 film. But, the actors who took over for young Danny Torrance (Roger Dale Floyd) and his mom Wendy (Alex Essoe) were believable in their mannerisms and even their spoken words.
As the film transitions into modern day times with an adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) the movie's tone shifts a bit, but appropriately so. I dug it.
'Doctor Sleep' introduces its antagonists very early on as well, and there's a sense that these are not nice people, even before anything bad happens. So the threat of danger is prominent from the get-go.
I'd also like to point out that a lot of this story took place on the east coast, a good chunk of it in New Hampshire. Being from New England, myself, I have to say that the accents were spot-on. I highly respected that.
The ending was satisfying even if predictable. The over two-and-a-half-hour runtime was welcome. 'Doctor Sleep' held my attention the entire time.
Directing
Not that it should be a surprise, but Mike Flanagan cracked this one out of the park. He chose intense and sometimes simple camera angles, but they always smoothly worked. The look of the movie is shiny (there was no pun intended initially when I wrote that, fuck it, now there is) and the visual FX are remarkable. I clap for your directing style Mr. Flanagan.
Acting
There were three standouts to me in this film. First, was Rose (Rebecca Ferguson). Her presence is threatening. She doesn't look like a monster, she just has an expression that she gives other characters that lets them know she's above their food chain. I love when an actor/actress steps on-screen and changes the mood in the theatre without saying a word. That's a powerful performer.
Second, is Abra (Kyliegh Curran). I can't say she upstaged Rebecca Ferguson, but when their two characters were on-screen together, it was a fuckin blast!!! I loved the interactions with these two. There is one scene I won't spoil that had the audience in the theatre get really loud... and I mean that in a good way.
As much as Ewan McGregor did a really solid job playing adult Danny Torrance, the third standout to me was Crow Daddy (Zahn McClarnon). He didn't seem too intriguing at first, he definitely showed his range by the time the movie ended, though.
Horror
The Horror hits hard in this movie. There's a death scene that's really disturbing in the way it plays out. I'm not gonna give it away, but damn, it was hard to watch. I felt bad for the helpless victim. I mean, this is a Horror movie, though. And scenes like the one I'm mentioning reminds us that things can be pretty fucked up in this world. But, that's what a good Horror film does... it horrifies its audience, and 'Doctor Sleep' succeeds on this level, too.
Score (Music)
The score was smooth as it felt very natural with what was playing out on the screen. Nothing takes me out of a movie more than a mismatched piece of music that doesn't click with the material it's married to. Once again though, Mike Flanagan knew what to go for with the eerie sounds he chose to accompany his movie.
Gore
I wasn't sure what to expect gore-wise with 'Doctor Sleep' but the goodies were delivered on time. In-betwixt the tension and great acting were healthy slivers of violence that (almost) every character who met their demise deserved. I noticed a beard hair of noticeable CGI during one bit of gore, but then again, it wasn't super easy to spot, I just look hard for that type of stuff.
Conclusion
'Doctor Sleep' is now officially my favorite Horror film of 2019. This is the type of movie I've been waiting for all year: Strong acting; interesting storyline; A+ directing; appetite whetting gore, and an ending that felt good enough to make what came before it, worth it.
I say, whether you like Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' or not, Mike Flanagan's 'Doctor Sleep' should be a good time at the theatre for any Horror fan.
Rating 9/10
TRAILER
Dr.LoveGore is all about the gore, and quality in anything related to Horror. Movies, soundtracks, comic books, novels, you name it, he loves it!
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