Netflix Has Unleashed “One of the Best” Stephen King Films Ever Made — Don’t Miss It
There have been so many excellent adaptations of Stephen King’s work that the list of the “best” among them runs long. Carrie sparked horror’s love affair with telekinesis. The Shawshank Redemption was nominated for seven (!) Oscars, including Best Picture. The Shining has appeared on various “scariest of all time” lists. Ask anyone what the greatest King film of the last decade is, though, and there’s a good chance they’ll refer you to Doctor Sleep.
Doctor Sleep may not have done gangbusters at the box office, but director Mike Flanagan still managed the impossible. With his sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, he did what no one thought he could. He managed to pay tribute to the 1980 film King hated, while crafting an adaptation that felt true to the heart of the author’s work. A miracle of a feat that has garnered the picture well-earned praise.
What’s Doctor Sleep About?
Based on King’s novel of the same name, we catch up with Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor), all grown up now. Though his body has aged, his mind still dwells in The Overlook Hotel, haunted by the events that occurred there. The trauma has pushed him towards the same alcoholism that destroyed his father. Desperate to avoid becoming the man he feared, Dan sets himself on the path to recovery. And then he learns of Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a young girl with a shine more powerful than Dan has ever encountered, including within himself. A group of energy sucking vampires led by Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) has noticed Abra as well. Only Dan can help the girl, propelling him onto a path that will take him back to the place of his nightmares that still hungers for him.
A Film that Truly Shines
Doctor Sleep, er, shines, in a way that Kubrick’s The Shining never comes close to…it beats with the heart of Stephen King’s storytelling. The 1980 film no doubt deserves the label of “terrifying,” but it lacks the human warmth found in any King tale. Not the case here. Thanks in part to McGregor’s sincere performance, Flanagan invites the audience into a comforting conversation about death. While Rose and her followers are willing to brutally murder children for a taste of immortality, Dan assures patients in a rest home that there’s nothing to fear from dying. We go on, he tells them. To balance such a heartfelt tone with horrific scenes of violence against kids…few filmmakers are more capable in that regard than Flanagan.
In delivering an adaptation more true to King’s work, Flanagan doesn’t shut out fans of Kubrick’s The Shining, either. Quite the opposite. Frame to frame, Flanagan expresses a deep admiration for the 1980 film. The tense, atmospheric heartbeat of The Shining can be heard all throughout. Shots from the original are homaged beautifully. And Flanagan even manages to painstakingly recreate The Overlook Hotel through blueprints acquired by Kubrick’s estate. Top to bottom, it’s a gorgeous film, bristling with passion.
What Others Are Saying
Alyse Wax wrote in her Dread Central review of Doctor Sleep that, “It’s not quite a sequel; not quite a stand-alone; and certainly not a reboot. Regardless of what you call it, it is an excellent film, one of the best in the Stephen King oeuvre.”
“Best” means something different to everyone. But if you’re in the mood for a Stephen King adaptation that’s true to the humanity of the author’s work while also delivering plenty of seat-gripping scares, Doctor Sleep gets the job done better than most. Stream it now on Netflix and shine on, friend.
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