Doctor Sleep Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs
The Shining sequel does King and Kubrick proud.
Just in time for Halloween, the adaptation of the sequel to Stephen King's The Shining, Doctor Sleep, has begun its international rollout, and fans will be relieved to know that writer-director Mike Flanagan has delivered both a worthy adaptation of King's novel and a fitting successor to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 movie.
Critics have broadly praised the film so far, and while it doesn't even begin to meet the richly atmospheric highs of Kubrick's original, it is a respectful follow-up which knows when to dole out the fan service and when to cast it aside.
It's easy to imagine the popcorn-munching crowd complaining that the film is too slow and restrained, but if you're craving a thoughtful post-script to The Shining, this delivers the eerie, achingly humanistic goods more often than not.
If not an essential continuation, Doctor Sleep more than justifies its existence and has clearly been brought to the big screen with a ton of heart and care.
Belated sequels are always a tough nut to crack, especially with Kubrick's lead to follow, but in doing so Flanagan has confidently re-affirmed himself as one of the genre's top filmmakers working today...