Doctor Sleep Review - A Charming Horror That Suceeds & Shines

"The Shining" is considered a classic amongst many horror fans and labeled as one of the most influential films for the genre for years to come. For myself, it is my personal favorite horror film and one of my favorite films of all time. So when the announcement of a follow-up came about, particularly adapting the book that continued the story while also following up "The Shining", I was very concerned going in. Enter "Doctor Sleep".

As established, "Doctor Sleep" is the latest Stephen King adaptation that follows up the book and film adaptation of "The Shining"; following the character of Danny Torrance now all grown up who now struggling to find purpose. However once a young girl who also possesses the ability to shine enters Danny's life, he now finds himself protecting her from the forces of darkness that are on the hunt for her shine.

Like I said, I was very concerned going into this film because of my huge amount of love for the original and the thought of producing a sequel was both an exciting and scary prospect.

Now seeing the film, I can now say that I'm very happy with what I saw. This is a very entertaining and fun horror. The greatest achievement this film gains is its tone, which is a nice blend of both bright and fun scares with points of nostalgia. Its first two acts very rarely rely on nostalgia, which is absolutely relieving. It holds its own and acts on tones of more mainstream horror than its predecessor which relied more on its physiological nature than anything else.

The cast all around is great. Ewan McGregor provides all the mannerisms and expressions that match an adult version of this character. You can see hints of Jack Torrance lying under the surface. Rebecca Ferguson is the standout of the entire film. Her villainous role was both creepy and oddly charming. The little girl also holds her own and never relies on the adults for her to be appealing.

The flaw that the film has is in its third act. Now, I like the third act in general. Without giving anything away, this is where the nostalgia comes to the forefront...and perhaps a bit too much. Its third act, while admittedly lots of fun, does overstate its welcome with presenting the nostalgic points. Narratively, I feel that the third act could have been more spread out or perhaps just flat out remove some of its nostalgic moments.

Other than that, this is a very good follow up to "The Shining". Mike Flanagan has proven to be the best filmmaker to tackle Stephen King's stories and makes me more excited to see what he does next whether another adaptation or something fresh and new.

"Doctor Sleep" Grade: B+