I had high hopes for this movie after seeing the trailer - yet it exceeded my expectations. I'd easily rate this a 10 out of 10.
This is a story-driven horror film just brimming with blackly creative ideas and weird world-building - I haven't read Stephen King's source material, but I feel certain this was a loving adaptation of the 2013 novel. It is also genuinely touching at times. (I was trying to explain to a dear friend recently about how King's work can surprise the uninitiated - the monsters and devils typically occupy only a portion of his imaginary landscapes. The remainder is inhabited by good people who are bravely doing the right thing.)
All of the movie's story elements are painted vibrantly by Mike Flanagan's beautiful screenwriting and nightmarishly trippy directing. The film's action and often incongruously bright visuals are reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's visions in "The Shining" (1980), to which this film is truly a worthy successor. (Flanagan was the director and screenwriter for last year's fantastic "The Haunting of Hill House." The qualities that you loved about the Netflix show can also be found in "Doctor Sleep" - in some ways, they are very similar stories.)
Rebecca Ferguson is mesmerizing as the story's antagonist, Kyliegh Curran is pitch perfect as the young anti-hero, and Ewan McGregor is predictably terrific.
The only quibbles I had were minor - there was one plot device (presumably from the novel) that didn't translate well to the screen. It concerns how the bad guys replenish themselves ... I'll bet it worked well in King's prose, but it seemed corny and cliche when visualized on film.
You could also argue that "Doctor Sleep's" constant references to "The Shining" were pretty heavy-handed. But that didn't bother me too much ... I arrived at the conclusion that "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" were really two halves of an epic supernatural road trip. Your mileage may vary.
One final caveat - this film does portray violence against children. It isn't extremely graphic, but it's still especially disturbing. (It technically isn't gratuitous, I suppose, because there is an in-universe reason why Ferguson's tribe of villains targets the young.)
This is easily the best horror film that I've seen in years. Go see it.
This is a story-driven horror film just brimming with blackly creative ideas and weird world-building - I haven't read Stephen King's source material, but I feel certain this was a loving adaptation of the 2013 novel. It is also genuinely touching at times. (I was trying to explain to a dear friend recently about how King's work can surprise the uninitiated - the monsters and devils typically occupy only a portion of his imaginary landscapes. The remainder is inhabited by good people who are bravely doing the right thing.)
All of the movie's story elements are painted vibrantly by Mike Flanagan's beautiful screenwriting and nightmarishly trippy directing. The film's action and often incongruously bright visuals are reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's visions in "The Shining" (1980), to which this film is truly a worthy successor. (Flanagan was the director and screenwriter for last year's fantastic "The Haunting of Hill House." The qualities that you loved about the Netflix show can also be found in "Doctor Sleep" - in some ways, they are very similar stories.)
Rebecca Ferguson is mesmerizing as the story's antagonist, Kyliegh Curran is pitch perfect as the young anti-hero, and Ewan McGregor is predictably terrific.
The only quibbles I had were minor - there was one plot device (presumably from the novel) that didn't translate well to the screen. It concerns how the bad guys replenish themselves ... I'll bet it worked well in King's prose, but it seemed corny and cliche when visualized on film.
You could also argue that "Doctor Sleep's" constant references to "The Shining" were pretty heavy-handed. But that didn't bother me too much ... I arrived at the conclusion that "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" were really two halves of an epic supernatural road trip. Your mileage may vary.
One final caveat - this film does portray violence against children. It isn't extremely graphic, but it's still especially disturbing. (It technically isn't gratuitous, I suppose, because there is an in-universe reason why Ferguson's tribe of villains targets the young.)
This is easily the best horror film that I've seen in years. Go see it.