Wright or Wrong: Doctor Sleep

Sequel to what is perhaps the most iconic Stephen King work not to center on an interdimensional alien demon clown, "Doctor Sleep" follows Danny Torrance growing up in the wake of the trauma he endured at the Overlook Hotel and coping with those issues in unhealthy ways typified by human beings that won't get counseling for their demons.

Ewan McGregor as Danny Torrance in “Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Jessica Miglio

After setting upon the path of recovery, finding friends and embracing his psychic gift to comfort the dying of an elderly hospice, Danny must use his newfound security to muster up the courage to throw himself back into danger in order to save a young girl from a group of similarly powered and functionally immortal psychics that use their gifts to feed on children like them to survive.

The film adaptation of "Doctor Sleep" stands in an interesting position, having to reconcile the difference between the film adaptation of "The Shining" and the novel that it's based on in order to really make the tragedy of its protagonist's family drama really work. For those who aren't in the know, that difference primarily comes down to Danny's father Jack being portrayed as embracing his spiral into madness in the film version as opposed to the more sympathetic addict struggling but failing to tame his demons from the book. The end result is a surprisingly in depth and nuanced examination on the ways that trauma impact us long after the inciting incident has occurred, in a way that kind of makes me retroactively enjoy "It: Chapter 2" substantially less.

(L-r) Kyliegh Curran as Abra Stone and Rebecca Ferguson as Rose The Hat in “Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

"Doctor Sleep" is certainly flawed in the same way that a lot of adaptations of Stephen King's work tends to be rough around the edges; a sagging second act that makes the movie feel a tad longer than it should be, along with indulging in a lot of ideas that can fall to the wayside in favor of developing the concepts and themes associated with its core premise. 

Additionally, the split perspectives between Dan and his struggles to better himself, Abra Stone, his would-be protege coming into her own with her abilities, and the Manson Family-esque villains leaves a bit to be desired.

The villains come across as substantially less developed; the Hippy commune vibe and distinct performances go a long way towards injecting them with some real character but ultimately they fall substantially flat given the escalating heinous nature of their actions throughout the movie. Having said that, director Mike Flanagan's knack for turning horror into opportunities to study character's in depth shines through, as the journey to watch Dan learn to embrace the power that has brought him so much pain in order to take away the pain from others never ceases to be compelling or visually engaging.

Rebecca Ferguson as Rose The Hat in “Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

From getting a view of the twisted version of himself that could have come to be without a proper moral fiber in place to the recklessness that could have darkly enhanced his path of self destruction had he not been scared into having respect for his gifts, every new turn of the story is a deep dive into the psyche of a trauma victim in recovery that's learning how to accept their pain rather than reject it, complete with a brilliantly rewarding climax that stops just short enough of being full blown fan pandering to the film/book preceding it to carry some truly impactful thematic weight.

"Doctor Sleep" isn't without its unpolished territories but for a two and a half hour film to be firing on all cylinders often enough to make its running time not feel like a hindrance to repeat viewing is the sign of great filmmaking, strong storytelling, and one of the best King adaptations ever brought to the big screen

4 out of 5