Doctor Sleep is apparently a cinematic awakening.
After attending an exclusive screening for the latest Stephen King adaptation ahead of
its November release, critics have flooded Twitter with their thoughts on Doctor Sleep.
So far, reactions are extraordinarily positive.
A sequel to King's seminal novel The Shining, which was itself adapted into a classic film
by Stanley Kubrick in 1980, director Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep follows an adult Danny
Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor.
The grown up Danny is revealed to still be haunted by his childhood ability known as
the "shining," which induces visions and other psychic happenings.
Though he desperately wants to live a normal life and establish some sort of peace for
himself, Danny is still traumatized by what happened to him as a child at The Shining's
haunted Overlook Hotel.
Things only get more complicated when he meets children who share his special gift, namely
a girl named Abra, who asks for Danny's protection against cult leader Rose the Hat, and her
underlings.
His fears have never been greater, but Danny knows he must do everything in his power to
protect Abra and other children with the "shine" from forces of evil.
"I only met two or three people like us.
They died."
Before we get to how the critics feel about Doctor Sleep, we should reveal what the most
important reviewer has to say.
Stephen King himself took to Twitter to share his unfiltered feelings toward Doctor Sleep
and his reaction was totally positive.
Praising the big-screen adaptation of his 2013 novel, King called Doctor Sleep an immersive
experience, and commended director Flanagan for his storytelling skills.
King tweeted:
"DOCTOR SLEEP: Mike Flanagan is a talented director, but he's also an excellent storyteller.
The movie is a good thing.
You'll like this if you liked THE SHINING, but you'll also like it if you liked SHAWSHANK."
King is no stranger to adaptations of his work, but this is high praise coming from
the author, who famously disliked Kubrick's take on The Shining.
In fact, King infamously compared the film which he called "cold" to a, quote, "big,
beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it."
Now, onto the critics who have no personal stake in the worlds of The Shining and its
successor Doctor Sleep.
The Daily Dead News' Heather Wixson had nothing but praise for Doctor Sleep, tweeting:
"It's been a great [year] for Stephen King adaptations but I think DoctorSleep is the
best of the bunch.
Thrilled me in ways I wasn't expecting, made me emotional at times & Rebecca Ferguson is
ferocious.
What a wonderful celebration of Kubrick, King & [Flanagan's] career as well."
CinemaBlend's senior film critic Eric Eisenberg was also all in on Doctor Sleep which is saying
something considering he's a self-proclaimed Shining fanatic, King diehard, and Mike Flanagan
enthusiast.
Eisenberg tweeted:
"As a huge fan of Kubrick's The Shining, King's books & Mike Flanagan, I'm giddy that Doctor
Sleep is seriously GREAT.
It's an excellent & faithful adaptation that makes smart changes especially melding the
'80 film & the sequel book and the casting/performances are phenomenal."
Jacob Hall, managing editor at Slashfilm, also adored the movie.
He wrote in a tweet:
"DOCTOR SLEEP: The boldest choice here is that Mike Flanagan doesn't even try to do
Kubrick.
He makes a Mike Flanagan movie: spooky, emotional, ultimately optimistic.
Not only a sequel to THE SHINING, but a response to it, an attempt to reconcile King and Kubrick.
Loved it."
The performances in Doctor Sleep are also highlighted by critics, including ComicBook.com's
Brandon Davis.
He tweeted:
"Fans of TheShining are really gonna love DoctorSleep.
It's at its best when [it's] fueled by follow-up.
Starts slowly and descends into madness, just like its predecessor.
One specific scene is really horrifying, some solid scares, and good performances across
the board."
Though the vast majority of critics can't say enough good things about Doctor Sleep,
one didn't feel completely blown away by it.
Yes, I Do Love Movies! creator John Duarte admitted in a tweet that he was a bit underwhelmed
by the film.
He tweeted:
"DoctorSleep is a good movie but didn't WOW me like writer/director Mike Flanagan's previous
work."
Overall, though, it looks like fans of Stephen King's novel and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining
need not worry: Flanagan, his cast, and his crew have apparently created a sequel that
does justice to both its source material and its cinematic predecessor.
Doctor Sleep arrives in theaters on November 8.
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