'Doctor Sleep' Movie Review
by: Joshua Jackson
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran
Synopsis: Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
Mike Flanagan has delivered another feat moody, suspenseful masterpiece in Doctor Sleep. A revival of the 40-year-old story in "The Shining", we focus on Dan Torrance (McGregor) who is continually troubled by the events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel as a child.
Fighting to deal with his shine (his extrasensory powers), Dan turns to hard drugs and alcoholism. After nearing rock-bottom, he winds up in a small New Hampshire town and is befriended by Billy (Cliff Curtis) and begins the long journey of turning his life around. He cuts the alcohol and drugs and becomes an orderly at a local hospice, where he is awarded the title of "Doctor Sleep", which is explained later in the film as Dan's ability to see people as they reach the end of their days reaching out and calming those of their fears regarding death. He finally achieved some semblance of peace, free from drink and drug abuse.
His hope for a tranquil existence soon becomes smashed when he meets Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the shine. What starts as a harmless communication between the two, chatting via the medium of a chalkboard, is turned on its head when Abra is discovered by a nomadic troop of soul-devouring predators calling themselves the True Knot, led by the lethal Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson). Knowing the absolute danger that follows, Dan leaps into action to prevent Abra from enduring destruction (and trauma) similar to his.
Despite years of hard work to suppress his abilities, Dan will need to be the apex of his shine if he has any chance to defeat Rose the Hat and The True Knot - leading him to the one place he has longed to escape from, the Overlook Hotel.
"Doctor Sleep" is one of the best sequels I have seen, full stop. While the movie isn't as consistently ghastly as its predecessor, Flanagan delivers a depth of human emotional investment (and payoff), that is perfectly paced.
McGregor stands as a beacon of emotion as complicated as anyone could expect, given his background, conveying guilt, regret and at the same time immense strength. The addition of Curran gave me pause, as the role was so pivotal, but she delivers in a way a seasoned actress would, displaying the resolve of someone 15 years her senior. Ferguson absolutely steals the show, bringing to the screen a chilling, ancient evil that burrows its way into your psyche.
If you are on the fence for this film, chalking it up to another "Hollywood nostalgia" gambit, you'd be dead wrong. Director Flanagan delivers in a way that is so impactful, further developing the source material but paying homage to the original themes present in the 2013 novel of the same name. The score is so incredibly suspenseful and cutting; the visual aesthetic and editing further develop the story in a way that words cannot."Doctor Sleep" is more than your typical fantasy horror film. It stands as a beacon of tension, suspense, and emotional cinema.
