Actors: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca
Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis
Rating: 8 out of 10, I was excited to
see what the filmmakers would do with this sequel to The Shining after enjoying
the book so much. It’s excellent. They pick up the story of Danny, the kid
driving the hotwheels through the hallway forty years later. He’s still haunted
by his childhood adventures with mom, dad and room 237 resulting in severe
alcoholism. He’s drawn to New Hampshire (but aren’t we all) where he cleans up
his act and connects with another physic, a young African-American girl from a
nearby town. Their peace is shattered when a roving group of semi-immortal
“shine vampires” (Stephen King – don’tcha know) latch onto the girl’s powers
and want to devour her. Ewan McGregor , if you’ll excuse the expression, shines
as Danny lending both heart and depth. Rebecca Ferguson, rapidly becoming one
of my favorites, is diabolically evil yet incredibly attractive as the leader
of the vamps. It’s a story where you truly invest in the characters which is a
tribute to the actors involved. The climatic scenes take place in the decrepit
remains of the Overlook hotel, scene of the first movie. There are numerous
odes to the first movie but a clear miss when they try to replicate Jack with a
stand-in. King is sometimes a hard creature to translate to the screen but they
hit the mark here. Just different enough from the book to keep you engaged,
scared and thrilled for the entire, long movie.
MVP: Ferguson deliciously evil as Rose
the Hat
