Monday, February 10, 2020

Doctor Sleep


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

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