If you are going into this film expecting it to be a straight up sequel to the Kubrick film with the same horror tone, you'll be disappointed, however if you have an open mind, this movie is very well directed and acted and the story is very compelling. This is more of a fantasy thriller than a horror film and I really like that about this film. It also does quite a bit of homage to the 1980 film, but takes it into a new and interesting direction with a deep underlying theme direct from Steven King.

This is easily one of the better film adaptations of a Stephen King novel, and also one of the better films I've seen this year. Yet again, professional film critics have proven they mostly have no idea about the cinema of the fantastic (fantasy, SF, and horror). If you're a fan of the genre, you'll love this film - ignore the critics.

Doctor Sleep is a partially entertaining sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining. Written and directed by Mike Flanagan (of Oculus, Gerald's Game, Ouija 2, and Hush), the film appears to be a weird blend of his atmospheric film-making style (which I love) and King's (mostly awkward) horror fantasies. I watched the 3-hour long director's cut of the film. As the run-time already reveals, it's a slow-burn psychological horror flick that doesn't rely too much on nostalgia from The Shining. Well, for the most part, it doesn't.

Ewan Mcgregor plays the adult Danny Torrance, who in the present day, has tried his best to move on from the nightmarish incidents that took place at the Overlook Hotel. The film, according to King, stays faithful to the novel a lot more than Kubrick's version ever did. I think this has worked both in favor of and against it. For starters, even with all its eerie atmosphere amid the modern-day setting, it doesn't give you the chills that The Shining did. There's no Jack Nicholson-level savagery in the film that makes your pupils dilate or scares that make your hair stand up.

That being said, I'm glad Flanagan didn't choose to add frequent jumpscares and water down the atmosphere he tries to build. On the other hand, it was really difficult for me to buy into Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat as a compelling antagonist. She's ravishing in the initial scene where she lures a child into her witch-trap, but in the latter hours, her character ends up looking too vulnerable. I wasn't fond of that notion at all. I still stand by Hitchcock's rule that a stronger antagonist creates a stronger film.

Kyliegh Curran is essentially the new Danny Torrance here, minus the daddy issues. She handles her role of Abra Stone, a little 'shiner', with ease. Being a sequel to the cult-classic, I enjoyed how Flanagan tackled the recreation of certain imagery from The Shining, including neat references to the source material as well as Kubrick's efforts. There are both older and newer demons for Dan to fight in Doctor Sleep, and Mcgregor's version of the character does have an intentionally restrained feel to it. The sudden bursts of shock and awe in the screenplay are when the film gets engaging; otherwise, the going is too slow to care.

Doctor Sleep will not be considered a film that gives you many (or any) sleepless nights, but I was aghast on seeing how a victim of The True Knot cult (the one led by Rose the Hat) was subjected to a slow and painful death. Flanagan and King want you to understand how evil works here more than trying to scare you upfront. As a cinematic effort, Doctor Sleep falls somewhere in between. I think that look on the face of Shelley Duvall when being followed by a deranged, axe-wielding Jack Nicholson sends greater shivers down my spine as compared to anything that I witnessed in Doctor Sleep.