Doctor Sleep

All bore and no scares make Doctor Sleep a dull film - 4/10

by Movies-Graded

Performances: 6/10
Screenplay: 3/10
Special Effects: 5/10
Costumes/Makeup: 5/10
Editing: 4/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Entertainment Factor: 4/10
 
Verdict: "The Shining" is considered by many to be a landmark in the horror genre. So obviously, in typical Hollywood fashion, a sequel for it had to be green-lit nearly 40 years after its release.
Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, "Doctor Sleep" follows a now grown up Danny Torrance, here played by Ewan McGregor, as he attempts to protect a girl with powers similar to his from a villainous cult led by Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat.
In other words, it's basically what X-Men would've looked like had it been a horror flick. Hell, even the antagonists' names sound like they were taken straight from a Marvel comic book. The film takes the source of all discussions and fan theories that made "The Shining" one of the most talked about movies of all time, and expands on them for two and a half hour filled with... nothing. It has no themes, no tension, no interesting characters, no scares... Just lazy references to its predecessor and irrational character decisions that serve no purpose but move the nonsensical story forward as well as provide answers to questions no one wanted answered. None of the actors stood out, the editing was at times laughably bad, the pacing was all over the place, and the score is pretty much a slightly altered rendition of the iconic one written for the original. Overall it did have a few interesting moments, some genuinely hilarious casting choices, and Michael Fimognari does a somewhat decent job behind the camera, but to me it's the type of horror flick that everyone would've immediately forgotten about had it not been associated with its predecessor.
 
FINAL GRADE: 4/10
 

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