Doctor Sleep

Synopsis

Years after The Shining, Danny finds another person strong with Shine, who is being hunted by the True Knot to remain immortal.

Review

This is how you do a sequel down the road. Same function. Similar style. Great story telling. One of my chief complaints with the The Shining was pacing. This pacing was more impactful and had better sign post. If you remember in TS, it had a screen that would say "Wednesday," "6:40 PM," or whatever. This one has a "Part 1" style sign posting that gives you a better idea of what is changing. It isn't a huge shift, but it is easier to keep track of versus a set of time that if you forgot what the last one said you just became confused.

I love Ewan McGregor. This dude doesn't miss and if you question that, I point you to the love he has from Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace which was hated until recently, and his work in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then you can leave that and look at most of his other movies and even when they suck, he is still good. This though, might be his best work. I can see the conflict in his eyes as he progresses through the movie and there is a time near the end where he is confronted with having alcohol, he has been 8 years sober, and you can see the fight. That is acting. Rebecca Ferguson is good, and has a dope hat. I liked her playing the bad guy here and she does an excellent job of playing this ruthless character with a soul.

I had a hard time understanding the ghosts in TS that I did not have here. Maybe that was because they leaned on sound design and musical scores that came from that to tell you when they were around or because of how things got cut, but it just felt better.

My Rating

My biggest frustration with this movie is the rest of the True Knot. Crow is fine, but old man skeletor just seems weird. The effects are very good in this and the explanation of the Shining is a ton better. Feels like the focus, which it is, as compared to The Shining. I was very entertained by this movie and I would give it an 8.5, but I really don't do half ratings so it is an 8. It just isn't a 9, but barely.

Parental Rating

Language, overdoses, and dead bodies very early in the movie. Add that plus all the violence and the same old naked lady later in the movie and you've lost both my parents. Rejected by both.

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