Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Carel Struycken, Jacob Tremblay
Stephen King is currently enjoying a lot of coverage of late, after It Part 2’s release and Pet Semetary being the two biggest of note recently. Doctor Sleep tells the story of a now grown-up Danny Torrance, who eagle-eyed readers will immediately recognise as the young boy cycling around the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. One of King’s most famous novels or the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film would be where fans, or just anyone with an interest in popular culture should know these from. (You should at least know the “Here’s Johnny!” scene or you barely qualify to even be a film fan!)
Doctor Sleep (the novel) was originally released in 2013, as a sequel to King’s 1977 novel. King was never a fan of Kubrick’s interpretation of his novel, famously saying he thought it was very cold. The film however looks to bridge the gaps between the two, featuring an older Danny (played by Ewan McGregor) still living with his own personal traumas and alcoholism after the traumatic events. His life takes an even stranger turn after he meets a little girl called Abra, who shares his “shine” telepathic gift. A strange cult known as The True Knot emerge, who sacrifice children with these gifts for immortality. With a mix of interesting themes, this re-ignites Danny’s tragic past and puts him in the position to fight with those monsters while trying to protect and save Abra from a sinister fate.
Rating: ****
> Mark Goddard
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