Doctor Sleep ★★ 1/2

Reviewed on FHC 147

A film that no one needed but Stephen King desperately wanted. While I found myself entertained enough during the first two thirds, this movie was never h̶o̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶r̶u̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶u̶n̶w̶a̶t̶c̶h̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶s̶c̶e̶n̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶v̶o̶l̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶k̶i̶d̶ scary. It doesn’t really succeed as a horror film and actually plays more like an action/superhero movie. I think that if I had never heard of X-Men this might’ve been really intriguing but there’s just really nothing new to be had here. On top of that, hardly any of this movie makes sense, the characters are poorly drawn, and VERY little of anyone’s motivations warrant their actions. 

That said, Abra (played by Kyliegh Curran) is great- especially during a *certain possession scene. The recasting of all the original characters worked for me. I’m getting real tired of having to see CGI’d deceased actors try to pass for alive. Ewan McGregor does what he can with what he’s given and tbh seeing him drugged out and throwing up in a toilet was a nice little callback to Trainspotting. Sadly this film’s 3rd Act is essentially one big callback to the Overlook Hotel- the nostalgia for which, was severely undercut by the mere existence of Ready Player One. 

In any case, this film got the “King stamp of approval,” which REALLY makes me happy that Kubrick didn’t give an inch when making The Shining. Skip this and just rewatch The Shining. 

-Max Minardi