Within a film that is so colorfully and artfully designed to rekindle the nostalgia of the iconic film of The Shining, it is, quite literally, an arduous task to outdo the initial installment.
Doctor Sleep was absolutely an enjoyable and mystical journey through the world of Danny Torrance’s eyes and mind that still shines and the newcomers that have harnessed this ability. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to see Danny as Doctor Sleep carry out his very endearing and compassionate gift of helping those in their last days close their eyes peacefully for the last time. His delicate craft and skill was introduced and soon forgotten.
Unfortunately this happens again subsequently once a fascinating character Snakebite Andi is introduced. As a young woman, she is unsuspecting by most and therefore, all the more powerful in her ability to mesmerize and lure the men into her traps. At the inception of her inclusion into the group that follows Rose the Hat, her presence becomes only visual and vestigial. Pity.
Rose and her crew were fiendishly feasting on the energy of their victims and haunted all the natural beings on the fringes of society. Yet, the indomitable force they once had been, seems to become suddenly weak, and only by poor choices. Rebecca Ferguson is masterful in her craft, yet, it is not enough.
Well now, the understated skills of Abra Stone as a character and the wonderful actress behind her creation, is refreshing. Without ruining the surprise of her otherworldly capabilities, she is a supernatural source of mind-bending metaphysical magic.
Camera angles and overall cinematography were beautiful, especially sliding the viewpoint into different directions (reminiscent of Inception or Doctor Strange). However, this communicated the message that correlated to these scenes, and nothing more.
All the chess pieces were set, and it seemed as though someone was a sore loser and would rather flip the board than fix the quirks within this weighted plot.
Quite honestly, my mind and my passion for this story wanted to run through the halls of The Overlook Hotel, race through it sweating in fear from all the ghosts in their relentless torment, more than explore new characters and plot points that seem like unfinished ideas in a sketchbook.
Rating: 6.5
Through the Looking Glass 