As in spooky, not bad. Quite the opposite actually.
Sequel to what is perhaps the most iconic Stephen King work not to center on an interdimensional alien demon clown, "The Shining," "Doctor Sleep" follows Danny Torrance growing up in the wake of the trauma he endured at the Overlook Hotel and coping with those issues in unhealthy ways typified by human beings that won't get counseling for their demons.
After setting upon the path of recovery, find friends and embracing his psychic gift to comfort the dying of an elderly hospice, Danny must use his newfound security to muster up the courage to throw himself back into danger in order to save a young girl developing the shining from a group of similarly powered and functionally immortal psychics that use their gifts to feed on children like them to survive.
The film adaptation of "Doctor Sleep" stands in an interesting position, having to reconcile the difference between the film adaptation of "The Shining" and the novel that it's based on in order to really make the tragedy of its protagonist's family drama really work.
For those who aren't in the know, that difference primarily comes down to Danny's father Jack being portrayed as embracing his spiral into madness in the film version as opposed to the more sympathetic addict struggling but failing to tame his demons from the book.
The end result is a surprisingly in depth and nuanced examination on the ways that trauma impact us long after the inciting incident of it has occurred in a way that kind of makes me retroactively enjoy "It: Chapter 2" substantially less.
"Doctor Sleep" is certainly flawed in the same way that a lot of adaptations of Stephen King's work tends to be rough around the edges; a sagging second act that makes the movie feel a tad longer than it should be along with indulging in a lot of ideas that can fall to the wayside in favor of developing the concepts and themes associated with its core premise.
Additionally, the split perspectives between Dan and his struggles to better himself, Abra Stone, his would-be protege coming into her own with her abilities, and the Manson Family-esque villains leaves a bit to be desired.
The development between Abra and Dan, along with their endearing chemistry, make that side of this split substantially more palatable thanks to Kyliegh Curran and Ewan McGregor's impeccable performances, with Curran's infectiously bright eyed sense of wonder betraying a layer of seed and darker impulses in desperate need of guidance in order to put in check, and with McGregor just frankly being McGregor.
Of course he captures the complexity of PTSD and self loathing from a person that wants to be kinder than their actions in the past have shown them to be with tear jerking efficiency; would you expect anything less?
The villains come across as substantially less developed; the Hippy commune vibe and distinct performances go a long way towards injecting them with some real character but ultimately they fall substantially flat given the escalating heinous nature of their actions throughout the movie.
Having said that, director Mike Flanagan's knack for turning horror into opportunities to study character's in depth shines through, as the journey to watch Dan learn to embrace the power that has brought him so much pain in order to take away the pain from others never ceases to be compelling or visually engaging.
From getting a view of the twisted version of himself that could have come to be without a proper moral fiber in place to the recklessness that could have darkly enhanced his path of self destruction had he not been scared into having respect for his gifts, every new turn of the story is a deep dive into the psyche of a trauma victim in recovery that's learning how to accept their pain rather than reject it, complete with a brilliantly rewarding climax that stops just short enough of being full blown fan pandering to the film/book preceding it to carry some truly impactful thematic weight.
"Doctor Sleep" isn't without its unpolished territories but for a two and a half hour film to be firing on all cylinders often enough to make its running time not feel like a hindrance to repeat viewing is the sign of great filmmaking, strong storytelling, and one of the best King adaptations ever brought to the big screen.
8 sredrum out of 10
Director Rober Eggers' psychological horror of isolation of those lacking mental fortitude in less enlightened times in the tasking position of maintaining a lighthouse far away from civilization features cavalcade of remarkable filmmaking techniques on display to present a very old school and mildly experimental arthouse film tackling issues of self identity and perspective in the form of the story of two lighthouse keepers that begin to lose that perspective the more that their world becomes isolated to just the two of them and their tasks on a tiny deserted land mass.
It's also far more arthouse than I had ever anticipated.
That's not an indictment on the film by any means. "The Lighthouse" demonstrates that Eggers is far from a one trick horse as far as filmmaking goes, as playing with perception as he does in the film creates a surreal atmosphere that shifts in and out of dread, humor, insight, and occasionally all of the above at once.
Additionally, the two man show between Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe is absolutely killer and I would dare say that Dafoe especially should probably be nominated for a supporting actor Oscar come January.
It is however, a film where, above any sense of storytelling, character, or performance, the star of the show is the filmmaking technique in use.
If you're going in to see a bottle horror movie about men succumbing to a slow burning madness that neither can identify until a reveal is made in order to get the ball rolling on some sort of grand pay off, you will leave sorely disappointed.
Show up for a thoughtful exploration of the manifestation that frustration can take along with the madness it can drive us to when we are expected to cope with it as all social norms we've been programmed to expect are stripped away, and you may find something worth mulling over be it wondering how much of what Pattinson experiences is real and what is a manifestation of his own guilt, self loathing, and trauma, or whether or not Dafoe is even a real human being as opposed to some sort of manifestation of the will of the sea and its superstitions.
As somebody who typically doesn't indulge in this sort of arthouse faire, I can ultimately identify that "The Lighthouse" is damn good at what it's trying to do, even if its goals are a tad bit too opaque for my own sensibilities.
7 Wickies out of 10
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