Review of Doctor Sleep (2019) by Matthewmirliani — 14 Nov 2019

Thrilling, disturbing, and overall satisfying, Doctor Sleep is a faithful adaption of Stephen King’s novel with just enough Kubrick to please movie nerds (like myself). The first half of the film is incredibly strong - anchored by a fantastic Rebecca Ferguson as the main antagonist - but does admittedly stumble towards the second half due to strange pacing and the rushing through of major developments.

Despite Doctor Sleep’s occasional moments of weakness (either in the script or in the performances) the cinematography is stunning, the reconstruction of the Overlook is impressive, and the way the film pays tribute to Kubrick - from the opening notes to the credit music - successfully contextualizes this thriller within The Shining’s cinematic legacy.

Kubrick’s vision was one of a kind - and mere hints of his genius sprinkled throughout Doctor Sleep are enough to remind us of this fact.