MovieChat Forums > Doctor Sleep (2019) Discussion > I really enjoyed this (spoilers)

I really enjoyed this (spoilers)

posted 5 years ago by JakeSWITCH (504)
6 replies | jump to latest

Mike Flanagan managed to make a film that was distinctly his own; tipped his hat to Kubrick's classic; greatly improved on Stephen King's book (I thought 'Doctor Sleep' was deeply mediocre); and also reinserted some scenes and themes from 'The Shining' novel that Kubrick left out (such as the climax in the boiler room).

I understand why 'Doctor Sleep' failed at the box office - it's a belated sequel to a 1980 film that was itself nominated for Razzie Awards when it was first released (plus, Stephen King spent three decades pouring scorn on Kubrick's vision). However, it's still a shame that Flanagan's film was so underrated in 2019 while a lesser King adaptation like 'IT: Chapter Two' made a tidy profit.

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You can read all of my latest film reviews here: https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/about/Jake

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I did too. McGregor is good and Ferguson as Rose the Hat is one of the all time great villains in a horror film.

Sad to see it struggle at the box office. It deserved better.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I like McGregor and Ferguson, but the character of Rose the Hat as an all time great villain?

If you did a survey, I doubt she would even crack the top 100.

What did she or any of her gang actually DO in this movie that was remotely scary, or horrifying?

That was one of my biggest complaints about this movie... the villains were lame, Rose possibly the lamest of them. Her sidekick Crow(?) and the blonde girl with the power to 'push' were more intriguing, but they also get beat pretty easily by Danny and the girl.

Check out Near Dark, The Lost Boys, the Rob Zombie movies and similar for examples of badass and spooky villains who deliver the goods...

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Sounds almost like we watched different movies. Rose the Hat did nothing "scary"?

But you seem to be pretty impressed with Rob Zombie movies, so we may have much different tastes.

[–] JakeSWITCH (504) 5 years ago

That was one of my biggest complaints about this movie... the villains were lame, Rose possibly the lamest of them. Her sidekick Crow(?) and the blonde girl with the power to 'push' were more intriguing, but they also get beat pretty easily by Danny and the girl.

Mike Flanagan beefed the villains up substantially from the novel, where they never kill any of Danny's allies - King makes a point of saying that the True Knot are weak combatants because they are accustomed to targeting defenseless children.

Flanagan also made them more loathsome via the scene where they feed from the torture of the "baseball boy" and the entire climactic duel with Rose at the Overlook Hotel sold her as psychic powerhouse much more effectively than in King's book.

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You can read all of my latest film reviews here: https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/about/Jake

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

The torture murder of baseball boy happens pretty much exactly the same way in the book, IIRC. And I also recall Rose being quite powerful in the book as well.

[–] urrutiap (1086) 5 years ago

Rose was arrogant for a psychic "vampire" immortal. at the end of the movie she ended up as an idiot and underestimated not just Danny, she also underestimated the evil Overlook where she scoffed at the blood that came out of the elevator hallway.