The problem here is that they made a sequel to the 1980 movie... and not a sequel to King's book. And, let's be honest, as good as Stanley's film was, it really had little to do with Kings novel. Almost The Shining in name only. So many changes were made, right down to the theme, that it barely resembled the book. So, when they made the sequel to the movie, and not the novel, a lot of the elements that made the Doctor Sleep compelling, a lot of the plot points, and a lot of the twists and turns that made the novel worth reading had to be changed in order to keep continuity with Kubrick's changes. The result is really kind of a mess. So much of what Doctor Sleep was referenced back to The Shining, the novel, that trying to adapt the script to the Kubrick film was, honestly, a mistake. In the end, it grasps at straws and never finds a footing, making Doctor Sleep even further removed from the story it was based on than Kubrick's film was... with far less talent directing it.

Fantastic watch, will watch again, and do recommend. I honestly wasn't excited about this one, so my expectations were low. I didn't realize it was Stephen King, let alone a sequel to "The Shining" until I watched it. I'm also not a big fan of "The Shining", but I haven't watched it since I learned to watch a movie critically. After hearing about "shining" from everyone, I immediately got excited when I realize that was what this movie was all about. I've been waiting for this movie since "Push". This movie is honestly what "Star Wars: Episode I" should have been. This is how you give an explanation of how super powers work on a large scale: you tell a story that examples it, "do not say", it is how movies are supposed to work. This was wonderfully casted: Ewan McGregor, Kyliegh Curran, and Rebecca Ferguson are amazing. There deliveries have weight to them, and it really makes the movie. The production value is fantastic, they definitely didn't spare a cent to make this look as good or nostalgic as it needed to be. There are aspects of the story I think we could have done without, mostly just for time purposes, and there are portions of the story that are just gratuitously graphic, and some of those two things overlap, but I'm not going to say that any of the movie would actually be better for it. The story, whether it be the movie or from the book, is exceedingly well paced, and powerful, every step of the way. It has this wonderful theme of predators and prey, basically "There's always a bigger fish", but in a twisted, looping way. If you can stand horror at all and like psychic powers, then definitely give this a watch.

Partially satisfying "sequel" (of sorts) to the Shining with good performances from Ewan McGregor and Kyliegh Curran (while Rebecca Ferguson kind of hams it up, but still was fun as a villainous). However, the movie is far too long with probably 15-20 minutes that could've gotten the axe (so to speak), and the plot was The Shining meets X-Men with some Monsters Inc thrown in for good measure. Didn't hate it at all, but not sure I have much desire to revisit, though I have to wonder what else they threw in there with the 3-hour long Director's Cut. **3.0/5**