‘Doctor Sleep’ Shines With Early Critical Praise: ‘The Best Stephen King Adaptation Since ‘Shawshank Redemption”

The “Shining” sequel starring Ewan McGregor is already being lauded, weeks before its debut

doctor sleep
Warner Bros.

The early returns for “Doctor Sleep,” the upcoming psychological thriller flick from writer-director Mike Flanagan, are in, and in the words of Larry David, they’re “pretty, pretty, pretty good.”

The movie is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 novel of the same name that is also a sequel to his horror classic “The Shining.”

The new film follows an adult Danny Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor, as he works to live a normal life, while still dealing with the lingering effects of what he experienced at the Overlook Hotel as a child. Torrance’s plans go sideways, though, when he bumps into a teenager that shares the “shine” ability and needs his help to fend off some nefarious characters.

The movie hits theaters Nov. 8, but critics that caught a screening this week have been praising it already.

Daily Dead writer Heather Wixson said “Doctor Sleep,” in a year of “great” Stephen King adaptations, is “the best of the bunch.” She added that it’s a “wonderful celebration” of Stanley Kubrick — director of the 1980 film — along with King and Flanagan.

Slash Film managing editor Jacob Hall lauded the movie as “spooky, emotional, ultimately optimistic.” “Doctor Sleep” is “not only a sequel to ‘The Shining,’ but a response to it, an attempt to reconcile King and Kubrick. Loved it.”

Paul Shirey, editor-in-chief of JoBlo.com, praised the cast, especially Rebecca Ferguson as villain Rose the Hat. “A great new villain to add to Stephen King’s long line of unforgettable baddies that you can’t help but love (and love to hate.)”

Collider editor Haleigh Foutch said the flick “shakes up the book quite a bit, but keeps King’s heart right where it needs to be.”

We Live Entertainment editor-in-chief Scott Manzel called “Doctor Sleep” “the best Stephen King adaptation since ‘Shawshank Redemption.’”

Freelance critic Jason Gorber called it a “brilliant love letter to Kubrick’s original, unafraid to be both thrilling and entirely worshipful of what came before.”

Slash Film critic Chris Evangelista said the movie “stumbles a bit” when trying to recreate the 1980 film, but “Flanagan nails the emotional elements (no surprise there). And Rebecca Ferguson owns the entire movie.”

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