The IP train keeps rolling along and 80’s nostalgia is all the rage. Kicked of by the recent blow up of shows like Stranger Things and movies like It, what was once popular 40 years ago, is capturing audiences’ attention again. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up for you to decide. It’s definitely been something amazing for author Stephen King, scoring him some major wins with a slew of on-screen adaptations of his most popular works. His streak seems to continue with Warner Bros. take at Doctor Sleep, King’s follow up to The Shining.

Unfortunately, what starts off as a continuation of a horror classic, quickly turns into what feels like superficial fanfiction. You often hear creators talk about needing to find a real reason versus an excuse to return to a beloved property like this. That is often why it takes so long for them to do so. Doctor Sleep feels like the latter. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of The Shining, but still can appreciate some of its most iconic moments and the firm place it holds in cinematic history. Doctor Sleep tries to coast on that fact without standing on its own.

The film takes a good while to even get going. The beginning scenes, showing the immediate months after the events of The Shining and Danny’s PTSD felt unnecessary, not adding anything important to the characters’ overall story. Once we get to adult Danny, played by Ewan McGregor, the movie continues with that same trend, using up way too much time to establish his alcoholic lifestyle and the consequences of his traumatic past. This structure also brings along several time jumps and transitions between multiple locations. You already are wondering where the film is taking you and this just adds to making the beginning feel very discombobulated and disjointed. 

There’s also some major issues that persist throughout the entirety of the movie’s 2 hour 31 minute runtime. Some plot elements are very questionable to say the least. At one point, a child is essentially kidnapped and no sort of manhunt or search for her ever seems to even be considered. That’s just an example of several other similar story elements that prove problematic. The believability factor of Doctor Sleep becomes even more of a problem with all the supernatural elements we are introduced to. It’s understandable that the story isn’t supposed to be completely grounded in reality but this interpretation feels way too mystical. The Shining had similar elements but was still able overall to feel believable. 

Perhaps the most glaring downfall of Doctor Sleep is how reference heavy it feels. If you’re exploring a story in the same world as something like The Shining, you of course should expect your fair share of homages to iconic characters and moments. This, unfortunately, seemed to be more focused on that than developing and conveying a compelling and meaningful story. Ewan McGregor also doesn’t seem like Danny at all and weird knock off Jack Nicholson felt like something stolen directly out of an SNL parody. It all combines to make the film feel extremely hollow.

Once you endure the overly drawn out beginning, Doctor Sleep has a clear story. That’s not the issue. The meaning behind or purpose of the adventure that starts to unravel is really what leaves you questioning. The film does once in a while hint at some very powerful themes that if explored and focused on more, could have resulted in a much deeper and profound product.

As it stands, however, Doctor Sleep is a reference heavy homage that fails to embody the spirit of The Shining. Its focus on such mystical ideas prevents it from ever turning into anything that comes off as memorable or earnest. Luckily, The Shining is still here for us to enjoy and Doctor Sleep is simply a failed attempt to recapture lighting in a bottle.