ReelBob: ‘Doctor Sleep’ ★★

By Bob Bloom

“Doctor Sleep” is an aptly named title for this snoozer adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. The movie is too long and very dull, mostly moving at a sleepwalker’s pace.

The movie also struggles with its identity — trying to decide whether to reside in the shadow of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” or bask in the glow of its own making.

Writer-director Mike Flanagan tries to have it both ways — going so far as to use lookalikes for original “Shining” cast members, including Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.

But it is the somnambulistic performance of Ewan McGregor as the adult Dan Torrance who, 40 years after the terrifying events at the Overlook Hotel, continues to bear the mental and emotional scars of the ordeal.

McGregor is a mostly passive hero, seeking peace, keeping his head down and drowning his memories in drink, drugs and one-night stands.

Torrance, finally turning his life around after joining an AA group in a small New England town, finds himself reluctantly joining forces with Abra, a spunky and courageous teen-age girl who, like Torrance, possesses the supernatural ability known as the “shine.”

Even while uniting with Abra to battle the weird group of hippie-like vampires, which are led the oddly named Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), McGregor seems to hold back. His characterization is more introspective. It is nearly too late when he finally allows Torrance to show some spark.

My problem with “Doctor Sleep” was provoked from the film’s opening notes, recycling the iconic music from Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind’s score from “The Shining.”

This signaled — to me, at least — that “Doctor Sleep” was going to leech off Kubrick’s movie. To me, that was the path of least resistance and Flanagan should have avoided it.

The reintroduction of characters and situations from “The Shining” was an unnecessary distraction that, with better scriptwriting by Flanagan, could have been minimalized or avoided.

The performances by Ferguson and Kyliegh Curran as Abra keep “Doctor Sleep” from totally foundering. The sequences in which they interact — either via their gifts or face-to-face — are the highlights of the movie.

Curran imbues Abra with a wisdom and tenacity beyond her young years. She refuses to be intimidated by Rose and her followers, going so far as to taunt and dare them to do battle with her.

Ferguson, known for her roles in “Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation,” “Mission: Impossible: Fallout” and “The Greatest Showman,” brings an arrogance and hypnotic menace to her performance. She also displays a more tender side, showing her care and concern for her small band of outsiders.

Not having read King’s book, I found Rose the Hat’s group of nomadic vampires rather bizarre. No explanation is given for their origin, why they need to subsist on the “steam” they steal from people gifted with the “shine” or how the “shine” prolongs their lives.

I presume, as in most horror movies, you simply need to go with the flow and not ponder too deeply about such questions.

“Doctor Sleep” lacks real chills; it offers a few gotcha moments, but overall feels content simply to coast through its ponderous 151-minute run time without straining to reach for the operatic high notes that could— and would — have elevated the movie above the mundane.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

DOCTOR SLEEP
2 stars out of 4
(R), graphic violence, bloody images, drug use, language, nudity, sexual content