Name : Citra Anistasya

Class : TBI 4 / III

NIM : 0304193149

Review Film Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep tells of Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor's) efforts to be free from the trauma of
staying at the Overlook Hotel with his parents, Jack and Wendy Torrance, more than 39 years ago. In an
effort to relieve the trauma, Danny instead meets Abra, a little girl who is also of the same fate as himself,
who are both classified as The Shining. The Shining is a nickname for people who have special psychic
abilities that are able to see events, both in the past and in the future, and attract the 'interest' of evil astral
beings. Abra arrives to ask Danny to help face the True Knot, a group that puts The Shining's life at risk.
That request forced Danny to reopen Hotel Overlook and all the nightmares he had locked up over the
years. Director Mike Flanagan worked all of Danny's struggles by adapting a novel with a similar theme
by the legendary horror writer Stephen King. Flanagan, who also acts as a writer, takes the audience back
to the past during The Shining era and shows the life of Danny and Wendy after being free from Hotel
Overlook, as well as Danny's hot-and-cold relationship with his father, Jack. After that, Flanagan
described the ups and downs of Danny's efforts to recover from his trauma, becoming an ordinary human
and earning the nickname Doctor Sleep. The story is built in detail and sequentially. This is
understandable because Flanagan wants the audience to get to know the character and share Danny's
trauma even though he hasn't watched The Shining. However, the consequence that arises from the
Flanagan way is the boredom that greets the middle of the film. In the midst of Danny's character
development, Flanagan introduced Abra, played by Kyliegh Curran, and True Knot leader Rose The Hat,
played by Rebecca Ferguson. The presence of the two characters is the savior of this film from the brink
of boredom. True Knot's Extermination of The Shining adds spice to the thrill of Doctor Sleep. Abra's
actions also added the excitement of this film. Abra's ability at a glance reminds me of Eleven Stranger
Things which was able to revive my interest in watching Doctor Sleep. Rose The Hat's character who is
'savage' behind his calm and elegant demeanor always attracts attention whenever he appears on the
screen. So, the battle between the duo Abra and Rose The Hat clearly feels entertaining and fun. It then
becomes a big question for the main role and focus of this film.
 Danny's fight with True Knot and 'nostalgia' in Hotel Overlook should be the main menu of
Doctor Sleep movie. However, the packaging of these two things is not properly arranged. The tension
built up while preparing for the core battle against True Knot was slack when seeing the results of the
fights that took place at the Overlook Hotel. The battle for Danny, Abra and Rose The Hat is not as vulgar
as Jack Torrance did in The Shining. This time they played more in their minds, according to the Doctor
Sleep genre, namely fantasy and psychological thriller. However it is packaged very briefly. The battle at
the Overlook Hotel, which is actually the scariest place in this series and the cause of Danny's trauma,
seems to have no special value. In fact, the revival of Hotel Overlook should have added to Doctor Sleep's
horror or thriller elements. In general, Doctor Sleep emphasizes the elements of fantasy and even drama
than thriller. Flanagan also focuses on Danny's character changes such as making peace with the past,
starting to connect with other people, and trying to survive like a layman. Not to mention the dark humor
that this film raises, making the sequel version more 'friendly' than its predecessor, The Shining.
However, it could be that Flanagan's decision was the answer to Stephen King's criticism and
dissatisfaction with the treatment of Stanley Kubrick, who adapted his novel, The Shining. Kubrick
worked on the film The Shining, four decades ago, full of terror that made the audience uncomfortable.
Even so, Mike Flanagan still gave Stanley Kubrick an award in Doctor Sleep. In Doctor Sleep, Flanagan
brings The Shining to life through the use of sound effects and cinematography in scenes similar to the
1980 work. So, the nostalgic nuance is more pronounced Not only that, Flanagan also included a few
other Stephen King elements in Doctor Sleep. In general, viewers would be better off watching The
Shining first before watching Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep. Indeed, Danny's past is recounted in
Doctor Sleep, but all conflicts that arise in the character's life will now be easier to understand if you see
The Shining firsthand.