DOCTOR SLEEP: DIRECTORS CUT - Warner Bros

Five months after Mike Flanagan's much anticipated Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep, hit theatres to positive acclaim in October, on its digital release Warner Bros and the director have cooked up an extended Directors Cut that runs for an extra thirty minutes more than the theatrical version, revealing a more subtly tender and haunting vision.

Having personally wrestled with the original cut to mixed results back in October on opening night, Flanagan's revisit not only offers an affordable second chance but an insight into what the director truly intended in his self-indulgence. Resulting in a film that is nothing short of marvellous, there is no doubt for one second that this is the best audiences would — and perhaps will ever — get to servicing the lore of either Kubrick and Stephen King, not to mention both at the same time.

At a one hundred and eighty-minute running time, Doctor Sleep is no small task to sit through. It very quickly could verge on artistic hedonism and drown in its existence. However, what Flanagan has done with this edit is grow and develop small moments of character into fleshed out and tender arcs, sequentially crafting a stronger and more emotionally engulfing sentiment in the film's themes and climax. Smaller, profound moments with young Danny and Wendy carry significant weight throughout, with delicately provided layers — carried from Roger Dale Floyd — that build the house for Ewan McGregor to follow up and deliver.

McGregor delivers a stirring monologue in the films final act and throughout, he dazzles with the weight of history on his shoulders in a robust, compelling performance. Said performance is calming and gentle but carries a tormented personality in a perfect balance of impassioned range. If anything, the time jump between the character as a child to an adult is far too jarring with significant depth and history missed. A Moonlight-esque character narrative of three distinctive time frames to explore the emotional and phycological evolution of one character would have been far more efficient, especially in the three-hour time frame the film has.

Kyliegh Curran is more or less outstanding as Abra Stone. Flanagan adds more depth to her childhood that is parallel to that of McGregor's character — ultimately binding their connection and paths into a more deep-felt and engaging trajectory. The performance of Curran is far ahead of the actress’s years, running effortless rings around her co-stars in her moments of charisma, horror or humour. Curran has it all and the casting here from Anne McCarthy and Kellie Roy needs to be utterly commended for their brilliant eye.

Thankfully, even with the elongated running time, this edition flows wonderfully. Partly due to an excellent decision to capitalise on chapters that not only allow the pacing to breathe but create a genuinely engaging structure, involving less blood and body horror compared to its surrounding contemporaries. There is a strong focus on phycological horror rather than overly visual iconography, a factor that allows Doctor Sleep to superbly stand out from its source material as well as Kubrick's film with a tone and life of its very own. It is scary and the energy is palpable whenever Rebecca Ferguson is on screen. Even if the character is slightly lacking in-depth, the striking personality thrills in its spills. The image looks outstanding, unescapable and claustrophobic in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. However, in hindsight, such a visual aesthetic would have worked far greater if used exclusively inside The Overlook Hotel, to affect the viewer’s experience more subconsciously.

That being said, God damn does Flanagan direct this with everything he’s got. The cinematography from Michael Fimognari is visually tremendous — granted, the washed-out blues are a slight cop-out but such a decision does not feel too out of place from Flanagan, even if it is perhaps an over-indulgent on the director’s side after The Haunting of Hill House. Even with slight complaints, there remain elements that are so compelling in their execution yet are the most simplistic and effective manners of conveying emotional response from the viewer. The score is such an instance: the booming and soft heartbeat that occurs throughout depending on the circumstances of the character is an ingenious and almost Kubrickian sentiment that completely changes the atmosphere. An astute and thrilling idea that allows the film to build and build to where it wants to line itself for the ultimate impact.

As aforementioned, there remains slight nitpicks. The directors cut has further smaller snippets of the eventual Overlook climax sprinkled throughout that feels more a natural and authentic progression to The Shining rather than what is out of nowhere in the theatrical cut. However, there still feels an emptiness and disconnect for that climax to occur with where the film seemingly leads. The recasting of characters Wendy and Jack Torrance — played by Alex Essoe and Henry Thomas, respectively — are also a walking, talking disaster.

The former is nothing short of parody. Taking over from the astonishing performance of Shelley Duvall is a task that nobody should envy and with that, Essoe is set up to fail before the actress has a chance to present her performance — which lacks in every form, aside from the warming connection with her on-screen son, played by Roger Dale Floyd. Not helping, once again, is the needless time-jump that drops the character and the depth and weight to build a unique foundation upon.

Henry Thomas, however, may be even worse. Granted, the inclusion of this character is unavoidable, but how and what Flanagan and Thomas chose to curate this decision is frustratingly dull and underwhelming. Thomas does a one-note impression that the viewer could easily find on a cruise ship. It is laughable when the character is shown on screen and with that, the tension and atmosphere of each scene are drained. This not only affects the core depth of McGregor's character but that of the finale itself. The viewer goes on this incredibly tense and dark journey only to have an eye roll of drastically poor execution that drives itself into the ground with tired and lethargic conviction.

DOCTOR SLEEP: DIRECTORS CUT is available February 4th 2020

Doctor Sleep: Directors Cut

Clemency

The Devil Next Door