Doctor Sleep 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack Review

By Paul Rudoff on Feb. 1, 2020 at 10:51 PM in Home Video, Horror

Doctor Sleep is the sequel to the Stanley Kubrick classic The Shining (reviewed here). It is based in the 2013 novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was a sequel to his 1977 novel The Shining. Although Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of the novel, it makes significant changes to the plot in order to preserve continuity with the Kubrick film. How does it fare? Read on to find out...

Doctor Sleep tells the tale of a grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) who, still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran), a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the "shine". Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra's innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before - at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.

Before I begin, I should state that my first and only viewing (so far) of Doctor Sleep has been the Director's Cut, which features nearly 30 minutes of footage not seen in theaters. I did not (yet) view the shorter Theatrical Cut, as I just did not have time to watch this lengthy movie twice before writing this review. Although the way it is included seems like an afterthought, the actual Director's Cut is anything but. It is fully-realized with complete visual effects, new score cues, and more character moments. My opinion of the film is based solely on the Director's Cut, which is divided into the following six chapters to give it a literary structure: "Old Ghosts", "Empty Devils", "Little Spy", "Turn, World", "Parlor Tricks", and "What Was Forgotten".

While The Shining took place in isolation in Colorado, Doctor Sleep spans several locations and timeframes. It starts off in 1980's Florida, showing what young Danny (Roger Dale Floyd) and his mom Wendy (Alex Essoe) did after they survived the events at the Overlook. Both characters are played by new actors who are meant to resemble Danny Lloyd and Shelley Duvall. They are two of many characters from The Shining that are played by semi-lookalikes. The role of Dick Hallorann, played by the late Scatman Crothers in the original, is assumed by Carl Lumbly here. Jack Nicholson's role as Jack is now inhabited by Henry Thomas; yes, little Elliott from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Other inhabitants of the hotel show up in the bodies of replacement actors. While none of the new actors look identical to the originals - Roger Dale Floyd and Carl Lumbly come the closest, offhand - I certainly understand why they had to go with lookalikes. Everyone from the first film is either too old or dead, and using body doubles with CGI'ed de-aged heads would have been WAY too costly, if not impossible, given how well-lit the scenes are. That said, one actor from the first film does appear: Danny Lloyd, the original young Danny Torrance, is a spectator at the kid's baseball game.

While I liked The Shining (though I don't think it's quite the "masterpiece" everyone makes it out to be), I think I liked Doctor Sleep a little more. The three-hour runtime of the Director's Cut moved along briskly, allowing ample time for character development, without feeling slow or plodding. There were a lot of nice nods to the first film, with some excellent recreation sets, and the inclusion of some echoes of The Shining score. Rebecca Ferguson was fantastic as the new villain Rose the Hat, a Stevie Nicks-like gypsy, with a warm, inviting command of her troupe.

The 4K UHD disc of Doctor Sleep contains the Theatrical Cut, presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, with a runtime of 2:32:01. Audio languages include English, Spanish, and French. The film includes English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.

Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on the UHD disc. This is the first Warner Bros. title I have in which the UHD has all of the bonus features and the second Blu-ray disc only has the movie on it (though it's a different cut).

From Shining to Sleep (4:56) - Author Stephen King and director/screenwriter Mike Flanagan look back at the original novel and classic film to discuss how they took on the sequel.
The Making of Doctor Sleep: A New Vision (13:57) - Various members of the cast and crew discuss the film's development from script to screen.
Return to The Overlook (14:59) - A tour of the iconic Overlook Hotel and what it took to recreate it.

Also included is a second standard Blu-ray disc, which contains the Director's Cut of the movie with a runtime of 3:00:14. Only English audio is available, in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 5.1 formats. The film includes English, Spanish, and French subtitles. There are no bonus features on this disc.

You might be wondering why the Director's Cut is on Disc 2, and not joining the Theatrical Cut on Disc 1. I think the answer to that may lie in this note from the director that appears at the end of the Director's Cut.

DIRECTOR'S SPECIAL THANKS

I'd like to thank Warner Bros, for supporting this cut, and going the extra mile to make sure that we were able to complete this version of the film for this release. It's not always the case that a studio is so supportive of a director's cut, and I am deeply grateful. On behalf of the cast and crew of DOCTOR SLEEP, I'd like to thank Stephen King and the Stanley Kubrick Estate for their support throughout this amazing journey. It's truly been an honor. I'd like to particularly thank my partner in crime, Trevor Macy, and my heroes Nancy Kirhoffer, David Townsend, Jonathan Wales, Trevor Gates, Jill Bogdanowicz, The Newton Brothers, and Brett "Snacky" Pierce for their hard work in bringing this extended cut to fruition. Finally, I'd like to offer special gratitude and admiration to the MVP of DOCTOR SLEEP, Brian Smith, who carried this version (as well as the theatrical cut) through the minefield and to the finish line. I'm indebted to you all.

Shine On.

- Flanagan

Based on that, I would guess that they didn't originally intend on including it, or perhaps, they weren't sure if they could get the cut finished in time for the home video release. So, they went with the Theatrical Cut as the main feature, with the bonus features on that disc, and the Director's Cut disc was a last-minute addition. Now, as to why the Director's Cut is on a standard Blu-ray disc and not on a 4K UHD, is anyone's guess.

A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc black UHD Blu-ray case. When redeemed on the Movies Anywhere site, it unlocks a bundle containing the Theatrical Cut and Director's Cut of the film, which are listed separately on the site.