1. "Not sold on Ewan as Danny. I'm concerned that they'll nerf Abbra " In response to Reply # 0
I'm not expecting much from this, particularly since the book was a homerun that added considerable depth to the story, characters, and world of The Shining.
I have a sinking feeling that this is going to mute all the wrong things, Abbra in particular. I think they'll shy away from the more unsavory elements of adult Danny.
I bet they have some generic, soulless version of Crow Daddy, and Rose will be an overly campy Disney stepmother type.
I fully expect a generic, uninspired, neutered mess.
This needed to be a miniseries helme by the team that helmed the first season of Mr Mercedes.
4. "Are you a fan of both books?" In response to Reply # 3
I ask because the Doctor Sleep, while it certainly addresses the original, does so in a very focused and specific way. It's a sequel that builds on the original on key ways, but is still very much it's own story.
A major concern of mine is that this trailer places a rather large focus on the events of the original film, while the original is much more in the cut of DS.
So I'm just curious if your faith in Flanagan also comes with an affinity for the book.
8. "yeah. I'm a huge fan the book, and that's a problem " In response to Reply # 7
I have a hard time divorcing that from this.
They got Rose and Abra right. You don't really get the gravity of Abra's power the way you do in the book, or the weight of Rose's feelings about her. But you get enough.
There are several subplots and threads in the book that get cut that flesh out these characters and this world.to that end, the two books of this story is better served with a 16 episode HBO series or some shit.
To that end, this may be a better movie to those going blind to the book. There are points where it feels like they're clearly skipping ahead, but it was hard.for me to tell if this is only apparent because I've gone through that book at least ten times.
I know I have a hard time sorting my critique of the movie itself from how well it adapted the book. I'd call it a decent adaptation, but certainly not a great one.
11. "Oh man. This was unexpectedly good." In response to Reply # 0
This was a very, very different movie from The Shining which I respect. It's not nearly as stylish but I feel like the newly developed characters really hold their own. The movie surprised me in the nuanced way that it portrayed generational pain. I'm really happy that we didn't spend too much time in the hotel.
The recasting of the main characters were pretty awful though.
12. "Book spoiler Re: Generational pain" In response to Reply # 11
>It's not nearly as stylish but I feel like the >newly developed characters really hold their own. The movie >surprised me in the nuanced way that it portrayed generational >pain.
One aspect from the book that I think would have made the film stronger, is that Abra turns out to be Danny's niece. There's a subplot regarding her mother and grandmother that tie that together quite well, and figure heavily in the end. That's a lot to include, so they may not have been able to come up with a way to add that relationship that felt earned.
The movie fine with out it, but that worked out well in the book, and I think it would have been a weightier element in the movie, particularly in regard to generational pain.
Plus there's other shit, like Abra making her first point of contact with Dan either as an infant, well before she does in the movie. Dan's sobriety coincides with her birth, as she turns 15 while he celebrates 15 years of sobriety. Dan explains the history of the Torrance family, as Abra displays similar Torrance rage, along with the shine, and cautions her against it. It's a very nice bookend to the first.