Movie: Doctor Sleep (2019)

This movie had a tough row to hoe, as my agrarian ancestors were fond of saying. It's a movie sequel to a beloved movie, based on a beloved book which is a sequel to a beloved book, but the original movie and book diverge in significant ways. I happen to love the original movie, the original book and the sequel book, so the chance of this sequel movie satisfying me was very low.

I don't see how it could satisfy anyone. It tries to cram all of the book into the movie, and tries to paper over the differences in the original movie and book. The end result is that it rapidly skips from plot point to plot point and none of them are given their due. The main character in the book is haunted by real ghosts, but what really haunts him is the way he treated a child when he was an addict. The movie shows the event, but fails to give it the weight it deserves.

The only satisfying solution, I think, would be to jettison half of the book and focus on a few key points, much like the original movie did with the original book. There just isn't room in a 2.5 hour movie for 531 pages of story.

Other flaws:

The actress playing Danny's mom, Wendy, was told to imitate Shelly Duvall. This is an impossible task.

The original movie used sound and music sparingly to great effect. The sequel has too much music, and often tries to startle the audience for no good reason with loud noises.

In the book, Rose's hat is always at a precarious angle. This would have been easy to do on screen, but for some reason her hat is always flat. Also, she never reveals her one long tooth.

As the movie was dragging on, I thought one bright spot would be seeing the True Knot people "cycle", which is what they do when they die. In the book it is described in clear, cinematic terms. It takes a while, but the effect is worth it. The film only hints at it, rushes the whole process, and adds a bunch of noise.

That pretty much sums up "Doctor Sleep".