Doctor Sleep 4k Blu-Ray Review

February 2, 2020 at 3:16am
By Jason Stettner

This is a very interesting continuation to The Shining, it pushes the story forward while also doing something new. It’s less about suspenseful horror, and more digs into what makes the special ability Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) possesses so important. This takes place decades later, as he starts to interact with a young girl that has similar abilities.

There’s however a third party to this, a dark one that hunts and drains the life of those that are gifted. This is the charming, and sinister Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson). There are numerous interactions, and various dark sequences as a battle wages on. Tonally it’s quite different in comparison to the original film, but this actually works well as it builds upon those foundations.

It acts as both a satisfying sequel to the original, and something almost entirely different. Its does build towards its point fairly slowly, so prepare for a fairly long run time. That’s an element that could have been tightened up on, the run time. You’ll get a splash of nostalgia here, and surprise as it aims to keep you guessing while being a tad shocked by the darkness you’re witnessing along the way.

Doctor Sleep 4k Special Features

The Doctor Sleep 4k Blu-Ray comes with a number of special features. These are mostly just available to view on the traditional Blu-Ray disc as opposed to the 4k one. Both discs include the following selections that can be viewed individually.

”Return to the Overlook”, “A New Vision” and “From Shining to Sleep” which were neat smaller looks at how this process began. I would have appreciated more of a technical perspective there, but still interesting to hear about. The regular Blu-Ray disc includes the Director’s Cut so I was quite disappointed not to see that being an option on the 4k disc.

Speaking of the actual discs, they have a neat 3D effect to them that was really cool to see. The visual quality of the premium option was simply stunning. The picture resolution was remarkable, and gorgeous. It was grim, and that HDR only helped to enhance the experience. This is the perfect example of what this resolution can actually provide when it’s provided in a native format.

The Conclusion

The Doctor Sleep 4k Blu-Ray package comes with a few extra features, and one gorgeous example of just what a 4k resolution can provide for a movie. It looks absolutely incredible, but I was disappointed that the Director’s Cut is only available on the basic Blu-Ray disc. That aside, this is a great film though it may be a tad slow for some.

It builds upon the absolute classic that is The Shining, and does so respectfully. It’s also a very different sort of movie, it feels natural to that original narrative while doing its own sort of thing. It moves away from the style of tense horror, and brings a sinister haunting threat to the forefront. It has so many treats for fans of the classic, while doing new things that will certainly delight fans of horror. It’s a very well done movie, and this is a great addition to it.

Doctor Sleep 4k Blu-Ray Review
Provided by Warner Brothers

Rating Overall: 8.4