That's true. Way too many horror movies, especially slashers, completely disregards character development. And as a result, you end up not caring when the characters die. You might even end up rooting for the killer, who at worst maybe is more developed than the victims..
Kubrick’s movie does this insofar as you care about Danny and Wendy but you never care for Jack. The book is so much scarier because you do care about Jack and you’re watching his struggles against addiction and anger issues take him over, even though he’s fighting tooth and nail to not give in. The heartbreak of that failure makes it so much more terrifying.
I agree with what he said in comparison of the movie and the book. In the Kubrick film, Jack and Danny never have loving moments. It’s as if Jack regrets having a child. When he snaps, you don’t really see the change. In the book, Jack and Danny are best friends. They truly love each other. It almost breaks your heart when Jack starts to turn on him.
The more I think about "Doctor Sleep," the more I love it. At first, the pacing seemed a little slower, but those threads really added more dimension to the main characters. I've always despised horror sequels; they just seem like cheap rehashes of the originals. However, this story held its own. Is it as scary as "The Shining"? No. But I think the memory of Kubrick's movie adaptation is actually scarier than the actual book, which is more of a supernatural thriller than straight-up horror. Is "Doctor Sleep" as good? I have to say, yeah...but in a different way.
Agreed. Half of the doctor sleep novel(around 250 pages in maybe) sets up the plot then it finally starts getting good in my opinion. At which point the long start up was kind of worth the read
Kubrick was quoted as saying "King's novel has absolutely 0 literary merit, its appeal was wholly in its plot" and King never really got over it. That's some cannonball-to-the-gut nastiness. You can't really blame him. And it's borne of a snobbishness that's mostly died off--maybe Stephen King isn't Kafka, but nobody else is Kafka either--and many people hate the mannered deadness of Kubrick and Kafka, anyhow.
That isn't correct; what he said was "The novel is by no means a serious literary work, but the plot is for the most part extremely well worked out, and for a film that is often all that really matters." That really isn't much of a jab at King, so I think it's a bit silly to suggest that's the reason he's bitter at Kubrick, especially because he's given specific reasons multiple times for his dislike of Kubrick's film 'The Shining'.
John Kennedy-Eby's highly recommended novel of the day 'Fear stands for f--- everything and run' -Old AA saying For years, I thought Stanley Kubricks 'The Shining' was easily one of the best horror films ever made. However, Stephen King (who wrote the novel) was quite disappointed in the final film. While admitting that Stanley Kubrick's visuals were stunning, he said that was surface and not substance. He often described the film as "A fancy car without an engine." (And after reading the book, I concluded that King was right). Now best selling novels often make BAD sequels (Remember Son of Rosemary the continuation of Rosemary's Baby? Didn't think so) but clean and sober King got it right. 'Doctor Sleep' is a brilliant follow-up to his best work 'The Shining' with ideas we've read about before, but feel like their brand new. Well DONE Mr. King
We loved it. The slower pace was a nice deviation from the way movies are made now, (1/2 second scenes for 2 hours, flash flash, super close ups). Ewan McGregor was excellent-as always. I felt there were a couple moments of slightly cheesy "remember that part?" from The Shining, but overall, I felt it was a worthy homage and not did not try to reproduce Kubrick's style. Even at over 2 hours, it holds your undivided attention. Nothing can match the tension of The Shining, but we're in a different time, and we've seen so much more on film since then. I'd see it again.
The movie is being made by Warner Brothers, the same film studio that made the 1980 Kubrick version of the original film, so yeah it probably is going to be a full sequel to the 1980 film and keep continuity with it(so WB can put the two films together as a series in the box-set home releases), even though it will follow it's book much closer than the original film followed it's novel.
I know this will sound weird to some people and to some they will sadly know where I'm coming from. Stephen King saved my sanity as a teenager. When i read his books i could leave my horrible home life for a few chapters at a time. If I'm honest more than a few chapters at a time. But i digress. When people talk about his drug/alcohol abuse. He's human. Mr. King is the one who told us He had a problem. He's overcome His addictions and is a better man for it. Also from what i see and hear His kids are well adjusted human beings. Be like Stephen King!
It's fine if people have both read the book and seen the movie and say that the movie is better (I enjoyed both, currently reading Dr. Sleep). However if you haven't read the book and still say the movie is better, you only speak from ignorance.
Just saw the movie and Ewan McGregor does a great job. Wouldn't say it was as good as The Shining, but it was well worth the price of admission. The Rose the Hat actress does a great job and is pretty stunning to look at as well.
If you watch the mini series of the shining jack turns good and burns the hotel down to save Danny his mom and rick halloran from the ghosts, when I saw it, it reminds me more of Are you afraid of the dark from Nickelodeon. I prefer the Kubrick one personally Doctor Sleep compliments it well
I've been reading King for like 20 years so I definitely know his work when I see it. This book, I dunno, I'm wondering if maybe his son or wife wrote most of it and King put his name on it. All I could think when reading the book was that it just didn't seem like his work. I could be wrong I guess
Down to earth and humble, not the best writer in the world, but one of the most respectable, honest and entertaining. And might I add a fabulous head of hair! =p
Read this book recently it is brilliant. I then re-read the shining so back to front but never mind (book really is much better and different to the film).
i finised listening to the audio book spoken by david nathan and i am already missing Dan and Abra Love the book, its diffrent then shining but thats ok because i dont want a shining 2.0 that has exactly the same scheme like the original
Just finished the book. It’ll be interesting to see how the film adapts certain elements (especially if it’s both an adaptation of the book AND a sequel to the Kubrick film).
The reporter is wrong when he says this is SK's "first sequel." First off, you have the Dark Tower series. Second, Black House was a sequel to The Talisman. Third, even if they aren't literally sequels, all his books are interconnected and have reoccurring characters. For example, Insomnia has a lot of crossover characters with It.
yeah, Insomnia did....but, that was probably one of the worst books in any of his writings. Insomnia put me to sleep....it took me weeks to get through that one, where it usually doesn't take but about 3 days.
I love how he basically wrote Doctor Sleep to spite Kubrick. 😂 he really said "I'm about to wreck this man's whole career" about Kubrick killing off Dick.
It felt cold and detached and was like watching people from a distance like ants on an ant hill I remember Stephen King saying something in that vein when he was asked about Stanley Kubrick version of the shinning and what he felt about it
Honestly it bothers me that the movie isn't a lot like the book. To me the book is the real thing because it's the original. And for them to alter so many unnecessary details? That's just obnoxious. The book made me adore Danny Torrance. I sympathized with Jack even. In the movie? Well, I guess the elevator blood scene was nice.
Kubrick's film, whether they like it or not, is a psychological horror masterpiece of all time and a must for those who like good horror movies, adding the masterful performances of Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, and Danny Lloyd. agree that the film does not respect important aspects of the book, such as the importance of the character of Dick Halloran, or the fact that Jack has an internal struggle to resist the evil represented by the Overlook, however does not detract from the movie that is a great exponent of psychological terror, so I prefer to separate the film from the book because the first does not stick faithfully to the second, I simply consider the work of Kubrick as a masterpiece of cinematography and the work of King as a masterpiece of literature.
Well the book did have a lot of stuff that wouldn’t have translated well to film back then BUT I do think (to an extent) that the wasps should have been included
Strictly speaking I'm not saying that King is as good as he used to be , what I meant was that compared to recent novels such as "Duma Key" and " Bag of Bones" he has made a significant some back. However his recent novel "11/23/63" had promiseuntil it mysteriously broke down halfway through.
They should really make this as a sequel movie to The Shining 1980. Doing it in the style of The Conjuring and Insidious. I've always imagined the cult of the True Not looking like the cult from the Paranormal Activity movies. The Overlook Hotel should not burn down until the climax of the film when Dan and Abra go there. Just like the Paranormal Activity demon, the ghosts of the Overlook are part of cult. It should explain things from the first movie more like the book did but still be in the same style of a Stanley Kubrick movie.
I liked the book Dr Sleep it tied up the ends in nearly every book .Mr King references someone Delores Claiborne is referenced in storm of the century, the grand dad from stand by me is referenced from sun dog then again in IT as the grandfather of the bully in stand by me . He also features as the bad guy in eyes of the dragon Randall Flagg who is the bad guy in the stand that takes time and effort to work out I have and will always the writing of MR KING.!
Really enjoyed the film 1408 however without reading the short story just about to start. If you haven't seen it you should it is really quite disturbing & along the lines of the shining in my opinion (well it's in a hotel anyway!). Watched it loads of times.
Years ago, The Cat Cemetery movie was playing. My son told me never to read S. King's books, or watch his movies. He said it would screw up my mind. I had never even heard of him before. Then I started watching The Dome. It isn't a bit scary. It just goes on and on and on...blah, blah, blah....
Books for me will always be better than their movie counterparts,for one main reason. Imagination. I did like the original Kubrick movie,and thought Jack Nicholson was perfect for the part . I will always be a book fan first though.
Also I find it funny that THIS is the only book he decided to produce a sequel to, almost to say that the overwhelming popularity of The Shining by Stanley Kubrick did not in some sense give inertia to Stephens Kings lying dormant story, I think he is a little jealous in all honesty that for once a movie did something the book could not even come close to.
Sorry to hear that Stephen King and his fans misunderstood the value of Kubrick's film and the significance of the changes he made during the adaption.
CircuitMembrane King seems to have come to terms with the fact most people consider it a masterpiece, but he still dislikes it himself. I would be surprised if he didn't agree with Warner Brothers making slight alterations to Doctor Sleep and turning The Shining into a formally connected two-film series.
Tri Nugraha Ramadhani he’s dead at the end its just his spirit and abra said we continue after we die and she can see them only people who are shining can see them
Pissed me off that they killed Dick in the movie when he didn't die in the book!! What the hell was their point with that? I get that things are taken out when a movie is made, you cannot use every scene from the book but I generally don't like when things are being added. Especially things like a character who didn't die dying.
Yeah but I did expect him to be dead by 2013. Though it would have been great if Dick had been in a nursing home somewhere and Dan had gone to see him. Still, I prefer the ending he got over the Kubric movie. Personally I'm not a fan because some of the changes they made were idiotic and unnecessary.
Understood. I personally like to think of Kubrick's movie as his own take on it, with a few differences that made it more suitable for a legit horror movie. I'm so glad Kubrick got rid of the lawn animals. The thing I love about King is that he isn't 100% serious in tone. Funny quips or thoughts give characters more human qualities. That's why a lot of movies based on his books aren't that great, they take themselves far too seriously.
I do agree with you on the lawn animals. My main gripe with it is the whole killing Dick thing. And I didn't really like Jack and Wendy. I just pictured things a certain way, I guess. I didn't like those creepy twins either... I did quite enjoy some other Stephen King movies like the It miniseries and Pet Cemetery. Though the books were obviously better but aren't they always?
Certainly. The books are far better. Idk. I liked Kubrick's Shining a lot, but I see it as a completely different interpretation than King's. Killing Dick is better than him getting beaten with a Rogue mallet XD. ITS SO GOOFY. I wish he could've made it, though. What will they do if Doctor Sleep gets a movie?
