While I don't consider it a masterpiece, I did enjoy the classic Kubrick rendition of The Shining, and I understand why it has the fan base it does. Seeing the trailer for Doctor Sleep and discovering Ewan McGregor was playing an adult Danny Torrance, I thought the concept might be interesting.
Everyone acts fantastic in this film. I thought Ewan McGregor built a very nice character. If I had imagined how Danny might have turned out after the first film ended, I don't think I would have predicted it much different. There are a few intense moments with the villains (Primarily Rose the Hat and Snakebite Andi) that made me absolutely hate them (which is a good thing). I think the things they do in the film would make anyone want them to see a terrible fate.
I found myself smiling at the call-backs to the classic movie, and when Danny returns to the Overlook Hotel. It's been a while since I've said to myself "Oh wow, there it is" that many times at a film. I will say there are a couple scenes at the Overlook that feel like they were written in to make the fan base happy rather than be part of the story, but nothing that drags on too long.
As far as it being a scary film, you may jump a few times, and some scenes are a little disturbing, but by Stephen King standards, it's more of a suspense film.
An advantage I'll give this film over The Shining is that even though the film is two and a half hours, it doesn't get boring. Not that The Shining was boring, but it is a very slow film. Stanley Kubrick loved to throw in very long shots in his films, and while I personally think they worked sometimes, other times they were excessive, and in The Shining, they were excessive to me.
I think this film is at least worth a watch whether you're a fan of the Kubrick film or not, because it's sort of it's own film in a way. It shows enough of the classic film to have a connection, but also has a story different enough and good enough to hold it's own.
