The Sandman Series Review: Neil Gaiman’s Classic DC Comic Book Is Honoured Faithfully By a Dreamy Performance From Tom Sturridge! (LatestLY Exclusive)

The Sandman Series Review: Being more than 30 years since it was first published, writer Neil Gaiman changed the landscape of fantasy comic books with the release of The Sandman. Bringing such a rich and detailed world with artwork that perfectly encapsulated the grandiose of the Endless, The Sandman was a game changer in many ways. With the comic basically being deemed “unfilmable,” Netflix has somehow managed to pull off the impossible and give us an adaptation that is pretty much one-to-one, aside from some key differences here and there. Bullet Train Movie Review: Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Blood-Soaked Thriller Revels In the Tongue-In-Cheek Chemistry of Its Cast! (LatestLY Exclusive).

A clear passion project for Gaiman, who was involved in the project as well, Netflix’s The Sandman is based on the DC comic book series of the same. Following Dream/Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), the King of Dreams, the series sees his get captured in an occult ritual and escape from it a century later.

Returning to his Kingdom of Dreaming, he sees the landscape across him swished up in a mess as his followers abandon him. Going on a journey that explores the perplexities of human nature, Morpheus tries restoring order to his once blooming kingdom.

The most striking thing about The Sandman will be its visuals. From the moment the first episode starts out, you will see where the supposed $15 million per episode budget was spent on. From glimmering vistas to breathtaking sequences of Dreaming to going to the depths of hell itself, the VFX heavy scale of this show is very well put up. Having tint of shininess to its cinematography in order to portray the fantastical and high-concept of it, The Sandman provides for a spectacle on the small screen.

Watch The Trailer:

While the dreaming and larger-than-life sequences of The Sandman are handled with the utmost care, that same shininess in its visuals doesn’t work when dealing with the mortal world. While creating for some grounded sequences, there is a sense of grandeur in every frame and at times, it doesn’t have the same effect. Thankfully, those scenes are carried by some really amazing performances with Tom Sturridge vanishing away into the role of Morpheus.

Only being the second pale British actor to portray one of the most emo protagonists in DC’s history after Robert Pattinson’s Batman this year, Sturridge is a standout. With his heavy voice and raised up hair as he walks around with all-black clothing, he puts in a lot of work portraying Morpheus. Being baffled by the various complexities of humanity and those of the other Endless as well, his journey is what makes watching the show worth it.

Being joined by an impressive set of cast members, he plays off of them quite well. Boyd Holbrook’s Corinthian is creepy and charming in all the right ways while Gwendoline Christie’s Lucifer makes an impactful presence with her striking aura. Jenna Coleman also portrays Johanna Constantine and makes for a memorable appearance with Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s Death giving an empathetic performance. Also, a special shoutout to Mark Hamill’s Mervyn Pumpkinhead, as the famed actor does what he does the best. All the casting is on-point.

With The Sandman already having a loud niche fanbase, there are expectations leveraged here for its story, and it does meet them. While Dream’s journey is the bulk of it, the show does jump around quite a bit as the pacing can be messy. The first few episodes, while establishing the lore, are very much slow in how they develop the story. The second half is what you’re here for though as many things come to head and will grip you almost immediately. Thirteen Lives Movie Review: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell Shine In Ron Howard’s Dramatic Retelling of the Thai Cave Rescue! (LatestLY Exclusive).

There is also the talk of how newcomers might be affected and it’s a difficult territory in there. The story does jump from plot points to plot points, and the almost standalone nature can turn off some, but it’s the realization of Gaiman’s world and the performances in here that will keep you holding on until the end.

Yay!

The Casting

Visuals

Nay!

The Pacing

Final Thoughts

The Sandman has passion oozing through and through. Gaiman has put in a lot of work here to see his magnum opus be portrayed this way on the screen, and while there is room for improvement, the Netflix series does provide for an honourable take on this story. With Tom Sturridge leading an impressive cast, The Sandman joins the ranks of Sweet Tooth in being niche DC properties that are done right.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2022 07:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).