Criticism of ‘The Sandman’: Netflix finally fulfills the dream of adapting Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed comic

by

Gaiman joined the adaptation process with Allan Heinberg (“Wonder Woman”) and veteran comics-to-film writer David S. Goyer, who between this and the confusion of Apple TV+ “Base” a gap has been made in the herding of projects considered inadaptable to mass production.
In this case, the long-awaited series follows a proposed film that would have starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a Audible version of the podcast introduced in 2020, so congratulations, in a way, just for making it this far.

Still, the dense fantasy elements and lyrical storytelling don’t translate easily from page to page, and the meticulous detail in rendering look and tone doesn’t elicit much emotional investment. That might sate fans who can fill in the gaps, but in the context of a 10-episode series, it might leave the uninitiated adrift in dreamland.

Faithfully following the comic, the opening episode features Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), also known as the King of Dreams, trapped by a strange spell, making him the prisoner of a rich Englishman (“Charles Dance” from Game of Thrones) who Search for the secret to cheating death.

Decades pass before Morpheus escapes, discovering that chaos has ensued during his long absence (by human standards, anyway), forcing him to retrieve the lost items to restore his power and control.

That slow quest parallels the actions of a shadowy, malevolent figure known as The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook), who seeks to capitalize on Morpheus’ weakness as the story oscillates between various fantasy realms and “the waking world.” . where mere mortals reside.

Morpheus’ travels take him down a variety of detours (several chapters are essentially episodic, advancing peripherally in the larger plot at best), leading to encounters with other eternal supernatural beings, including Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie). and the Dream brothers known as Endless, such as Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste).

As for others in the all-star cast, many of whom appear in just an episode or two, include David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Joely Richardson, and the voices of Mark Hamill and Patton Oswalt, the latter as a prankster crow.

The performances, however, feel blunted by narrative structure and dreamlike storytelling, beginning with Sturridge’s lead role. In that sense, “The Sandman” is less accessible than something like Gaiman. “Good omens”, where Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s playful combat helps anchor their mythical qualities.
Netflix is ​​no stranger to taking ambitious leaps forward with high-profile sci-fi and fantasy properties, experiencing the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, including high-profile entries like “Cowboy Bebop” Y “Jupiter’s Legacy”, neither of which got a second season. “The Sandman” opens a section of big bet adaptations via streamingadding extra corporate excitement to your destination.

On paper, the series certainly has the makings to engineer a longer run, but this often visually stunning first season, while creeping into later episodes, speaks more to the promise of the concept than its full execution.

For those who have eagerly awaited “The Sandman” to invade this realm, and no doubt harbor long-nurtured notions about how it should do so, that excitement might be enough. But perhaps inevitably, given the hypnotic nature of Gaiman’s mythology, a series devoted to dreams doesn’t turn out to be the stuff dreams are made of.

“The Sandman” premieres August 5 on Netflix.

Leave a Comment