"The Sandman" astounds with its scope and ability to translate comic pages into a tangible and fully conceived series. If we could best describe it, this was way beyond what we get from Netflix Originals and this is one of the best series the outfit has ever released in our opinion. The meticulous love letter to this series from its creators show in each episode and in each second and the end product is nothing short of magnificent.
When the Sandman, aka Dream or Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) – the one who controls all our dreams – is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century. His absence has caused chaos in the waking world in which he intends to fix. But first he must recover his sources of power - his sand, his helm, and his ruby. But this is easier said than done as Dream soon finds out that to recover what is his will take him to the deepest and darkest places within the waking world and beyond.
There have been several attempts to adapt "The Sandman" and nothing has ever come to fruition until now. And you know what? We're really glad that it took this long because this adaptation was simply astounding in what it was able to achieve. Of course, the biggest achievement for the series in our opinion was its cinematography. The series had this certain look and vibe that makes it surrealistically modern, retro, and dream-like all at the same time. And what's surprising is that we found the Waking World scenes more interesting than those featured in the Dreaming. But the series isn't only about the visuals and this adaptation was able to keep in touch with its roots. This was a deep, dark, and though-provoking experience from start to finish. Some episodes dragged but all of them had something important to say about humanity and life in general. If we could choose the highlight of the series, it would definitely be "Episode 5: 24/7" which not only is an award-grabber type of output but one that will uniquely define this series for a long time to come. A close second would be the episode after that "The Sound of Her Wings" especially in its first half wherein Dream walks with her sister while she is at work. And yes, Tom Sturridge was just excellent as Dream while Boyd Holbrook was the biggest revelation as the Corinthian. We won't deny it though that "The Sandman" isn't perfect. There are episodes that dragged or had jarring pacing. But looking at it in a broader spectrum, "The Sandman" was outstanding and excellent work from Netflix and one that they should build upon more in the future. It's an emotional and psychological tour-de-force and that's quite an achievement in its own right.
The Sandman Series Review: Dreams Achieved
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