The Sandman
I’m not going to sugarcoat this. If you have not watched The Sandman yet, you need to change that. This show is not just for people who have loved Neil Gaiman for 30+ years. This show is not just for people who enjoyed The Sandman comics. In reality, this show is for anyone who has ever felt like they do not have a place in the world and for anyone looking for a new adventure in life. The Sandman is a beautiful example of depth in storytelling. From the first episode alone you learn so much about what this world is and what to expect, while also seeing small nuances that perfectly encapsulate Gaiman’s worlds.
From the avid fan perspective, The Sandman is precisely what I had hoped for. Though we already knew from the previews that this would be an almost shot-for-shot adaptation, there is so much more to it! They have changed the story and the tale just enough to make it the right fit for a television show. The “liberties” that the director took while creating this have been for the better. There are some differences in the story, but they are enough to tie things together in a way that is more understandable than in the original comics (not saying that the comics were not understandable!).
Image courtesy of Netflix
Tell Me Your Dreams
These actors really brought their A-game. Tom Sturridge plays Morpheus/Dream and his performance knocks it out of the park. Seeing his portrayal made me realize that he is exactly the right person for this role. Sturridge really is a dream come true for this role. He absolutely nails the brooding selfishness the Lord of Dreams is capable of. I was worried it was going to be difficult to believe anyone as any of The Endless since they are such hard characters to grasp. Every single casting choice they made is just beautiful and exactly the right person for that role.
The cinematography is beautiful. The way that the camera follows the characters (particularly the ravens) is really cool. It makes you feel like you’re floating in a dream. There are a lot of great quiet moments where the characters just exist on the screen, but also tell an entire story without saying a word. I think the fact that they did so closely follow the comics is an amazing choice, but it also makes for really interesting shots. There are so many moments that are straight out of the comic and they are SO COOL to see on screen.
The Final Verdict
I genuinely believe that if you are interested in dark thoughtful shows you should watch The Sandman. It has such depth and intricacies that should make any fan of this genre happy. I recommend you give it a chance. The final verdict is unsurprisingly a GO! My disclaimer to you is that I did not rate this a GO because of how much I want everyone to watch it, I rated this a GO because I actually feel that this is a show for the type of people that will see the cover and go “Oh that looks interesting!”
I have had multiple people tell me that they enjoyed the show (because they know how obsessive I am) and they also tell me how much they want to read the comics now! And, here’s my final fan-girl moment. This show is perfection. I seriously (and I know I say this a lot but I am an incredibly passionate person) teared up the entire first episode because of how perfect it is. Watching this story come to life is so special. Neil Gaiman’s original The Sandman comics touched me so so deeply and truly impacted my life in a major way. I am so excited and hopeful that this show will do the same for millions of people. Now, what are you waiting for… GO WATCH IT!
If you have watched it, what did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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