Review | Netflix drama review: The Sandman – adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic book series is well acted but fails to capture the original magic
- Strong performances from Tom Sturridge as Dream and Boyd Holbrook as Corinthian are undermined by the show’s disjointed narrative and tonal inconsistency
- Attempts to consolidate the comic’s weaving storylines leave the adaptation feeling flat and it rarely comes close to capturing the original vivid aesthetic
3/5 stars
After decades wallowing in development and numerous false starts, the first screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s landmark comic book series The Sandman finally arrives, as a 10-episode series on Netflix.
Tom Sturridge plays Morpheus, the misanthropic Lord of the Dreaming, opposite an eclectic and wildly diverse cast that includes Vivienne Acheampong and Vanesu Samunyai alongside the likes of Boyd Holbrook, Gwendoline Christie, and Stephen Fry.
The result is inevitably a mixed bag, as stories and characters are consolidated to make for a more linear and coherent narrative, but at the expense of the comic’s signature style.
Created by Gaiman in collaboration with screenwriters David Goyer (Dark Knight Trilogy) and Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman), the show intertwines the first two volumes of The Sandman’s original run, “Preludes and Nocturnes” and “The Doll’s House”.