“Sandman”, the Netflix screening of Neil Gaiman’s comic, is a fresh item on Netflix and I was positively surprised by it. Obviously it’s not perfect. In today’s world, “delightful” series and movies are more difficult to experience than meeting a unicorn. Nevertheless, watching the series was very enjoyable.
From visual standpoint, the show is extremely enjoyable, the light-shadow balance is surprisingly good. At no time did I feel haunted by the impression that the frame was too dark to see clearly. Or too bright to spoil the atmosphere. The music is flawlessly hit. The author of the musical compositions is David Buckley, a composer with quite a rich output. Surprisingly among his works is the soundtrack for “Nobody”.
The biggest advantage of the series is definitely its casting win – Tom Sturridge, who plays the role of the title Sandman, King of Dreams. Not only his acting is at a high level, but the actor’s physiognomy itself, with the addition of characterization, makes him play the character perfectly. David Thewlis, (John), Boyd Holbrook (Corinthian), Stephen Fry (Fiddlers Green) and Vanesu Samunyai (Rose Walker) also presented great acting skills. These were the actors that caught my attention the most, although I could add a few more performances that were also very decent.
By far the biggest disadvantage of the series is that it is saturated with political correctness, which at times simply hits the viewer’s face. And not necessarily in a pleasant way. I don’t know if it makes sense to comment on it at this point. This is already such a recurring problem that it can only be explained by psychiatry or magic. And I don’t have skills in any of them.
The changes in the appearance of the heroes, based on race, did not bother me. Partly because I hadn’t read a comic before. And partly because the show had a bit of a “personality blur” vibe – many characters take different forms anyway, so it doesn’t bother the viewer. However, it was shocking to throw so many threads of lgbt in the face. It was unpleasantly forced. And as far as I know, it is unnecessary, because such characters appeared in the comic.
However, apart from this production hiccup, it has a lot to offer. You can feel the weirdness characteristic to Gaiman in his way of creating the world and characters. The presented stories provoke sympathy and give food for thought. Certainly this is not a series that you watch with your brain off. Interestingly enough, the series definitely encouraged me to read the comic and I intend to do it. Even though I don’t usually like comics and I definitely prefer books.
Overall, the production of Netflix deserves a recommendation. And seeing Sandman is hardly a waste of time. It’s not perfect, but it definitely stands out considering how poor the content the entertainment industry is in our time.
