The Sandman (2022)

Watchseries; A beautiful looking and compelling pilot introduces Tom Sturridge who captures the ethereal quality of the Endless despite being given little to do as he sits in captivity. However, the many changes from the source material cause a cognitive dissonance that is bound to alienate the massive fan base this series begins with. I don't mean the inclusion of black/female characters per se but the inclusion of such characters where they simply weren't. It's as if Baz Lurhmann had decided to cast a black female as Elvis and make her gay - a rewriting of the source material to such an extent that it doesn't work for me. My mind may change, I may be won over. If so I will up my rating. It is certainly visually stunning and Tom Sturridge is good.

A beautiful looking and compelling pilot introduces Tom Sturridge who captures the ethereal quality of the Endless despite being given little to do as he sits in captivity. However, the many changes from the source material cause a cognitive dissonance that is bound to alienate the massive fan base this series begins with. I don't mean the inclusion of black/female characters per se but the inclusion of such characters where they simply weren't. It's as if Baz Lurhmann had decided to cast a black female as Elvis and make her gay - a rewriting of the source material to such an extent that it doesn't work for me. My mind may change, I may be won over. If so I will up my rating. It is certainly visually stunning and Tom Sturridge is good.

The Sandman watchseries. WELCOME to the world that heterosexual people don't exist ! Ok i'm almost at the end of the series there's one thing that makes me wonder WHY everybody in this show is gay ? Is it like the comics ? If no then why you should intentionally exaggerate this kinda stuff ? I mean literally every character i see is gay no matter where or when ! Come on ... if you do respect to LGBTQ+ you have to respect all and make the balance . I assume even lucifer is gay in the show ! Oh even cars ,trees and ALSO weather !!! Come on what are you doing ? You don't pay attention to the lgbtq+ community with this over exaggerate shows , you just made this community vulnerable. This path going even in LOTR and oh god i wish that at least we don't have this kind of stuff in that show ! PEOPLE if showrunners or creators want to adapt a story they should stick to the source and if they don't they just have to make a new story and don't even bring a name of tthat original story !

Not me thinking this is it, Netflix finally made a good adaptation. The first 30mins was all i hoped for, then the rest of the series happened.

It's like they made the Pilot great, got the series gree-lit then opted for mediocrity. The obvious drop in quality of the script and acting can be felt from the second episode onwards.

This is just sad because this show had potential, if they just stuck with the pace and quality of the first episode.

They take a great book, and completely alter primary character race and gender and expect fans to enjoy it. If Batman were all the sudden a black woman would it be okay to point out that that's not Batman? If someone has an original story that's already inclusive and diverse and they would like to produce that into a train wreck or dumpster fire of a TV show then do it but DO NOT wreck existing beloved material by race and gender swapping characters. I am so disgusted by all the identity politics and inclusion quotas rather than telling a story. Inclusivity and diversity quotas are going to destroy most movies and TV shows, as it does this one. Sherlock Holmes is not a teenage Indian woman. The Six Million Man is not a middle-aged heavy set gay black woman. Luke Skywalker isn't a woman Superman isn't a woman Thor isn't a woman. And as far as most of us are concerned none of them are gay, like the TV shows and movies Hollywood wants to shove down our throats.

So apparently England in the early 1900's is populated by an upper class that is 40% African all of whom speak with the most refined of British accents that you could possibly imagine. Honestly, this requires more of a suspension of disbelief than the idea of a 'Lord of Dreams' because that latter is supposed to be fantasy whereas the former is presented as reality. Sigh. How is constructing a world where the best that an African can be is to pretend to White not the most demeaning thing possible you could do to someone? Then throw in gay relationships wherever you can, but make sure that they are interracial gay relationships for double the woke points...I made it half way through episode 3 and had had enough. This review won't be up for long. Not because anything I have said is in anyway inaccurate. But because the greatest sin imaginable these days is to simply speak the truth of what is right before your eyes.

So far, it follows the comic books quite faithfully. The first half sees him imprisoned and searching out his tools, then it transitions to being about humanity and his relationship to it.

Now, I think the first half is a 10/10. It is perfection. Incredibly to see that section rendered so well, and it made me immediately want to re read the comics.

The second half is more like a 7/10, so I rounded it to around 8, because I think though it captures to the plot beats quite well in its remix for television, it also fails to capture the uncanny aesthetic from the comics. This makes it feel incongruent with the first half and too mundane at times. The atmosphere feels at odds with what is cultivated in the first half.

Story wise, I have to disagree with many others. I think the transition and exploration is a smart move for the story overall, because it's just not sustainable to have the first arc throughout and it makes sense for where his character is at to explore what humanity means to him and who he is, which is shirked at the start for the awesome quest. It requires a downbeat and the ideas explored are still top notch. I maintain the only flaw is that the way they bring the arc to tv, aesthetically, feels like a miss. Also, some of the actors aren't as good in the later half - such as Rose, who feels only passable.

That said, totally stoked for more of this. Absolutely.