Not everything in a book, comic book, or graphic novel adaptation can always be faithfully transferred to the screen. The same can be said for Netflix’s 2022 adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. It’s best to think of this series as a modernized version of Neil Gaiman’s original The Sandman graphic novels. There are some triggers (same-gender kissing scenes, very graphic horror, and disturbing themes that may turn off sensitive viewers) in the series. This review is specifically written for those who want to watch The Sandman but are discouraged by other people’s reviews/comments. We’ve included spoilers and trigger warnings, if you don’t want any spoilers, don’t read further.

Because The Sandman is such an intriguing subject, we’ve divided our discussion into several sections:

First, we will discuss what we liked and disliked about the show, and then we will provide a brief synopsis of each episode, complete with trigger warnings, (most of the violence excluded). Perhaps this will help you decide whether to watch The Sandman or not.

Overall, we thought this show was fantastic and can’t wait for season 2.

What we liked (contain spoilers)

• The scenery is stunning, and it has the feel of a proper fantasy series to us. For the most part, the cinematography is fantastic, and the story is well-paced.
• It was a pleasant surprise to see Charles Dance (see our Phantom of the Opera article) and other well-known actors from Doctor Who (Jenna Coleman, Arthur Darvill, and David Tennant), Harry Potter (David Thewlis), Game of Thrones (Gwendoline Christie), and Star Wars (Mark Hamill).
• The story is very compelling and entertaining – better than most we’ve seen in recent years.
• Neil Gaiman’s interpretations of sensitive subjects are fairly well handled. Whereas most other series today show graphic scenes, this series mostly just implies them.
• Tom Sturridge, who played Morpheus/Dream/The Sandman, was an excellent choice, and his voice is very sexy.
• The rest of the cast is superb – we particularly enjoyed the characters of Morpheus, Desire, Death, Fiddlers Green, Corinthian, Lucifer, John and Hal (John Cameron Mitchell – wrote and acted in Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
• Episodes 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 10 are our favourite episodes.
• The dream battle in hell, as well as the scene in which Morpheus reclaims his helmet, were both epic.
• Episode 5 is quite disturbing, but it is very interesting to watch because the patrons’ true colors are revealed. It was fascinating to see how John manipulates them. This was a good episode in terms of the psychological factors motivating everyone in the diner, but it is not for everyone due to the numerous triggers.
• Episode 6 was excellent; it revealed another side of Morpheus. His friendship with Hob over the years, as well as his conversations with his sister, Death.
• John Cameron Mitchell delivered outstanding performances in episodes 7 and 8. Fans of Hedwig and the Angry Inch will recognize him as the film’s writer and main actor who played Hedwig.
• The Cereal Convention for Serial Killers in Episode 9 was entertaining, if a little gruesome at times (and might be triggering to viewers who are sensitive to gore).
• The story was overall very entertaining.

 

What we did not like (contain spoilers)

• The CGI gargoyle, while cute, was not particularly impressive.
• We didn’t care for the Bible references, such as Cain and Abel or where the Corinthian got his name.
• We didn’t like episode 3. Constantine’s character did not appeal to us at all. The scene in which she kisses a woman was unnecessary and added nothing to the plot. This episode also contained a lot of unnecessary swearing.
• The same-gender scenes in the plot felt forced, particularly in episodes 3, 7, 9.
• The scene in episode 7 where the Corinthian has sex (implied) with Rose’s house sitter was unnecessary and could have been left out. In the episode, they don’t show much, just some kissing, because at the end of the day the house sitter does not talk to Rose again – so why have this scene at all?
• In episode 9, the Corinthian kisses the fake “Bogeyman” before killing him. Once again, it felt forced and unnecessary.

 

EPISODE GUIDE (contain spoilers)

Warnings of episodes and scenes that might trigger people / sensitive viewers (contain spoilers). As this is a semi-horror, our spoilers do not contain trigger warnings for scenes of graphic violence.

Episode 1. Sleep of the Just.
Episode 2. Imperfect Hosts.
Episode 3. Dream a Little Dream of Me.
Episode 4. A Hope in Hell.
Episode 5. 24/7.
Episode 6. The Sound of Her Wings.
Episode 7. The Doll’s House.
Episode 8. Playing House.
Episode 9. Collectors
Episode 10: Lost hearts
Episode 11: Dream of a Thousand Cats / Calliope

 

TRAILER