This review of the Netflix series The Sandman season 1 contains no spoilers.
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Netflix’s dark fantasy series The Sandman is loosely based on Neil Gaiman’s comic book series. The comics and series introduce the world to a special set of seven siblings called The Endless. Each of the Infinites represents something that is immutable and permanent in human experience, and they are Death, Dream, Despair, Desire, Fate, Destruction, and Delirium. Each has their own realm and powers, operating in their own way. Sandman Season 1 focuses on Lord Morpheus, known as King of Dreams, also known as Dream. It has many names, but luckily that’s the only thing you need to remember. Morpheus is captured by humans and kept imprisoned for over a century and in his absence the world is drastically changed. Morpheus must go on a quest for self-discovery and recover his stolen tools in order to restore balance.
Across ten episodes of around an hour each, we are embarked on a magical and mysterious adventure, with Morpheus avenging those who captured and betrayed him and rebuilding his kingdom, the Dream. Once he is victorious, another threat comes in the form of a Vortex called Rose Walker. A Dream Vortex has the power to awaken the walls between dreams and reality. Morpheus must now stop him in order to keep the Dream Balance safe. Rose also caught the eye of a rogue nightmare called The Corinthian, a serial killer, who doesn’t want to return to the Dreaming. Will Morpheus win?
The CGI is impressive and the creative team has done a brilliant job of bringing the realms to life, without being over the top and distracting. Although I enjoyed this series and really looking forward to a second season, and more, I felt it lacked a lot of action. I thought some of the battle scenes were soft and weak, and I craved darker, more intense action. The battle between Lucifer and Morpheus is smart but slow and in the final episode the final scene between Morpheus and Rose is sweet and we are given a happy ending which is great but it would have been bigger if it had come from more of conflict and trauma. Rose’s storyline felt weak, at times you’re really looking to see if The Corinthian manages to defeat Morpheus and hoping that Lucifer comes back to kick some ass.
Episodes 5 and 6 are by far the best two, well written and extremely well acted. The acting is impressive and there are some extremely renowned actors in this series worth watching. There’s a good comedic balance with the dark tones, but sometimes it overlaps and I couldn’t tell if I was watching dark fantasy horror or a fantasy movie. Coleman’s Cockney accent was way too much to take seriously, while her character was impressive, the accent made her appear more Dick Van Dyke than Butcher. Matthew the Raven is one of my favorite characters, but his carefree attitude with an American accent was an odd choice for me. Nevertheless, there are so many characters to follow and enjoy in this series.
Now, has Netflix done justice to the comics and its fans? You’ll have to watch and decide and let me know in the comments. It’s no secret that Hollywood producers tried to make The sand man for a very long time, from the early 90s before the comics were even finished. After many failed attempts and hated scripts, in 2019 Netflix announced that it was doing The sand man a series with Gaiman on board as producer.
Overall, this series is worth watching. I can’t wait to see what diehard comic book fans have to say about the series because I know there’s a dedicated fanbase out there and for their sake I hope this series lives up to expectations. . The imagination that has gone into this story is awesome and I know I am inspired. I’m hoping for a second season and will definitely be watching. I recommend you watch it if you are a fan of His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings.
What did you think of The Sandman season 1 on Netflix? Comments below.
You can watch this series with a Netflix subscription.
The Sandman season 1 review – your lonely nights are over with this fantasy horror series that first appeared on Ready Steady Cut.
