After several attempts, Netflix presents The Sandmanthe series that is consecrated as the best and most faithful adaptation of the successful saga of Neil Gaiman comics published between 1989 and 1996.
What is it about?
“In the waking world, the one humanity insists on calling ‘the real world,’ as if their dreams don’t affect the decisions they make. You mortals go about your jobs, your loves, and your wars as if wakefulness were all that mattered. But there is another life that awaits you when you close your eyes and enter my kingdom. Well, I am the King of Dreams… and of Nightmares”. so it begins The Sandman.
With this preamble, it is concisely presented who will be the protagonist: Morpheus, also known as The Sandman. One of the 7 Eternals. Anthropomorphic immortal entities that are part of the universe in which the story takes place. They are different manifestations related to personality and consciousness: Dream (Sleep), Death (Death), desire (Desire), Despair (Despair), Destiny (Destiny), delirium (Delirium) and destruction (Destruction).
We meet some of them during this first season.
Perhaps one of the first successes is that the author of the comics himself serves as executive producer in the series. This, associated with a great job in the selection of the cast, and the great economic commitment after the association of DC and Warner, explain the aforementioned fidelity, attractiveness and potential of this great work.
Entertaining plot, deep themes
The series, with its ups and downs, manages to entertain, fascinate and transport the public to that well-achieved range of magical worlds and incredible situations full of special effects and remarkable photography. But the insertion of reflexive turning points with very well worked and very effective themes is not left out.
In The Sandman fear and our relationship with death, interpersonal communications, the cult of honesty, loyalty, friendship, pride, selfishness, spirituality, hypocrisy are problematized and questioned. It unravels the way in which the presence of the seven elements represented by the Eternals is manifested, beyond good and evil, and interacting with each other in different personalities.
A cast to match
Once again the challenge was huge and the bet was risky. The needs in terms of acting staff were complex. Characters that enter and leave the scene, others with leading and exclusive roles for certain episodes. Those that are maintained throughout the course of the season.
The bet mostly paid off. Tom Sturridge What Sandman sets the tone for a series of outstanding performances. Kirby Howell-Baptiste confirms why it was chosen after an extensive and meticulous casting to embody Death. Jenna Coleman gives us an excellent characterization of Johanna Constantine.
Special mention for Boyd Holbrookwho after breaking it by playing a character with many complexities like El Corintio, proved to have the necessary credentials to fulfill his longing -and ours- in the future to embody a new version -post-musical- of the Joker.
Not all that glitters is gold
Some performances were marred more by script than by acting performance. Like Lucifer with the female version of him played by Gwendoline Christie.
On the other hand, the necessary compression of the story did not allow the expected development of characters that ultimately did not have enough strength to connect with the viewer.
From less to more
The final product is tremendously attractive for those who knew comics. But far from immersing itself in that niche, the series targets a different audience in each episode. It seeks to massify the scope seducing the ‘outsiders’. But generally when you cover a lot you squeeze a little, and something like that also happened to The Sandman in its first episodes.
The first chapter promises a lot. As a presentation, the plot bases are laid on which interesting interactions between mythological, fantastic and earthly entities take place. The bar is very high in terms of expectation, but the following episodes oscillate between well-achieved tension and tedium. A weak point that is worth going through anyway.
From the second to the fourth chapter, what presumably could have been problematized throughout the season is resolved – without captivating. In the midst of this surprisingly rapid outcome of events, some scenes even present insurmountable passages. As part of the duel between Sandman and Satan. Scene rescued by the final imposition of an interesting dialogue.
At this point comes the point where we ask ourselves, what now? Luckily the series responds positively to the intrigue takes a very positive turn.
Chapter Five is a turning point, a breath of fresh air and a sublime work that could perfectly have been a stand-alone film. An episode that shakes us and challenges us, dismays us and returns us to the initial levels of enthusiasm. From there the series takes a leap in quality, originality and good taste.
Are all comics adaptable to audiovisual format?
The adaptation, fidelity and the licenses that can be taken in the realization, must be subject to the functionality of the story in the new format. Only in this way is it feasible to bring a literary work of these characteristics to a platform of streaming. In this aspect, The Sandman had more lights than shadows.
Bearing in mind that history transports us chronologically several hundred years into the past, just as part of its plot unfolds today. And that the universe expands into various realms and settings beyond the mundane. It can be said that, even excluding the economic factor, here was one of the great production challenges: how to create something uniform with all these diversities and complexities?
The way to solve it was very disruptive. It traveled in the opposite direction to take uniformity as a premise. As for this, beyond some ups and downs, we can give another thumbs up after witnessing an authentic potpourri of narrative structures under the same aesthetic pattern, marked by the only great difference in style with the comics: an opaque and effective color palette. .
Episodes set in different historical eras. Alternative protagonists. A walk through hell. A chapter entirely developed inside a restaurant. Until an entirely animated episode. All forming part of a great plot gear.
Will there be a second season?
The magnitude of this realization is so great that, despite the audience success, the next season is still in doubt due to the economic efforts necessary for its realization. Something that was revealed by Neil Gaiman himself, where the author even assured that, if the link with Netflix is not renewed, he could approach other platforms of streaming. Hopefully we can continue enjoying a story that still has a lot to give.