The Sandman (2017)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Let's be realistic.

Fresh and Exciting

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

'The Sandman' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'The Sandman' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend and it is a sleeper.Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky. Tobin Bell does his best.Unfortunately, the scenery is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm. Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting, especially one of the worst child performances ever.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.A lot of 'The Sandman' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy in its execution of the more psychological elements, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film, and the music doesn't really fit.Altogether, another very bad film. 2/10 Bethany Cox

This is a fairly decent SyFy flick. Madison (Shae Smolik) we discover has telekinetic powers and is able to create a nightmarish Sandman to protect herself from those that would do her harm She winds up in the custody of her aunt (Haylie Duff) who attempts to help and protect her. The film reminded me a bit of "Fire Starter" although the acting and writing was a notch below.

Very unimaginative, routine, seen-it-a-hundred times sort of horror movie. I got through about 50 minutes, and I couldn't continue. I would think that in 2017, filmmakers can come up with something a bit more novel. How many b-horror movies use a little white girl, that screams a lot, named Madison, with a 20 something big sister/aunt, both are frightened of some cheap CBI monster, that kills people...I'll pass.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2017 and written & directed by Peter Sullivan, "The Sandman" chronicles events in the Los Angeles area when an orphaned girl with psychic abilities (Shae Smolik) is granted custody by her photographer aunt (Haylie Duff), who has a sometimes live-in partner (Shaun Sipos). Unfortunately, there's a deadly creature linked to the girl whom she calls the Sandman. Tobin Bell plays a government agent obsessed with cultivating the girl's powers while Amanda Wyss plays a psychiatrist who wants to heal her.The theme has been around since "Forbidden Planet" (1956). The effective monster looks like a dried-up skeletal version of Swamp Thing mixed with the aliens from "Signs" (2002). Haylie is a winsome protagonist with a striking face and Tobin Bell is always good for these kinds of flicks. You'll remember Wyss from the first act of 1984's "A Nightmare on Elm Street." There's a haunting X-Files tone. I like the movie, but it's not the most compelling creature feature. There are some semi-tedious stretches, as with The X-Files.THE MOVIE RUNS 90 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles, Acton & Hawthorne, California. ADDITIONAL CAST: Lyn Alicia Henderson appears as a staunch children services agent while Paul Logan is on hand as one of Bell's heavies.GRADE: B-/C+ (5.5/10)