Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman on Netflix is a tour de force of storytelling

I thought I should write about it after re-watching the episodes because I am slightly worried about not doing it justice. To be honest, I didn’t think it would blow my mind as I always prefer written words over moving pictures. I love watching movies but if it is a movie based on a book, I almost know for sure that the book is better. Everyone’s imagination is unique.

I am trying to write a review without spoiling the plot, so here we go— it is a gripping, emotional tale. The characters are rich and complex, and the plot is full of twists and turns. It is dark. But there are plenty of heartwarming moments. Some say it is too “woke” or “politically correct”. You can expect a cast that shows diversity and characters that are homosexual or transgender. There are also strong female roles (i.e. they are not “manic pixie dream girls”.) I would say that it is a story of our times and for our times.

But the most pleasant and surprising aspect of The Sandman is how visually stunning it is, with beautiful animation and art direction — the Dreaming is undoubtedly a dreamscape. This is perhaps one of the most high-quality made-for-TV drama series in the history of television. (Or it could be that I haven’t watched enough TV in my life.)

I love Neil Gaiman. His mastery of re-imagining and retelling tales has always been a fascination to me. His short story, “Snow, Glass, Apples”, published in 1994, remains one of my favourites.