One of the biggest fantasy series of the year is finally breaking the Netflix curse

It feels like every second Netflix series is based on a comic, a video game or an anime. And most of them are horribly bad and unworthy of the original. to often already disappointed Netflix with flops like Jupiter’s Legacy, Cowboy Bebop or most recently Resident Evil. The new dark fantasy series Sandman has finally broken this curse.

Sandman is the film adaptation of one of the most seminal graphic novel series in the fantasy genre. So it’s no exaggeration that fans of Neil Gaiman’s legendary template had fears of yet another disappointment. The surprise is all the bigger: Sandman is one of the best adaptations Netflix has ever produced.

Fantasy, horror and everything in between: This is Sandman on Netflix

But what is Sandman actually about? At the center of the series is Dream aka Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), the ruler of the world of dreams and a member of the seven Eternals. Unfortunately, however, his kingdom has to do without a leader when he is summoned by an occultist and then lives in captivity for over 100 years.

as himself Dream in the present can finally free, he finds his dream kingdom destroyed again. But before he can rebuild it, he must recover three stolen insignia that give him his power: a bag of dream sand, his “crown” and a ruby ​​amulet.

Watch the trailer for Netflix’s fantasy epic Sandman here:

If you don’t know the DC Comic template, you might be a little confused at first – and that’s not just because of the extremely distorted and dreamy anamorphic look the series. Sandman follows namely no classical and linear structure.

Each of the first six episodes acts as an independent and often self-contained chapter. This narrative form brings us – and evokes – a panopticon of different locations, characters, themes and genres (from fantasy to horror). short story format strongly reminiscent of the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher.

For example, Dream meets the contract exorcist Joanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) in one episode, while he already meets in the next wacky mind battle with Lucifer Morgenstern (Gwendoline Christie) in Hell delivers.

A highlight of these short stories is that of Hob Gadling, a man from 1389 who one day decides he will not die. From then on, Hob met Dream once every hundred years in a small inn to tell about his life. The result is a fascinating 30-minute summary of the evolution of man and society over a period of more than 600 years.

However, the Sandman often serves only as a connecting element of the individual kaleidoscopic stories, which through their variety of motifs tell us more about this special world and the Interaction of dreams and human desires reveal.

Sandman at Netflix: An excellent adaptation with small adjustments

Few comic book adaptations stay as true to their originals as Sandman. And it’s not just a Netflix problem, with Heartstopper being a welcome and rare exception of late. Many adaptations try to break away from their template and go their own way. But here fans get exactly what Neil Gaiman’s magnum opus has already mastered so excellently.

This may also be due to the fact that the creator himself was involved in the development and scripting of the series along with Allan Heinberg and David S. Goyer. The first six episodes deliver one impressive implementation of the first volume.

The last four episodes are dedicated to the events of the second volume, The dollhouseforming a cohesive storyline with new characters and multiple intertwined narrative levels centered around three escaped dreams, a serial killer convention, and the teenage Rose Walker (Kyo Ra).

Of course, Sandman is not a 100% exact copy of the template. Some items have been sensibly modernized, streamlined and adapted for the new medium, while retaining the most important core elements. The biggest changes concern the DC connections of the Sandman comics, which have mostly been cancelled.

For example, plays in the Netflix adaptation though Wonder Woman’s daughter an important role, but their family background is no longer mentioned. Places like Arkham Asylum or characters like DC demonologist John Constantine have therefore been given new names.

Sandman: The dark fantasy epic is a gift to the fans

But in the end, Sandman remains a love letter to fans of the template. This is how iconic scenes become brought to life almost panel by panelwhile some essential dialogue passages were also taken directly from the comic.

For non-experts, however, this closeness to the original could some strange moments cause. Because many (very brief) character appearances and mentions of names and events could without knowledge of their importance for the later course of action and the context of the big picture almost at random Act.

Is the Sandman series equal to the graphic novel in terms of its fidelity to the original? Unfortunately, the Netflix adaptation isn’t that good either. When it comes to brutality, sex and the drama of the story, she sometimes makes small compromises. But don’t worry: Sandman is far from family-friendly entertainment.

The wild fantasy mix with its breathtaking pictures is everything Sandman fans could ever hope for. It stands out visually and structurally from the mishmash of Netflix series. Hardcore fans might be bothered by the deviations. But isn’t that the core theme of Sandman? Either you accept the change…or you die.

Will you watch the Netflix adaptation of Sandman?