The Sandman season 2 reviews are split right down the middle, with some critics praising it as an “undeniable visual feast” and others calling it a “pretentious emo drama” that “comes off like unimaginative cosplay”
The first reviews for The Sandman season 2 have arrived, and they’re quite mixed…to say the least.
The second and final season of the DC comics show sees the return of Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Despair (Donna Preston), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), and good ol’ Matthew the Raven (voiced by Patton Oswalt).
Per Netflix, season 2 follows Dream as he restores and rebuilds his kingdom, “as he vows to leave the past behind and look to the future. The past, of course, has other ideas.” The season hit 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes based on seven reviews before several others trickled in, knocking it down to 75%.
“Even when some of the episodes drag – and trust me, a few of them do – they are each an undeniable visual feast, painstakingly brought to life with production and lighting design that rivals other modern fantasy shows,” RogerEbert.com wrote.
“Packed with stunning visuals, top-notch production design, and unforgettable performances, season 2 part 1 will leave fans begging for more,” praised The Direct.
“It’s mesmerizing in the best way, a dark dream that satisfies so thoroughly you loathe to call it nightmarish,” said The Wrap.
The negative reviews, however, are a bit on the scathing side.
The Guardian gave the new season two stars, and rather point-blankly said that Netflix’s “emo drama is so pretentious it ruins everything,” before concluding that, “The Sandman is not short of ideas, but it smothers them all in a fog of pretension, missing every opportunity it creates for itself.”
The Independent wrote that the “comic adaptation feels like being trapped in a whirlwind of plot and intrigue, which never materialises into something solid enough to get to grips with” and notes not once but twice that Lenny Henry (who voices Martian TenBones) does “one of the worst American accents ever committed to the small screen.”
“The Sandman struggles to exceed or even match the original’s stunning visual landscape, and its characters often feel like unimaginative cosplayers reciting Gaiman’s dialogue,” The AV Club said, adding that, at times, Tom Sturridge’s performance as Dream feels like a “Key and Peele parody.”
The Sandman season 2 Volume 1 is streaming now on Netflix, with Volume 2 arriving on July 24. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to stream right now.
