MOVIE NEWS – After three years away, The Sandman finally made its triumphant return to Netflix yesterday with the first part of the second and final season. Were those initial six episodes worth the wait, though? That depends on who you talk to, as critics seem divided on how they feel about The Sandman Season 2, which hit Rotten Tomatoes with a 75% rating.

“The second season’s opening episodes drag like an inescapable, non-refreshing REM state,” said Melanie McFarland, while Pat Stacey from the Irish Independent called it “ponderously paced” and “full of portentous waffle” that “mostly takes itself desperately seriously.” Nick Hilton was another critic who left a scathing review of The Sandman Season 2, writing: “Like being trapped in a whirlwind of plot and intrigue, which never materializes into something solid enough to get to grips with. Too elusive to be emotive, too fast-paced to be introspective, The Sandman becomes an excessively intricate diorama.”

Starring Tom Sturridge as Lord Morpheus (aka Dream), The Sandman adapts Neil Gaiman‘s hugely popular comic book series of the same name that was published by DC from 1989 to 1996. While it’s clearly proven to be a hit for Netflix, the decision to end it after two seasons was apparently made years ago, according to co-creator David S. Goyer, and had nothing to do with the sexual assault allegations that were brought against Gaiman last year. Focusing on Dream, The Sandman traces his cosmic journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence caused while he was imprisoned for more than a century.

Despite the harsh reviews above, at 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that The Sandman Season 2 does have its fans. Romey Norton from Film Focus Online wrote that it “once again delivers a richly layered blend of fantasy, horror, and mythology — but with a sharper focus on identity, purpose, and the fragility of the dream world itself.” Jeff Ewing from Collider was another who had high marks for the sophomore season, despite criticizing a few details: “This first volume of The Sandman‘s second and final season offers amazing visuals, strong moments of character development, and visionary worldbuilding, but it’s also disjointed in tone and pacing.”

Critic Joonatan Itkonen went so far as to compare The Sandman Season 2 to another iconic fantasy series, writing that “in terms of capturing the sensation of what it felt like to live through the original prose, Sandman is in the same league as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy.” Tessa Smith from The Direct was another who had nothing but good things to say, adding, “Packed with stunning visuals, top-notch production design, and unforgettable performances, Season 2 Part 1 will leave fans begging for more.”

The “more” will come later, as the next five episodes of The Sandman Season 2 are set to be released on July 24, with the final episode dropping on July 31. The first six episodes are streaming now on Netflix.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes