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tom sturridge sandman© Photo: Netflix

The Sandman: Netflix issues statement following viewer complaints

Tom Sturridge stars as Morpheus

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
August 8, 2022
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Netflix's new fantasy series, The Sandman, made its debut on the streaming platform on Friday and while viewers have wasted no time getting stuck into the gripping drama, some couldn't help but comment on some seemingly skewed images. 

MORE: Sandman: meet the cast of Netflix’s new fantasy series

While many viewers questioned whether the show's odd-looking aspect ratio was down to a technical error, Netflix was quick to issue a statement explaining the matter. 

WATCH: Are you enjoying the new series? 

Confirming that the image distortion is deliberate, a spokesperson for the streaming site said: "As you'll note many of the environments are surreal in the series and we often say it's quite what a dream would feel like."

The clarification comes after fan confusion about the stretched images. One person tweeted: "Does the picture looks a teensy bit stretched vertically to anyone else or is something wrong with my TV?" while another added: "Watching #TheSandman and finding the slightly stretched aspect ratio (if that's the right term?) of the picture a bit off-putting. Everything and everyone seems a bit vertically exaggerated. Am I alone in this? Is it a tech issue or a creative design choice?"

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MORE: Netflix's Sandman: viewers saying same thing about long-awaited series

For those unfamiliar with the series, it is a fantasy drama based on the 1989–1996 comic book published by DC Comics. The show follows Morpheus, also known as Dream, who is captured in an occult ritual in 1916 and after being held captive for decades, escapes and tries to rebuild his kingdom of The Dreaming. 

tom sandman© Photo: Netflix

Tom plays Morpheus in the fantasy drama

Tom Sturridge stars as Morpheus alongside Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death and Jenna Coleman, who plays Johanna Constantine.

The official synopsis reads: "A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic--and human--mistakes he's made during his vast existence."

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