Review of Room 237 (2012) by Mike P — 03 Sep 2014

Room 237 is a documentary about several different people who have deconstructed and analyzed every second of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining from beginning to end (and in some cases, from end to beginning) to the result of numerous conspiracy theories ranging from the genocide of the Native Americans to Stanley Kubrick faking the Apollo moon landing.

A majority of the criticisms of Room 237 are from those who don't believe that the theories presented are true and are not what Kubrick had intended. Obviously, these theories should not be taken as truth; there's even a disclaimer at the beginning which clearly states that none of the views expressed in this film are factual, nor are they representative of Stanley Kubrick's vision. The whole fun of this documentary is not to believe everything that is said; rather you should approach the film with the mindset that absolutely nothing in the film is even slightly true and just listen to how ridiculous and how outlandish these theories get. With most fan theories or interpretations about virtually anything, none of them are what the creators intended and they should not be taken as fact, but it is fun to think about the possibilities.

A recurring issue that I had with the movie was in any situation where someone would explain their theory and then conclude their thought by saying something to the extent of, "This is CLEARLY what Kubrick intended!" No, it wasn't. And even if it was, you don't necessarily know that, so don't claim that it was his intention, especially when the movie starts with a disclaimer stating that none of the views expressed in the film are representative of Stanley Kubrick's vision.

Room 237 is a fascinating documentary for anyone who has an interest in analyzing film and coming up with crazy theories. I would say that the only prerequisites before watching Room 237 are to understand that you shouldn't interpret everything you see in the film as being truth, and that you have seen The Shining.