Review of Room 237 (2012) by Ryan H — 28 Apr 2013

I was looking for interesting, in-depth analyses of The Shining. I don't really care if a theory is far-fetched as long as you can make it seem barely credulous or plausible. Disappointingly, maybe 10% of what is presented in this movie seems credible, even for Liberal Arts degree holders like me who are willing to stretch pretty far to believe an interesting theory if there is at least a shred of good supporting evidence. Perhaps if the director had been more selective in which parts of the theories to show, or provided some sort of unifying conclusion to draw connections so the disparate parts didn't seem quiet as shotgunned and isolated, it would've been better. As it is, Room 237 is a mish-mash of disconnected parts of theories with varying levels of credulity, interspersed with footage of The Shining and random filler footage from everything from Eyes Wide Shut to The Three Little Pigs.

Room 237 also misses an obvious opportunity for storytelling: the interesting story behind the theorists. Even if the theories are so poorly substantiated, paranoid, and baseless as to be laughable, it's still interesting that there are a host of people out there who passionately analyze The Shining to the point of obsession. That in and of itself would've been an interesting story, but the director gives us absolutely no information about the theorists, neglecting to even show their faces, let alone give us insight into their lives and their obsession.

So, Room 237 had two juicy targets and failed to hit either of them. It tells half the story of two interesting topics, leading to an empty, unsatisfying whole.