Review of The Shining (1980) by Ransom F — 24 Dec 2013
My second review, and my second five stars. I'm sorry, I'm just going for the godsends of cinema before I go for the rotting piles of horse feces that are Uwe Boll movies.
The Shining is by far, Kubrick's greatest film. While it didn't scare me, that added to my purpose of watching it. I could SEE why it scared others. And to be honest, that was the hardest part... which I really enjoyed.
It scares people because they fear being in that position, most likely they're more frightened of Jack's mental breakdown, instead of fearing being in Halloran's place. Why? Imagine what's going through the character's mind. Is there still some sane part of him left in there screaming "no"? I don't think anyone would like being trapped in your mind with no control of your body.
After all, in the book and the movie, Jack's insanity is driven not by his own mind, but the will of the ghosts around him. They slowly break down a wall that surrounds his mind and when it's broken, they take it over, especially Grady. You not only feel sympathy for Jack's victims, but for Jack himself.
It's Nicholson's representation of a man with a shattered mind that makes me give this move such a high rating, and I don't regret a single star.
Stephen King, on the other hand, dislikes this version. It's not ALL the deviations from his novel, for instance, I'm sure he doesn't mind changing the weapon from a roque mallet to a fireman's axe. It's the characters he disliked. Particularly, all the Torrances.
He claims that Wendy is too misogynistic, Jack looks batshit from the start, and Danny doesn't interact enough with Tony. It's that King's first priority is making you care about the characters and to have a thorough look at them that makes him dislike Kubrick's version.
I can understand this, honestly. Jack does look a little insane at the beginning, but that's a normal day for Jack Nicholson. (He's never properly introduced either.) Shelly DuVall is only a decent actress, and Wendy in the movie IS very misogynistic. And Danny McLeod is a very capable little actor, but like King says, he doesn't interact with Tony enough.
But the thing is this ISN'T the book. It's the movie. And that's why I look past all the deviations from the novel and look at the film alone.
And when I look at that film, I see one of the greatest psychological thrillers ever made.
This review of The Shining (1980) was written by Ransom F on 24 Dec 2013.
The Shining has generally received very positive reviews.
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