The Shining Review: The fine line between heart and mind
I finally built up the courage to watch this film—not because it's scary, but because film snobbery is a very valid fear of mine, and I didn't quite think it would be up my alley based on my prior studies of the film. Of course, writing anything negative about a classic is either considered blasphemy or cruel and unusual punishment that incites ravenous, retaliating fans to reprimand me, my ancestors, and my future posterity for my opinion. So... thank Jecht I did indeed like this film quite a bit. Maybe not as much as said fans, but enough to satisfy said fans (hopefully). So, today, I, Brighton Nelson of the Reel Ranker, will discuss the overwhelming good and the slight weaknesses of this film classic.
Honestly, most of the time, I enjoy focusing on the positive in my Reel Ranker review, not on the negative. So, I'll get the negatives out of the way so we can dive into the good stuff.
First of all, I must mention the written-in-blood-on-the-wall fact of the matter: this is not a very adequate adaptation of the book. It changes so much from the novel! There's a certain pretentiousness that comes from saying you'll adapt someone's novel and then proceed to bastardize their novel by completely recontextualizing it and changing it to the whims of the director. But, at least in this case, the task was failed successfully, because at least this bastard became loved by many, even if not beloved by its "parent".
As something of an author and a movie critic myself, it's really hard to pick a side. As an author, I hate this film's betrayal of King's work because I'd be disappointed, too. Still, as a critic, I see that the changes clearly made for a more successful, briefer (and arguably better) version of the story. My brain loves the way Kubrick and his team brought this to the screen, but my heart goes out to King because I would hate it if my currently-being-queried book, Sir Athleticon, were adapted unfaithfully to the big screen. After much deliberation, I decided I'd take off a star for the sake of my heart (and because I have a couple other problems with the film I'm about to cover).
If we remove the fact its an adaption from the picture, there's only two elements of this movie that I'd say were a little botched: 1) the slightly pretentious, overly ambiguous final shot of the film that felt its sole purpose was to ignite discussion about its vagueness, without much grounds in the narrative to necessitate or catalyze such a choice and 2) why is the film even called "The Shining" when the subplot about that is completely sidelined and an absolute afterthought in this adaptation? While these elements bother me, they don't truly dampen my experience of the film in any meaningful way. However, they are just baffling enough to share, and they do provide a little bit of extra justification in my argument about following my heart.
Now it's time to explore the film's overwhelming amount of positive traits. The acting in this film is at its peak—there's no denying that. While I would've loved to see the more book-accurate version of Wendy, I still believe Shelley Duvall performed wonderfully in the role. While the changes to her character arc were odd, they worked well enough within the film's representation of the events, and Shelley nailed the changed version of her character. The fact that she was ever given a Razzie is ridiculous—she's incredibly memorable in the role, and her talent truly shone through.
Kubrick's adaptation may betray King's novel, but the film's incredible performances from Nicholson and Duvall, the masterful production design and cinematography, and the gripping story and script create an experience that captures you completely without wasting a minute of its lengthy runtime.
Of course, Jack Nicholson steals every scene he's in, but that doesn't diminish Duvall's fantastic performance! Nicholson plays the crazy and over-the-top phenomenally, and Duvall nails the more meek and scared aspects of the film's revamped version of Wendy. Liking them doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. Nicholson's every movement, word, and action encapsulate true dedication to the insanity of the craft, and his performance as he displays Jack's descent into madness is perhaps my favorite part of this already great film. In a movie like this, the foundation rests on how invested you can be in following two characters over a lengthy runtime, and this film absolutely captures you in that way.
While Jack's performance is my favorite part, the part I admire the most about the film is its exquisite production design and ingenious cinematography. The vibes of this film really are what make this film so special. Without the pristine hotel feeling so grimy, the evil looking twins being so odd, the blood elevators looking so cool, and the insane naked old lady shot, The Shining wouldn't have the supremely memorable. This is one of the best looking films of all time; it's just brought to life that beautifully. It isn't often that a film can be equally gorgeous and unsettling, but The Shining is one of the golden standards for doing so.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 80%
Letter Score: A+
Star Ranking: 4 out of 5
Kubrick's adaptation may betray King's novel, but the film's incredible performances from Nicholson and Duvall, the masterful production design and cinematography, and the gripping story and script create an experience that whisk you away without feeling like a minute was wasted of its lengthy runtime. This is considered a timeless, must-watch horror classic for a reason, and, while I'm not as enamored with it as many are, it's still an incredible work of art.
Check out more of my Stephen King movie adaptation reviews below! I will update this as more come out and as I catch up on more of these films.
Brighton Nelson
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