Chilling

Rating: 9/10 (27 August 2000)

I have very mixed feelings when it comes to this film; some parts of it were wonderfully done, others just disappoint.
Stanley Kubrick has made a film (based on a wonderful Stephen King novel) that really terrifies the audience but still seems to fall a little flat. Indeed, there is something missing from "The Shining", a nucleus to the movie which could make it a real masterpiece although I'm hard pushed to say what exactly IS missing.
There is nothing wrong with the direction, quite on the contrary, this was hailed as one of Kubrick's best. He makes splendid use of the steadicam, this perhaps being the thing that springs to the mind when you think of "The Shining". He captures the cold and empty atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel as Winter closes in with immaculate efficiency and there are few who could claim hand on heart that this film didn't send a shiver down their spine or boast that they held no fear when young Danny Torrance first sees the two little girls in the hallway.
There is nothing really amiss with the casting of the film either, Jack Nicholson is probably the perfect choice for the role of Jack Torrance, the caretaker who gradually descends into madness due to a mixture of isolation and the sinister spirits that reside in the Overlook. The one gripe would be that it is quite obvious right from the start that he is going to go insane and that does detract from the climax of the film ever so slightly.
The character of Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) is portrayed very differently in the film to the character in the book, who was a very strong and determined woman. The Wendy Torrance of the film is on edge, fragile and spends most of the time screaming.
It just feels that the adapted screenplay lacks something and because of this the film doesn't really work to its full potential. Still, it's a terrifying couple of hours and it's definitely worth seeing.