The Shining (1980) Review

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2020)

The Shining was directed by Stanley Kubrick and stars, Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. There is a lot to talk about with this movie. First of all, this movie is practically flawless. I'm sure you could find some minor flaws if you looked hard enough, but that would be very nit-picky. Second of all, this movie has some gorgeous cinematography! from the opening shot you know you are in for a treat! I wasn't expecting to see a beautiful lake and slowly grow closer the the mountains. I didn't think people back in 1979 could have shots like that to the technological restrictions. But it was a very nice surprise. Next I would like to talk about the performances, they are all a bit over the top, especially Jack Nicholson's performance. You slowly see him start to go insane, you can see him about an hour into the movie, going crazy, but he is keeping himself contained, but towards the end of the movie he goes crazy and you finally see his inner beast come through. Now i'll talk about Shelly Duvall, she was pretty great, when she was scared, you were scared, when she was sad, you were sad. Her performance was so good that you felt like that would be you if you were put in a situation like this. And i will finally talk about Danny Lloyd, this kid definitely gives the performance of his life. You can actually buy that he is a scared little boy that has an imaginary friend that lives in his mouth. Now i'll talk about the story, This movie constantly keeps you entertained. When Jack finally went insane, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. There isn't one dull or boring moment in this movie, that's very hard for films to do, especially one with a story this big. So, overall, i really enjoyed this movie, it has a great cast, a great story, and made its mark in pop culture. I'll give "The Shining" an A+