A different adaptation

Rating: Null/10 (5 November 2003)

Fans of this movie will of course know that it came from Stephen King's novel of the same name. That is about the only similarity it shares with the novel though. Where as King's novel delved into a man who became something else, and went insane, Kubrick's film initially deals with an already insane character. If anyone was going to become a mad ax murderer, it was Kubrick's character.
The film barely touches on the psychological studies evident in the book. It hardly mentions or deals with the shining, which was a gift that both Danny and Jack had. Jacks punishment came about because of his rejection of the gift. The film overlooks all of that. The film also replaces the metaphors within the book. Where as King used the boiler to show Jack's pent up rage, Kubrick decided to use the maze. The maze was symbolic of the maze of Jack's mind. Lost deep within himself the maze became a dangerous space, and gradually darkens throughout. It is also symbolic that Jack dies within the maze in the film. As they take away the shining from the novel, they simply use the cook as a sacrificial lamb, rather than a surrogate father figure for Danny and a superb foil to Jack
The film asks the questions, are the ghosts real or simply psychological manifestations of Jack's deluded mind? Just because the film does not adhere to the book, does not make it a bad adaptation. I loved this film, and the study of an already mad man takes nothing away from the film. We no longer have the study of American society and the hotel as a microcosm of America, we just have pure suspense, and a high level of entertainment.
Kubrick simplified the plot to go for the entertainment, and he superbly uses music and cutting to provide high suspense. He even makes the wife and child two dimensional characters, to concentrate on the lunatic that Nicholson plays brilliantly.
The shining is a superb film. Not highly scary, but it does succeed in making you jump in all the right places. Watch it if you dare