A tedious, overblown, overrated waste of time and money

Rating: 3/10 (20 November 2008)

Someone should have told Kubrick that films don't have to run for nearly two and a half hours. Some films shouldn't be made at all. 'The Shining' belongs to that over-populated mass of things that subtract from rather than enhance life.
The story makes no sense. The acting is embarrassing. Scene after scene drags. The excessive running time destroys any suspense and gives the viewer too much time to think about the stupidity of the plot.
Presumably Kubrick, bloated with self-esteem, thought he'd redefined the horror genre with this nonsense. 'The Shining' is as bad as 'Lolita', quite an achievement.
If this was a directorial joke, it was an expensive one without a punchline. If Kubrick thought he'd done a good job, he was sadly mistaken.
Watching grass grow or paint dry suddenly don't seem such unrewarding activities.