OK Movie, Horrible Adaptation.

Rating: 4/10 (21 June 2008)

This movie has been consistently over-rated. While it is, in and of itself, an okay movie, it is a TERRIBLE adaptation of the complex novel by Stephen King.
I have to wonder how this film was ever made in the first place. Obviously Stanley Kubrick was given a half-page summary of the novel, and he went from there. When a director gets even the small details wrong, it's a sure bet that the important details are wrong, and thus the spirit of the novel is gone.
This is, in no way, comparable to Mr. King's novel. A common problem with the film adaptations of his works is that the directors often, arrogantly, believe that they can make a better story with a few "artistic" changes. Kubrick is one of these arrogant directors, and rather than making the story come alive, he made it a parody of itself, thus ruining it.
If you truly want to experience "The Shining", read the novel and skip the film.