Chilling and Memorable

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2008)

'The Shining' is often named as one of the greatest horror films ever made. And while I do agree that it is in the top five in the horror genre, its not exactly a perfect film. It has its superb moments and its lackluster moments, in my opinion.
As far as the good points go, Jack Nicholson is one of the obvious ones. Nicholson is a very talented actor and his role in this film is a display of his brilliance. He has the ability to turn almost every role he plays into a one-man show (for example, his iconic role as The Joker in 1989's Batman). He makes his character, also ironically named Jack, dimensional. He's menacing, conflicted, witty, and eventually psychotic. Danny Lloyd, also playing a character of the same name, also does a great job with his role as the little boy who "sees all". The film in itself, based on the infamous Stephen King's novel, has a disturbing atmosphere to it. A few of the famous scenes ("Redrum", the twins in the hallway, "Here's Johnny!") definitely leave an impression on the viewer.
As far as the negative goes, one big problem I had with the film was the casting of Shelley Duvall. She is, at least in my opinion, a horrible actress. Or shall I say over-actress. But, to her credit, I'm not sure if it was her acting or if her character was actually written to be shrill and stupid. Either way, she was distractingly bad and unintentionally funny in most of her scenes. Also, the running length does go a little long. It clocks in it at over 2 1/2 hours. I can watch a film that long if the story keeps moving and developing. There are a handful of certain scenes that feel too drawn out and prolonged, dragging the pace of the film unnecessarily. I understand King's novel was very lengthy, but the film could've been just as effective if cut down about 30 or 40 minutes.
That being said, this film is still breath-taking and much better than some of these 'slasher' flicks that have come out in the last decade or so. But, it does have its flaws at the same time.