Passable.

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2008)

*WARNING!! SPOILERS!*
I freely admit to reading the book before seeing the film, but I tried very hard to see the film as a separate entity, and it still didn't do it for me.
I found the entire thing rather disconcerting. Nothing is really explained, and while some may think this "adds to the mood" I just found it to be lazy and irritating. I have to say how frustrating it was to see Halloran throughout the entire movie trying to get there and is immediately killed. I understand that this was meant to be a shock, but I just found it irritating and time wasted. Perhaps if Halloran had done something, ANYTHING, before he was killed I wouldn't feel that way. I was also put off by the pictures on Hallorans walls. I don't know what that was about. He was just a useless character because Kubrick needed SOMEONE to kill.
I also didn't CARE. I didn't care about any of the characters. I think that's a very important quality in a film. I could have lived with the changes if I cared at all about the characters. As it was, I didn't get scared or anxious or INTO the movie at all, because I just didn't care. Jack, as others have said, seemed crazy from the beginning, which undermined the film, in my opinion.
They didn't need to bother calling the movie The Shining, as Danny's abilities played such a small part they could have been cut entirely and no one would notice.
It wasn't all bad. Nicholson's performance towards the end was quite disturbing, and I loved the imagery in the movie. It just didn't deserve the hype. There were some scares. The twin girls were disturbing enough. And it is still, even with these flaws, one of the BETTER horror movies I've seen in my life. I would certainly recommend seeing it. I just don't think it's the masterpiece that some think it is.