It's a Classic

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2019)

I'm a huge Stephen King fan, first and foremost. I've been reading his books for most of my life now, and I have very fond memories of the time I spent reading most of his books.
Except The Shining. The Shining, although far from being one of his longer works, was so full of unnecessary fluff that I had an extremely difficult time getting through it at all.
Kubrick took the novel's best points, added some of his own trademark storytelling flare and made a product that, while vastly different than the book, is a product that still very much satisfies horror fans around the world. And, as a Stephen King fan, I wholeheartedly approve of the changes that Kubrick made to the work.
This film, unlike its novel, is a true psychological thriller. It's an examination into the gradual mental deterioration of an individual stuck in an isolated area with only his wife and kid to keep him company... or so it appears at first glance.
There was a lot of tension behind the scenes, particularly between Shelley Duvall (Wendy Torrence) and Stanley Kubrick, but every bit of hard work and anguish that went into the project wielded one of horror's all-time greatest films that will be watched, enjoyed and studied years into the future.
And, in true Kubrick style, there are always some questions left unanswered. It's not for the purpose of setting up a sequel; it's done because i truly believe Stanley wanted his audiences to be thinking all the time. This movie is a major success in that department as well.