The Shining (1980) Review

"Here's Johnny!"

-Jack Torrance

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gets hired as the winter caretaker for the isolated Overlook Hotel, deep in the mountains of Colorado.  He bring his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd) with him to the hotel, where they face six months of isolation, as they are the only people in the hotel.  Jack plans on using the time to write, but slowly starts to go insane due to the isolation.  Danny, who is psychic, has premonitions about terrible things happening.  The stress, isolation, and strangeness becomes too much and Jack snaps and tries to murder his family, who must find a way to survive and escape the snowed-in hotel.

What Works:

If you're going to talk about The Shining, you have to talk about Jack Nicholson's performance.  He is unbelievably terrific.  You get a few moments of him being a loving husband and father before the film puts him on the train to crazy-town.  And man, once he gets there, it's a blast.  The performance is legendary and he is the main reason this movie is as effective as it is.

The Shining also does a great job of building suspense and tension.  Early on, we are given glimpses of the horrors that are to come through Danny's visions.  We get one of his visions coming true very early in the movie, so we know the rest will come true as well.  This along with the chilly atmosphere, and the suspenseful shots used, do a very effective job building up the dread.  We know something terrible is going to happen, the only question is:  when?

Finally, I want to talk about the cinematography.  The Shining is one of the earliest films to use the steady-cam, which is what gives us those awesome, gliding shots through the hotel.  These shots are really excellent and some innovative filmmaking.  But what I really like about them is how they're are used on the individual characters.  When we have these shots for Danny, we are behind him, following him through the hotel, as though something is chasing him.  But, when we are with Jack, we are in front of him.  We see his face and it's like he is chasing us.  It's a great way to set up how we are supposed to feel about these characters, and sets up the dread for what comes later on in the movie.

What Sucks:

I only have one complaint, and I think it's more of a personal thing than an objective critique.  I don't really care for Shelley Duvall's performance in the first half of the movie.  She reminds me of someone I know and find annoying in my personal life, both in her appearance and her mannerisms, so whenever she is on screen, all I can think of is that person, who is someone I don't want to think about.  That said, later in the movie, when things become dire, she gets much better as even though she is losing it, she makes some pretty smart decisions and is rather capable.  Plus, her performance gets dialed up to 11 as the trauma of the situation gets to her.  I have heard the stories about director Stanley Kubrick psychologically tormenting her during the production of the film.  I gotta say, it seems to have worked, as she gives a pretty great performance in the second half of the movie.  I just find her annoying in the first half.

Verdict:

The Shining has a reputation for being one of the best horror movies of all time.  I gotta say, it's up there, for sure.  Jack Nicholson's performance is so amazing, and the film does such a great job of building the tension, not to mention the fantastic cinematography.  Even Shelley's Duvall's performance gets good by the second half.  The Shining has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great