The Shining: Movie Review

10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Here's Johnny!"

Are you afraid of being isolated from the rest of the world?  If not, then you definitely will be after watching the 1980 classic "The Shining."  This film tells the story of a man named Jack that goes completely insane in the hotel he has taken over. I have honestly never seen a movie so scary in my life, and I also feel that it is a masterpiece that should be watched by every person in the world. 

The film begins beautifully, with shots of mountains and woods.  The scenery is extremely gorgeous, and although it was filmed in Oregon, it still seems like it could be Colorado. Even though nothing happens at all in this intro, it may be one of the coolest I've ever seen for these reasons.

In the next moments, we meet Jack Torrance, and his wife and son. Jack is a writer that is taking over a hotel called the Overlook Inn for the winter. Him and his family all seem like extremely likely people, and Jack gets along with the owner Stuart Ullman very well. Ulmann does warn Torrance though that some very weird things happened at the location, including a completely normal man having a breakdown and killing his family.  Soon after, Jack's son Danny starts to have weird occurrences, and the movie's bizarreness begins. 

The first thing that makes this film a masterpiece is its choreography.  The man behind it all John Alcott made sure that every scene was shot so uniquely, and it put me in complete awe.  In the opening scene, the way that the camera hovers makes the viewer feel like a plane, as they fly over a car.  This happens in other ways throughout the entire movie, because the camera walks just like the characters, and make it seem like it's stalking them. The coolest shot scenes in my opinion were when Danny rode around on his bicycle. As he looks down the hall, it looks so long, even though it really isn't.  This kind of illusion really plays games with the viewer, and I found it to be so intriguing. 

Stanley Kubrick's direction of this film was absolutely amazing.  Every scene flowed so well together, and every detail in the filmmaking was so intricate, and filled with care. He really outdid himself from any work he had done before, and proved that he could do absolutely anything.  I personally find the fact that he got nominated from the Razzle award of "Worst Director" to be a crime, because it is completely inaccurate of the product he made, and I feel it was pure jealousy and ludicrous. 

Another great factor of the movie is its overall tone. I found it quite brilliant that because the hotel is so big, there is a complete feeling of isolation that really rubs off on the viewer. This causes the entire film to be very intense, and it added to the fright factor.  There really aren't any jump scenes at all in the movie, but is so freaky, because it's bizarre nature plays with your mind, and makes you go insane.  This comes from crazy noises, psychological problems, and weird dreams/occurrences that just blew my mind. 

The special effects in the movie were absolutely perfect, because they were all practical, and they looked so real. The scenes where blood fills the hotel are so cool, because it flows like water, and it is done with a slow motion that makes it absolutely epic. This slow motion is also used in many other scenes, and I feel it is one of the iconic traits that helped this film become a classic. 

The film's score is very unique, because it isn't just a normal orchestra, but it is different sounds and instruments that make the music extremely chilling and intense.  Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind may not be the biggest names in the movie business, but their musical work in this film was the real deal in every possible way.  I feel that behind the original "Planet of the Apes," it could be one of the best ever. 

I intentionally put my thoughts on the cast near the end of the review, because you truly have to watch the full movie to truly appreciate each character, and to see the depth of talent that each and every one of them put into their effort.  Jack Nicholson gave the absolute greatest performance in cinema history. He started out very likable, but he turned into the scariest person I have ever seen. No person could've pulled this off but him, because he naturally had the gift to be psychotic and sadistic, and this role was made for him.  The fact that he didn't win an Oscar or any award is possibly one of the biggest snubs ever. Shelley Duvall was very good as Jack's wife Wendy, because she did what her character, and that was to be scared as hell.  She definitely didn't have the diversity of Nicholson, but she gave a memorable performance that only made the movie better. I really thought that Danny Boyle was fantastic in the role of Jack's son Danny, because he could pull off being possessed better than any child I have ever seen.  His performance was so convincing, and at times I forgot that he was only acting.  Lisa and Louise Burns really gave a chilling performance as the "Grady Twins." Even though they were only in the film for a couple minutes at most, they put fear into people that hasn't been forgotten all these years later.  The last cast member that was significant was Scatman Crothers in the role of Dick Hallorann. Crothers was really the most normal person in the movie, and he made a balance for the rest of the insanity. He was a very chill and likable guy, but at times he had a tiny bit of quirkiness to himself. 

The last 40 minutes of this film took on a whole different level of scary when Jack goes completely nuts and starts to try to murder his family.  I have never been so pumped with adrenaline in my life, and I can honestly say this is the greatest climax of movie history.  There was so much terror that came out in this time, whether it was Nicholson's antics, or the atmosphere itself. I found the scenes where Danny ran away from Jack in the snow tunnel to be especially exceptional, because it gave off such a claustrophobic vibe, and it made the fate of this poor young boy totally unknown.  The final results were also very shocking, and I was interested right to the last second. 

If you call yourself a movie buff, then you have to have seen this movie. It is the single greatest piece of cinema history that I have ever seen. There is so much artistry in every single clip, and there was a scariness that came from the movie like no other.  Please give this movie a chance, because it will really change your life.