The Shining Film Review

I watched Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's book, The Shining. This movie definitely captures (or enhances, in my opinion) the eerie atmosphere that comes along with The Shining. The opening credits are played over a scene of Jack's car going up the mountain with the creepiest music you will ever hear playing in the background. Right away the viewer gets a sense that this movie is going to be really twisted.

The movie starts off with Jack interviewing for the job and we are introduced to a little of the background behind the Torrance family such as Danny's "imaginary friend", Tony, and Jack's drinking problem. We learn about what he did to Danny's arm and why he needs to take the hotel job. While Jack is applying for his job Mr. Ullman tells him the story of what happened at the Overlook Hotel in 1970 and checks to make sure it is okay with Jack. Meanwhile, Tony is telling Danny that he doesn't want to go to the hotel. Tony is our first look at Danny's psychic abilities later called "shining".

Once the family gets settled at the Overlook, the viewer gets a sense of the isolation that they are facing by staying there. Danny continues to get visions having to do with the hotel's past and the evil that lies within his father.

Kubrick's adaptation does a great job of expressing the feeling that the book gave off. There are several changes in the movie, but none that too greatly affect the point of the story. The most notable change is the ending. In the movie, Jack freezes to death in the maze that he was chasing Danny in, but in the book Jack redeems himself by saving Wendy and Danny from the boiler explosion that kills him.