Rating: 
Summary: Moody Fun To Tickle Your Psyche
Review: ...though how in the (blank) could Universal have released this on DVD and NOT done WIDESCREEN? The DTS transfer is as crisp and clear as you'd ever want, but this is a movie of astounding visual scope that cries out for a widescreen version. (I have this movie on VHS, DVD, and Dolby Digital Laserdisc, and the DDLD is by far the best of the three, because it's widescreen and the DD is amazingly crisp for LD.)Still, though, there's a lot to like about this movie: Alec Baldwin is dead-on perfect as Lamont Cranston and his darker side, The Shadow; Baldwin can go from charming to chilling with one flex of his facial muscles, and that ability is nicely on display here, even if The Shadow is buried under a hat and cloak and heavy makeup. Penelope Ann Miller looks gorgeous as Margo Lane, the blonde bombshell with a brain to match, but isn't challenged much by the material. John Lone chews up scenery as Shiwan Khan, last descendent of Genghis Khan and darker reflection of The Shadow's edgy goodness. The art deco sets are terrific; the music is rich and moody; the visual scope of 1933 New York City is breathtaking. I recommend this one with qualifications: If/when a widescreen version comes out, get it instead of the other DVD or VHS versions. But the movie itself is well worth seeing, particularly if you're an old-time radio fan.
Rating: 
Summary: One of those 'best films you never saw'
Review: You know those movies that at the time everyone thinks are great, and then you see them a couple of years later and wonder what all the fuss was about? Well 'The Shadow' is the opposite - a film that was seemingly hated by everyone upon its release, but is actually a classic movie. I can't figure out why no-one (except me) seemed to like this movie when it first came out. It is the sole example of a perfect transition from comic book superhero (well okay, in this case, pulp fiction and radio superhero) to big screen superhero. No other movie (with perhaps the exception of Rocketeer) comes close to recapturing that comic book feel. If you pass up the chance to give this movie a second look, well I guess that's forgivable - those who didn't like it the first time can't be blamed for believing that an apparent moment of societally ubiquitous bad taste was actually a manifestation of valid critical judgement. Nor can I condemn those who never saw the film because they just don't like Alec Baldwin - I guess some folks don't mind him, some hate him. However, if there are folks out there who have still never seen this classic because they believed its critics, boy were you misled. A screen classic awaits you. It's just a shame that movies like this don't get a second chance on the big screen. If you still choose to miss out on this great film experience because of blind faith in its critics, well that's unforgivable.
Rating: 
Summary: It's FULL SCREEN.
Review: Let's say the movie deserves 4 stars at least. It's beautiful and the plot stays true to the original characters. Whatever you may think of Alec Baldwin's acting ability it's still a good movie. But the DVD is an old style, barebones, FULL SCREEN version. It's crap. The only reason you should buy this is that you can't wait to see it one more time and it's cheap...otherwise get the even cheaper serials like the Invisible Avenger and wait for the Special Edition.
Rating:
Summary: 4 star film 0 star DVD
Review: This is a truly fun film. I'm NOT an Alec Baldwin fan but for a change I found him engaging and enjoyable in this film. Not to mention he really does make an excellent Shadow. I'm not sure where one reviewer got the idea that it is not Alec when he changes into the Shadow..it most certainly is..with a false nose and make-up for goodness sakes! LOL, talk about not paying attention.
I love Penelope in this film I'd never seen her before this and I thought she was just fabulous not to mention had the best damn dresses I've ever seen!
Tim Curry was fabulous as a great scene chewing bad guy and Ian McKellon was delightful.
My favorite has to be John Lone though, a very differnt character than his tragic role as the Last Emperor..very creepy and quite entrancing always the perfect kind of bad guy. To get what they want there is always a seductiveness about them that just is so engrossing and he played this to the hilt! Fabulous.
Now if only the DVD was a decent release not some piece of junk full screen edition....
Rating:
Summary: Not QUITE what I had expected....
Review: From all the talk from the critics, one would expect a lame, over-producted action flick. One who's style is beyond the story-line and acting. This, however, is not the case in THE SHADOW. One critic describes THE SHADOW as "enjoyable, well-mounted, but ultimately forgettable". This is a statement I can agree with. With time, nearly every movie is forgotten, unless it's an outstanding gem, which is in my opinion becoming a rarer find as we speak, as GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Most wonderful movies of today, and yesterday, for that matter, are praised for years and then begin to be abandonded. THE SHADOW was never "nationally acclaimed" as a mark in film-making history. It was another movie out of the thousands that was acceptionally great. Alec Baldwin portrays the title character in this thriller who is kind of like our Superman. In real life, he's just another person, but when the bad guys show up, he uses his outstanding powers to conquer good over evil. Penelope Ann Miller's character falls for him, as it is coming to be in most movies. Tim Curry, in his small but rewarding part for his fans, plays a crazed mad man creating the beryllium sphere used in the crazed conquerer Kahn's atomic bomb. This movie, all in all, is good to watch for a while and when the mood is right, but don't expect it to be one that's a blast to watch over, and over, and over, and over...
Rating:
Summary: ALEC BALDWIN KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN!!!
Review: As with all the films that I reviewed, I also have this movie in my collection. Based upon the popular pulp novels, radio series, motion pictures, and movie serials,this feature is a FABULOUS entry in the genre of super-hero films. Russell Mulcahy does an excellent job of directing. Alec Baldwin gives a TERRIFIC representation of the character made popular in the 1930s radio show by the voice of the late, great Orson Welles. Penelope Ann Miller is a swell "MARGOT LANE". The special effects are extraordinary. One time famous comedian Johnathan Winters, on his comeback trail, appears as the uncle of "LAMONT CRANSTON". He also had a cameo in the film "THE FLINTSTONES". I recommend to fans of adventure films, to buy "THE SHADOW" and add it to their movie library.
Rating:
Summary: "The Shadow"
Review: A film of grandiose design with a camera that can't capture it. From beginning to end, we're constantly (and painfully) aware of the great film it might have been had it been directed with more patience and a better sense of rhythm. As it is, the film simply has no drive, no forward charge to it; it's as if it's standing still throughout the entire running time. Alec Baldwin, in the title role, is as bland as he's ever been, though it's not as if the script gives him anything real to work with. There's nothing plot-like here, and things are not helped by groan-inducing attempts at humor. It's not an utter loss: the production design is marvelous, and the scene where Tim Curry confronts the Shadow in an abandoned hotel has a genuine intensity that you'll wish had been present throughout the film entire. Also featuring Penelope Ann Miller, Ian McKellen (who's largely wasted), Jonathan Winters, and Peter Boyle.
Rating:
Summary: Superb recreation of a superhero
Review: Along with "The Phantom", "The Shadow" is a lavish showcase of Art Deco settings and opulent epoch recreation. Penelope Ann Miller's wardrobe is spiffy, Jerry Goldsmith's music is fantastic and the settings are plush in that quirky thirties fashion. John Lone excels in his feature of the evil Gengis Khan descendant and Alec Baldwin fleshes out a feisty and craggy Shadow. The plot is simple but provides the perfect backdrop for a film where special effects and a soigné production come uppermost. At the end of the World WarI, Lamont Cranston spends several years as an opium dealer and mobster of sorts in the Tibet. A decadent character, his life takes on a new course when a tulku teaches him how to control the evil that lurks in his heart and Cranston goes back to New York as the Shadow, a do-gooding superhero that strives to weed out evil. As said, the plot is effective but the general esthetic of the film is simply a feast for the senses.
Rating:
Summary: The Shadow strikes!
Review: Im a long time fan of the Shadow and I am very pleased with this film. As with all super hero films there have been changes made, but this film combines elements from the Shadow pupls, comics, and radio programs brilliantly. Excellent!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but Fullscreen only?
Review: WTF? How could you take a cool movie like the Shadow, with all the flair and style that Baldwin brings to it, along with John Lone, and make it pan-and-scan?!?! GOD but I hate fullscreen. This movie gets five stars, but the damn publishers get zero. Anyone in their right mind these days buys widescreen, only old people or those who don't go to movie theatres... EVER, buy crappy Fullscreen crap. YYAAARGGGHH!
|
