Bringing a classic pulp character to the big screen, The Shadow features impressive visual effects, but the story ultimately fails to strike a memorable chord.
Bringing a classic pulp character to the big screen, The Shadow features impressive visual effects, but the story ultimately fails to strike a memorable chord.
A crime fighter created in the 1930s and popularized in movies, pulp novels, and a radio show starring a young Orson Welles, The Shadow came back to life in 1994 in this slick, well-cast production. Alec Baldwin stars as Lamont Cranston, a murderous opium dealer reformed by a Tibetan mystic, who teaches him how to use his keen mental powers to manipulate others. As penance for his past misdeeds, Cranston masquerades as a degenerate New York City playboy by day and secretly plays the heroic
Shadow by night, staving off evildoers with a network of agents and a cab-driving sidekick (Peter Boyle). A greater challenge arrives when Cranston must fight Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the final descendent of Genghis Khan, who has received training from the same Tibetan master who instructed Cranston. Shiwan plans to use atomic weapons to take over New York and then the world. At the same time, Cranston meets socialite Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), and, although he's instantly enamored of her, he discovers that her psychic abilities render his secret identity vulnerable. The Shadow was directed by former music video creator Russell Mulcahy, whose feature film debut Highlander (1986) was a cult classic. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
It has enough of the innocent exoticism and splendor of silent thrillers to suggest a continuity with the past missing from most other movies; all that's required is a capacity to sit back and dream.
Despite similarities as a vigilante creature of the night, however, the Shadow -- a character that enjoyed its greatest success in radio after being created in pulp novels -- lacks the visceral appeal of Batman and won't strike the same chord.
If you respond to film noir, if you like dark streets and women with scarlet lips and big fast cars with running boards, the look of this movie will work some kind of magic.
Baldwin's low-key performance lacks charisma, Lone alternates between lip-smacking villainy and camp humour, and Miller is chiefly a clothes-horse for a series of slinky '30s frocks.
This is actually a pretty good movie. Could stand up and surpass many of the Superhero movie's released in past 3 years. Alec Baldwin does an excellent job as in the role of the Shadow. Surprised to see Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen and Jonathan Winters in this one. Shiwan Khan has come to NYC with a Bomb and the Shadow
has to find it. Great Special effects. 4 Stars
September 2, 2011
Bruce Bruce
Super Reviewer
In a true 30's period style this comicbook/pulp adaptation visually looks really nice and captures the atmosphere of the time perfectly, if you think along the lines of 'Dick Tracy' and 'The Rocketeer' then you will get an idea of the feel.The character of The Shadow isn't anything really special to be honest, its just
a guy in a cloak with a fedora type hat on and he carries two guns, always did seem like a poor mans Batman. The character fits his world just right though in both his crime fighting form and his alias as a rich good looking 'Bruce Wayne' type, his lair has a neat little secret entrance and he lurks around in the shadows nicely hehe.The sets are really well designed throughout and look stunning I must say, everything from costumes to cars are beautifully done and recreated, it is obviously sets but that adds to the charm and works much better than cgi. There is of course some cgi present throughout which swings from being reasonable (looking back now) to abit hokey as it would be though but it still just about works today.For some reason though we have another crime fighter who must face off against Genghis Khan or a relation of Khan, even though this character is from the original comics its odd how other characters have also had to fight Khan eg. 'Hellboy', what is it with Khan?Still this is great fun and looks slick with a good casting choice in Baldwin for the main role, he looks perfect for the part of 'Cranston' the playboy and actually could well have been a good Bruce Wayne too I'm sure. This really is how 'The Green Hornet' should been approached instead of the geeky farce it was, shame The Shadow failed at the box office.
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