Search - Stephen King's The Shining (Two Disc Special Edition) on DVD

Jessica S. (jess83) from CHARLESTON, WV
Reviewed on 2/14/2012...

Overall, pretty good...it goes along with the book very well. I feel that Kubrick's The Shining should be viewed more as inspired by the original book instead of based on the original book as they are so vastly different. This version matches is a better adaptation of the book, but I feel thin classic Shining film is a better movie overall. This version obviously was limited by technology at the time & budget, as well as not only being compared to the book, but also to the classic film.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 2/14/2012...

Far superior to the flawed Kubrick film. Stephen King's version of The Shining used the actual book and does a good job of capturing the overall look and feel of it.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Brad S. (Snibot) from DALLAS, TX
Reviewed on 12/5/2009...

YES Thank you! This movie stuck well with the original story, while it took some artistic licenses and omitted my favorite part of the book, it was very well done. Rebecca De Mornay NAILED her role, and Steven Weber I am so sorry I doubted you, he played the part as it played in my head as I read the story (all 9 times) I loved what Nicholson did with the part, but he wasn't playing Jack Torrance. Elliot Gould provided the punch that Stuart Ullman should have had, that left me feeling hollow in the original and Pat Hingle gave an otherwise bland part a dash of spice. Completely pleased with this adaptation, it was a movie that deserved to be called The Shining.

4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX
Reviewed on 6/18/2009...

Although, I enjoyed this version greatly, nothing can top the '80 Kubrick classic.

1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

A whole new experience!

P. Powell | The People's Republic of Massachusetts | 09/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As someone who has always loved the Stanley Kubrick interpretation of this story, I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed this one. Having never read the book, I never knew that the Kubrick version was so different from Stephen King's original story. The two films are definitely two completely different stories.The charactors in this version are so much more developed and believably realistic.Steven Weber's Jack Torrence is a normal guy that is trying hard to deal with his alcoholism and anger, and also keep his family together, while at the same time being slowly consumed by the forces of the Overlook Hotel. He is much more that just a babbling Psycho.Rebecca De Mornay's Wendy is a more believable, strong wife also struggling to maintain her marriage and protect her son. This is definitely not the whimpering and submissive Wendy of the Kubrick version.I rcommend this film to any fan of Stephen King. This DVD makes a great addition to any good horror library. If you liked the Stanley Kubrick version of this story, I think you will be pleasantly suprised."

Anyone who read the book should see this!

canadianradio3 | Seattle, WA USA | 12/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read the Stephen King book when I was 14, and I loved it. Then I saw the Stanley Kubrick film, and it was godawful. Many key parts of the plot were deleted, while other stuff was just added for the hell of it. For instance, Kubrick took out the scene with the hedge animals and the wasp nest, and while those weren't crucial to the plot, it was nice to see them in the miniseries. Kubrick also added "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" which is a classic line. Too bad it wasn't in the book. Overall, if you read the book, you should have been waiting for years to see a version of The Shining as faithful as this one. This is the best miniseries I've ever seen."

TV vs. Kubrick

QuantumDesign | houston, TX USA | 01/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Stanley Kubrick version of this story was a classic in its own right, but IMO should not be considered to be a movie version of the book at all. Stephen King's book, and the miniseries version on this DVD, are a "haunted house" story. Kubrick's film is a psychological thriller. They are not even in the same genre.
That said, the Kubrick film is better in terms of sheer filmmaking - when Kubrick was on, he was really, really good, and it shows in his version of this story. Sadly, that fact is often missed by the legions of fans who get so caught up in "it's not like the book"-itis that they don't enjoy the film for what it is. Jack Nicholson is a far better actor than Steven Weber, and it shows.
The miniseries, however, has one HUGE advantage - with a total of nearly 8 hours of "movie" to work with, they were able to keep the storyline virtually untouched. Although I am typically not a believer - there are just not very many movies made from novels that even remotely resemble their original source material ( "Exit To Eden," originally an erotic novel by Anne Rice, turned into a Dan Aykroyd comedy, just LEAPS to mind for some reason...) - this movie is as close to a perfect conversion of a novel as I've seen.
The creepy moments are really, really creepy - the scene with topiary animals moving closer every time the camera pans away absolutely makes your skin crawl, even if you're prepared for it. Although Steven Weber isn't Jack Nicholson, the character he's playing isn't a "Jack" kind of guy - and Weber fills the role admirably, even though occasionally the touching family scenes teeter RIGHT on the edge of being maudlin.
If you have the patience for it, which I notice at least one other viewer didn't, this is in fact an excellent film. Just don't consider this and the Stanley Kubrick movie to be different versions of the same story - they're not, and the comparison will make both films suffer. You're better off to enjoy them both as distinct, separate entities, with very different agendas.Oh, and do NOT turn your back on any hedge lions.Heh."