The Shining

Didn't hate it, but watched both this and the Kubrick version after reading the book.

Firstly, this is a TV show and not a movie - so lower your expectations slightly and enjoy it for what it is.

No doubt about it, this is a good version of King's vision. Love it or hate it, it's pretty faithful and I gotta say that you needn't overanalyse this to see that Steven Weber and Rebecca de Mornay did a good job playing the very average Torrance spouses, come on, give Weber some credit - those are some ridiculous shoes to fill after Jack Nicholson.

Danny was a miscast for me, but then again so was the kid in the Kubrick version.

So this doesn't get all the stars, but it does get some credit for leaning into the source material and busting a gut to 'rectify' (at least for Stephen King) the many omitted moments from the book in Kubrick's version... which is of course, in a different league.

We all know that - so haters, chill out and enjoy the fact that there are two versions of the story and there's no undoing that.

The Shining (1997) was a Stephen King/ Mick Garris collaboration. Stephen King was dissatisfied with the way Stanley Kubrick adapted his novel for the silver screen. He only retained the bare minimum of the book when he directed the film Several years later, Stephen King jumped at the chance to adapt his novel as a mini-series. The people at A.B.C. let him get away with as much as he could during the production of this series. The results are a more entertaining film that follow's more closely to the source material. But this film is either a love it or hate it kind. People will hate it because they fell in love with the theatrical production or they'll love it because it's almost like the original novel.

What I liked about the mini-series is the way the characters are portrayed in the novel. The father (Steven Weber) is more of a likable character, the kid (Courtland Mead) this time around is a much better actor, the mother's (Rebecca De Mornay) character is better written (and hotter too). The biggest improvement is the character of Dick Halloran (Melvin Van Peebles). His character from the book was sorely missing in the theatrical version. Even though the mini-series wasn't a technical masterpiece of film maker, I enjoyed it more.

Highly recommended for fans of the novel.

Not great in the production department because it was made for tv and the acting is ok. But it follows the book way more than the popular Kubrick version and I appreciate that. King had a huge part in making this version and it shows. It was a little slow at times but overall I enjoyed it.

The 1997 version of The Shining is an excellent adaptation for fans of the book. For everyone else, it is entertaining but overshadowed by the uber-famous 1980 film (though to be honest, it's like comparing apples with Cadillacs). This film is best watched either three days in a row or all at once. Weber delivers a great performance as the haunted and tragic Jack Torrence and DeMornay surpasses Shelly Duvall in the role of Jack's patient but cautious wife, Wendy. Melvin Van Peebles is okay in the role of Hallorann but I found myself missing Scatman Crothers. Courtland Meade as Danny takes some getting used to, and I'll leave it at that. And even though it appeared on network television during sweeps, it contains a surprising amount of violence (especially during Jack's confrontation with Wendy in part three) and gore (especially in part two). Definatly worth a watch.

When I first saw this mini-series I thought it, despite being more faithful than Kubrick's film, was pointless and nowhere near as atmospheric. Watching it again, I think I was being unfair. I do consider Kubrick's film the superior and more atmospheric film overall(I shall never forget the Here Comes Johnny and Woman in the Bathtub scenes), but aside from being much more faithful to the book, which is excellent by the way but as far as King's works go I prefer It and The Stand, there are improvements made here. Jack's transformation is much more subtle, and his and Wendy's relationship is explored much further here. Rebecca DeMornay also is a far better female lead in my opinion, and Steven Weber brings a more human touch while being quite frightening too. The mini-series does look good, the photography and production values are fine, the sound and music are atmospheric, the story is compelling and the dialogue is mostly good. My complaints however are the overlong length, some of the CGI effects which were sometimes unnecessary and the pace is occasionally a little dull. Overall, it is a solid mini-series and much better the second time of viewing. 7/10 Bethany Cox