The Shadow (1994) User Reviews (174)

Fun Film, Beautiful Looking, Great Performances

[Scarlet-22 · 7/10 · 31 July 2001]

Before BATMAN, there was THE SHADOW. In the history of troubled billionaires donning disguises at night, THE SHADOW told the story of Lamont Cranston before Bruce Wayne's story filled DC Comics' pages. Finally, in 1994, the long-running radio drama came to life on the big screen in one of the best adaptations since Tim Burton brought The Dark Knight to the silver screen in 1989. For some reason, the movie never caught on with the public; maybe not as many people remembered the radio version as I did. I loved it, though; I could watch this film again and again.

Alec Baldwin (BEETLEJUICE, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER) plays Lamont Cranston, a former drug lord who is captured by a Tibetan monk and retrained to fight evil as his penance for doing it. Cranston's power is a kind of hypnotic telepathy; he has the power to "cloud men's minds", which he uses to make himself invisible to evildoers except for his shadow (because light itself can never be fooled).

Cranston lives an exciting double life in what is apparently a glamorized version of the 30's, playing the town as a billionaire playboy and building up a secret network of helpers from those he saves as The Shadow (each identified with a silver fire opal ring given them upon their rescue), until he meets his match in two ways: Cranston loses his heart to enchanting-but-scatterbrained Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), and The Shadow must fight his evil counterpart, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), last descendant of Genghis Khan, who has a hypnotic telepathy of his own and is seeking to bring life as we know it to an end using elements that have never been combined before (Dr. Roy Tam to Cranston: "I guess you'd call it an implosive-explosive-submolecular destruction device." Cranston: "Or an 'atomic bomb'." Tam: "Hey, that's catchy.").

Forget trying to follow the plot; like BATMAN, the plot isn't the point. The point is the look and feel of the movie, and this movie has glamour and pizazz to spare. 1930's New York City has NEVER looked better. The special effects are brilliant (at one point, as water rises in an enclosed room, the invisible Shadow's legs make deep dents in the rising water) and very well used throughout, so that they are not intrusive but rather a part of the story. Like BATMAN, there's also a large assortment of anachronistic gadgetry (pneumatic tubes delivering messages over a sophisticated network, video phones, elaborate neon billboards) that somehow work with the story as well. And the acting--Baldwin, Miller, Lone, Peter Boyle as Cranston's driver, Tim Curry as an evil scientist in league with Lone, Ian McKellen as Margo's father, another scientist whose discoveries are exploited by Khan--is also first-rate. THE SHADOW is the perfect Saturday Night movie: Fun to watch, attractive-looking, and not terribly taxing on the brain. Go see it.

Old-fashioned and fun adventure with an enthusiastic portrayal of a stalwart hero

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 25 February 2013]

Exciting version of the popular comic books and broadcasting tale about the immortal crusader called ¨The Shadow¨ with very watchable FX and lots of fun . Several visual designs provide the highlights for those in the mood for a journey back to the radio past or a quick superhero adventure . As our stalwart hero , a billionaire playboy named Lamont Cranston (Alec Baldwin) is a master of illusion and defender of justice thanks to his alter ego . Aided by companion Margo Lane (Penelope Anne Miller) and a Cabman (Peter Boyle) he battles super-criminal named Shiwan Khan (John Lone) . He discovers his destiny and a old legacy as a superhero called The Shadow , the invisible man who walks , a seemingly relentless crime fighter . A mask and raincoat he finds himself battling his nemesis , the deadliest descendant of Ghengis Khan . He's helped by an attractive woman and both of whom travel to dangerous streets N.Y. to thwart a nasty criminal . Khan is a cold and megalomaniac killer who murders cruelty his victims, he wants to take a power to dominate the world , he is supported by a particular ally , a smarmy villain (Tim Curry) and his hoodlums . The hero and villain have equal powers , yet the heroine can be hypnotised by one and no other . The picture charges into a tale of a hero who turned from evil in Tibet and reemerged in New York City as a superhero holding extraordinary power to fight in that most wretched lair if iniquity . As in 30's New York City, the Shadow battles his enemy who is building an atomic bomb. But the caped crusader is trapped inside a locked chamber being helped by his girlfriend .

The Shadow is shown in this highly stylized big screen adaptation of the 30's radio show , the once starred by Orson Welles . Film gets exotic locations , derring-do adventures ,rip roaring , action-packed , tongue in check , it's a cinematic roller coaster pretty entertaining and with well made set pieces action , including numerous and elaborate FX . This exciting picture provides splendid production design by Joseph Nemec , while done more dynamically elsewhere , are fun and outstanding . This is an ambitious fantasy adventure with breathtaking special effects ; it has some well-staged scenes whose effectiveness owes much to Russell Mulcahy's strong pictorial sense . Older kids , teenagers may find the proceedings a bit hokey and paying little attention to logic , but everyone seems to be having a good time . The picture is a crossover among comic-strip hero , superhero feats , Saturday matinée serials and old-fashioned thirties movies . As this runs like an old Republic serial of the thirties or Forties on a multi-million dollar budget . Its arresting visuals , lavish realization and crude energy put filmmaker Russell Mulcahy on the map . Much of the dialogue springs as if balloons from the printed page and the interpretation is appropriately rudimentary . The picture has great loads of action , special effects abundant , glamorous cinematography by Stephen Burum and spectacular Jerry Goldsmith's musical score , including an enjoyable leitmotif .

The motion picture includes an interesting script by prestigious David Koepp and was rightly directed by Russell Mulcahy . Russell for some time worked in Britain as a filmmaker of video clips , but returned to his native country , Australia , to make his first fictional movie , ¨Razorback¨ . He was able to get the backing for what proved to be his greatest success ¨Highlander¨ . It led to two sequels , the first of which was realized by himself titled ¨Quickening¨ . He subsequently directed ¨Resurrection¨with Charlie Sheen and ¨Talos the mummy¨ , among others . Despite major stars and big budgets with which to work have not fulfilled their potential and he seemed less commanding with players than with action . The flick will appeal to adventure fans and comic-books enthusiastic . Rating : Good and amusing. Well worth seeing.

nicely cool

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 3 April 2007]

I had never heard of Lamont Cranston before "The Shadow" came out, but I found the movie really neat. With a nice combo of the Eastern arts and the gangster days, they pull it off. True, a lot of the movie is characteristic of silly Hollwood flicks, but they don't pretend to be anything else. Alec Baldwin (happy birthday, Alec!) was the perfect choice for the title character, while John Lone was one nasty Shiwan Khan and Penelope Ann Miller made one sexy Margot Lane.

A few years ago, I actually heard a radio broadcast of "The Shadow" (I don't know whether it was actually an original broadcast from the '30s or a modern recording done like a '30s broadcast). The broadcast - about a war-veteran-turned-serial-killer - seriously made me feel like I was back in the gangster days, and it seemed like the broadcast even had some subtle political commentary.

But anyway, this is movie that you're sure to like. One of the comic book adaptations that they got right. Also starring Peter Boyle, Jonathan Winters, Tim Curry and Ian McKellen.

Walter Gibson Should Be Proud

[Falkeep · 23 April 2001]

This movie was the best effort to bring this unique hero to the big screen. Granted, although I like her in general, Penelope Ann Miller was not as strong a Margo as I would have liked, otherwise, I thought this was an outstanding achievement. The look and feel are perfect and I loved how they made sure many of The Shadow's regular crew made their appearances... Shrivey, Roy Tam, Burbank.

The main reason I wanted to comment on this movie, however, was because of the question raised by Patrick in London about why Baldwin's nose changed shape when he became The Shadow. Lamont Cranston's hawk-nosed profile was one of the most famous trademarks of The Shadow. Alec Baldwin, however, does not naturally have that kind of look (to be honest, Lee Van Cleef may be the only movie actor in history with the correct look to have been able to portray The Shadow without resorting to make-up or special effects). Personally, I thought it was a brilliant touch to make that profile an illusion which Cranston utilizes when he becomes The Shadow. It makes it more believable that no one would be able to figure out he is The Shadow. A profile as distinct as Cranston's traditional look would make it difficult to believe that no one could put two and two together... kind of like believing that no one could figure out that Clark Kent is Superman just because he wears glasses. To me, it was just one more thing that elevated this movie above the usual superhero genre flick because it showed an appreciation and respect for the source material that Hollywood is not necessarily known for.

A Nice Throwback to Pulp Novels and Radio Dramas

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 6 May 2012]

In 1930s New York City, the Shadow (Alec Baldwin) battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who is building an atomic bomb out of unstable bronzium and beryllium spheres.

This film gets a bum wrap. While the picture is a great film, it is a decent adaptation of the old radio dramas and serial films (such as "Behind the Mask"). While audiences of the 1990s may not have been familiar, many of the story elements were taken directly from the radio dramas and pulp novels. Even before Batman, there was the Shadow (with even an inside man on the New York Police Department).

As mentioned, the scenarios in this film come from the old novels and writer David Koepp created more than decent adaptations and his work was done with good intent and absolute reverence. Koepp, a Wisconsin native, is no slouch -- he is the fifth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of domestic box office receipts, with such films as "Jurassic Park", "Mission Impossible", and "Spider-Man".

Alec Baldwin is surprisingly good in the role of Lamont Cranston -- who could have pictured him a hero? Not long before, he was a scrawny nerd in "Beetlejuice". The impressive cast could be singled out one by one -- Jonathan Winters, Tim Curry, Penelope Ann Miller and more... this was quite the ensemble.

Some things did not make a lot of sense, but I think perhaps that was intentional. Or, as Ebert says, "If the movie is finally just a little less than the sum of its parts, maybe that's appropriate." Unfortunately, the least coherent part is the beginning (which includes the origin story), and this might lose some viewers before they have decided to even give the movie a chance. And then the rest of the film sort of glosses over the moral conundrum that this millionaire playboy can afford to be a hero because he made his money addicting Tibetans to heroin and opium...

Thanks to Shout Factory, we now have a slick new Blu-Ray disc looking better than ever. Sadly, the features are a bit weak for a special edition. Although they were able to track down the writer, director, cinematographer and two of the three lead actors to create a 23-minute featurette (worth watching), apparently none of these folks was willing to provide a couple hours for commentary.

This is the sort of film that was overlooked in its day (losing revenue to "The Mask") and really deserves a sequel, though of course at this point the only option is a remake. If the rumors of Sam Raimi wanting to tackle the project turn out to be true, maybe some day we will see it...

Universal Ruined The DVD Of This Film

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 24 April 2006]

Before mentioning the story, I have to warn potential buyers of this DVD:

Universal Studios committed the unbelievable "sin" of photographing this in the original 1.85:1 widescreen but only offering it on DVD in formatted-to-TV, so you miss a good percentage of the great visuals. Not only that, they zoom the picture to fill the screen so it isn't sharp, either. I hope this situation is rectified. It's a disgrace.

As for the story, it's simply a very hokey-but very entertaining fantasy/adventure, based on the popular radio hero of the 1930s.

This is just pure escapism, not to be judged seriously because it's a dumb story. It's cartoon-like, an outlandish story that mixes action, comedy and a superhero with time-travel and all sorts of strange happenings. For someone who likes to gawk at the sights and sounds of the '30s and '40s, this is a fun film. The surround sound in here is fun, too, especially when The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) speaks.

The Shadow knows...that this movie could have been better.

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 29 April 2018]

After Tim Burton's Batman, producers scrambled to get a comic book movie - any comic book movie - up on the screen. So why not the hero who directly inspired the Caped Crusader (Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics #27 is a tale that's directly influenced by The Shadow story "Partners of Peril")?

The trouble is that The Shadow hadn't really appeared in anything pop culture related since 1958's The Invisible Avenger, two episodes of an unaired TV series that were edited together as a movie (it was also re-released with additional footage in 1962 as Bourbon Street Shadows). And explaining to audiences why a character was popular 60 years ago isn't always easy.

In Tibet, Lamont Cranston (Alex Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross) has become the opium dealer known as Yin-Ko. But Tulku, a mystic in the body of a young boy, takes him away from his dissolute life and uses the Phurba, a talking dagger, to begin redeeming the man. For seven years, Cranston learns the physical and mental skills that he'll need to stop evil - including the power to cloud men's minds.

It's a rough conceit to start your film with your hero killing his own men and basically being the villain of the story. It's why in so many stories of The Shadow, they start with the good side first before revealing his origin.

In New York City, Cranston is a wealthy playboy who is really The Shadow, a vigilante who has created a network of agents to help him battle the forces of evil. He meets Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller, Adventures in Babysitting), a woman who gets through his defenses, possibly because she's telepathic.

Shiwan Khan (John Lone, Rush Hour 2) is Tulku's fallen student who claims to have murdered the holy man. His powers are beyond The Shadow's and he claims to be the descendant of Genghis Khan. He's amassed a large army and has kidnapped Margo's father Reinhardt (Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings) to create an atomic bomb for him.

Khan hypnotizes Margo into killing The Shadow, but he stops her as Cranston. She realizes they are one and the same, but there's no time to reflect. The Shadow has to rescue her father from Khan's men, who now include Reinhardt's treacherous assistant Farley (Tim Curry, Legend), who The Shadow hypnotizes into jumping off a balcony to his death.

Inside the Hotel Monolith, Khan and The Shadow have a final battle involving the Phurba, which demands a peaceful mind. Overcoming his past, The Shadow masters the weapon, frees Reinhardt from his brainwashing and defeats Khan inside a hall of mirrors by telekinetically using a shard of a mirror to give him a lobotomy.

Oh yeah - Jonathan Winters shows up as Barth and Peter Boyle plays Moe Shrevnitz, one of our heroes many lieutenants.

Sam Raimi originally wanted to adapt and direct this film, but was supposedly denied the rights to it. You can see echoes of the character in his 1990's film Darkman.

Russell Mulcahy ended up directing the film. He came from the world of music videos, where his directorial efforts for Duran Duran helped create the image for the band. His first work that got noticed in the U.S. was the Australian horror film Razorback, followed by his work in the first Highlander (we shouldn't discuss Highlander 2: The Quickening). Today, he's known for the MTV series Teen Wolf.

The film does a good job getting plenty of references in to past tales of The Shadow, but again, it's a rough character to sell to modern audiences without explaining why he's so awesome before you show where he came from.

The original DVD of the film was out of print for some time (indeed, it goes for around $12 in most used stores, a lofty price) but was re-released on blu-ray in 2013. It's worth looking for, especially if you're someone like me that stayed awake late at night to listen to the 1970's re-airings on the syndicated program Golden Age of Radio.

Floptastic

[view_and_review · 3/10 · 14 August 2020]

"The Shadow" was a cross between "Dick Tracy," "Darkman," and "Batman," while not being as good of any of them (except "Dick Tracy," that movie was bad). This is not me dumping on "The Shadow" because it doesn't compare to todays comic book movies, because I loved "Batman" (1989), "Darkman," and "Superman" (1978). "The Shadow" was just a poorly executed movie.

Alec Baldwin plays Lamont Cranston who was some type of big shot drug kingpin in the Tibetan mountains sometime before WW2. How that came to be? Who knows. He is then chosen by some mystic to be "The Shadow." He will be able to cloud the minds of people so that they don't see him, only his shadow. He can also do Jedi mind tricks and make people do what he suggests.

After finishing his superhero training in Tibet he returned to the all familiar seat of crime and crime-fighters: New York. There he lived a rich playboy's life, putting it on pause at times to fight crime. He would soon meet a girl (Penelope Ann Miller) who was similar enough to him--think Catwoman to Batman (she was even a petite blond like Michelle Pfeiffer)---and they had a romantic escapade.

He would have to confront a megalomaniac foe in Shiwan Khan (John Lone), a descendant of Genghis Khan. Shiwan Khan had all the same abilities as The Shadow except he used his powers for evil. Their showdown would involve a self-propelled knife, a hidden building, and the atom bomb. The whole ordeal was floptastic.

The script and the plot was dreadful. I couldn't take anyone or anything seriously because nothing made any real sense. It seemed like an attempt to release another big budget comic book movie that would rely on action and special effects to draw in the crowds. They were sorely mistaken.

A misunderstood gem

[Snatchy · 10/10 · 17 July 2000]

This movie got poor-to-middling reviews when it was released in 1994 but I still hold out hope that it eventually gets its proper respect in TV and Cable reruns, because it's a terrificly entertaining film. Maybe it just takes a certain frame of mind or background to enjoy this movie, but I absolutely love it and frequently go back to it when I want to see how a dark, edgy, and FUN movie is done right.

Alec Baldwin is excellent as Lamont Cranston/The Shadow. Baldwin has never achieved the commercial sucess many predicted for him and this movie perhaps shows why; Baldwin doesn't play a straight protagonist. The movie begins with Cranston as a hedonistic warlord in China and then jumps to his reformed Shadow persona is 1930's New York, and it is Baldwin's performance, which teeters between serious and funny, nice and cruel, that bridges the gap.

Russell Mulcahy and crew did an excellent job creating a 1930's-noir feel to the picture. One of my friends complained that the movie sets were "too obviously fake", I think he missed the point. They re-created the feel of a 1930's movie set, not the 1930's itself!

The movie is a bit campy at times but thankfully maintains the dark edge of the Shadow character, who has no qualms about killing or maiming his opponents (hey, this guy was a bloodthirsty killer in his previous life, you think he's going to forget how to use that power when he changes sides?). John Lone does a nice job as the Shadow's opposite number, Shiwan Khan. The supporting cast is excellent as well (Jonathon Winters, Ian McKellan, Tim Curry) with perhaps the exception of Penelope Ann Miller, whose character and performance were rather annoying, but I can live with it.

Overall I give this movie a BIG thumbs up and recommend it to anyone that enjoys fun movies. I've gotten a mixed reaction from friends I've recommended it to but I think this is the kind of movie where if you like it all, you'll love it.

Outshines Batman

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 5 February 2000]

When an ancient warlord comes to modern day New York City to cause trouble, Cranston steps in to try and foil his scheme. The warlord, a relative of Ghengis Kahn, plans to destroy NYC with the unwitting help of 2 local scientists. He and Cranston go at it with lots of flashing swords, crazy mongols, a drowning pool, and this little knife which has a life of it's own. Lots of action with some fine computer wizardry made for an entertaining program. Plus, I really liked the matching pair of pearl handled .45's that Lamont packed in a double shoulder holster. Knew how to use them too. Thumbs up.

Who knows what incompetence lurks in this film?

[lodger3 · 1/10 · 17 October 2000]

This has got to be one of the worst adaptations of any character in the history of film. For everyone who says "just enjoy it" or "don't analyze it" just proves that this film doesn't have much going for it. Although the screenplay attempts to pull as many details from The Shadow's history as possible, any attempt to tell a good story was made as transparent as the Shadow himself. I am disappointed that with such a great supporting cast (Johnathan Winters, Tim Curry, Peter Boyle) was given NOTHING to do! Curry goes from a sniveling coward to a sweaty maniac with no transition or explanation. And poor Ian McKellan, award winning actor, is simply wasted. The Shadow himself is poorly written, making wise cracks ("Next time, I get to be on top!"), something that he never does and is out of character. Many good moments are ruined by the intrusion of some silly one-liner that deflates what little tension was building. The Shadow even makes Uncle Wainwright forget about the Shadow, all the while driving around in a futuristic cab with sci-fi gadgets in it. Not exactly subtle.

Don't forget, The Shadow in this film doesn't even save the city, he just stops the bad guy in a climax stolen from "Highlander". Margot and her father are really the ones who saved thousands or millions of lives. Supposedly two different scripts were written, a dark serious one and a funny camp one. Shame the second one was picked, because we might've gotten a good film instead.

The definitive Superhero movie!

[thegosv · 10/10 · 18 February 2005]

Many people would not agree with the maximum rating being awarded to this film. I should agree with them, the one reason I don't is that you can clearly see this film attempted to be great in all areas. I feel sorry for them, they carried the story well and related back to a lot from the original stories. They would have succeeded if it weren't for the fact that they made a couple of casting errors. The lead hero and villain were good, Tim Curry always boosts a film and the female wasn't that bad really. The rest should have been reconsidered, however. Sir Ian McKellen is capable of so much more than he delivered, which is surprising. Even so, he should not have been chosen for that role. The one problem this film really has is that it chose to use a character created in times when there weren't any heroes really. It is nearly impossible to understand these times and therefore the impact of the character was lost on the audience this time around. It is a real shame, because the shot of The Shadow at the top of the stairs in the hotel is one of the best you will find of any hero in film. If you are aware of the original Shadow articles, this film will probably already be in your collection. It does a great job and should not have flopped to the extent it did. I would strongly encourage anyone considering watching this film to rent it. If you like the superhero genre, which is on the rise, you will love this film. Cliché, yes, but true.

Evil lurks in the heart of men - this film was a flop

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 10 February 2008]

Alec Baldwin is Lamont Cranston, "The Shadow," based on the radio series voiced by, among others, Orson Welles. The series began with, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow knows!" followed by "Le Rouet d'Omphale," composed by Saint-Saëns. The Shadow can make himself invisible, read minds and is an expert marksman. He was often accompanied in his crime-solving exploits by socialite Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller in the film). The Shadow actually had several identities, the wealthy, dashing Lamont Cranston being only one, but this film deviates a bit from the original story. Here, The Shadow had a past life as a cruel and vicious Chinese warlord, who is taught a new way of life by a master and emerges in the 1930s as The Shadow. He comes up against Shiwan Khan, the last descendant of Genghis Khan, who hypnotizes Margo Lane's scientist father into making a bomb that will destroy the world.

Besides the stars - Baldwin, Miller and Lone - the film boasts a very good supporting cast including Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen, Tim Curry and Jonathan Winters. The art deco decor throughout is gorgeous - it is a beautiful film with some great special effects. Despite a good story, cast and wonderful photography, "The Shadow" flopped at the box office. Caught on television, however, it was highly enjoyable.

Baldwin is handsome and dapper here, thinner than he is today and very much the young leading man on the way up. Somewhere along the line, it didn't happen for him, though he's made a marvelous career for himself in character roles on television and on stage. You can almost see here why Baldwin didn't remain a leading man - he has a talent that takes him out of that straightforward range, and it serves The Shadow well - he can be funny and cool, but also dark and dangerous. Miller wears some spectacular '30s outfits. She's fine in the role, but I've seen her be much more effective. John Lone is very powerful as Shiwan Khan, while Ian McKellen is totally wasted. Winters plays Lamont's uncle, the police commissioner, in a role where he doesn't get to use his off-the-wall sense of humor. Tim Curry as a villain has the best supporting role; he's quite funny.

I don't frankly remember this film's release and why it flopped - it perhaps got lost in some of its competition at the time. Nevertheless, seeing it with today's eyes, it's well worth a viewing.

don't waste any of your time on this one.

[NEILIMO · 1/10 · 13 August 2003]

Although any film based on cartoon or comic characters is meant to be taken lightly this one really is appalling. I actually couldn't finish watching it because I felt I was wasting too much of my life sitting there bored out of my wits. From the opening scene, where Baldwin (who seems to have forgotten how to act) is converted from evil to saviour of the people, you know this isn't going to get much better and it doesn't. Even the wonderful Tim Curry can't save this dross.

Excellent adaptation, highly enjoyable

[lethalweasel · 2 December 2000]

I don't really understand the bad rep this movie has gotten. Sure, its not "high art" (then again, Shakespeare, Dickens and Herodetus weren't meant to be, or perceived as, high art when they were written). What The Shadow was, and remains, in my eyes, is one of the best super-hero adaptations ever (the best until X-Men came out, in my opinion).

I'm not terribly familiar with the old radio drama Shadow, so I can't speak as to the details, but the feeling, the essence of the movie fits with what I've experienced. Much more importantly, it stand out well on its own.

Special effects play a major part, but are not of the over-played. Action is well done, and acting is acceptable, though rarely outstanding (the Shadow's cabbie Shrebnitz is an engrossing exception).

What really makes this movie stand out is the layering. Plots, characters, backgrounds, all are complex. The movie's basic plot is well-paced, occasionally a bit slow, but it makes up for it with the incredible wealth of details it packs in. Watching the movie, one gets the sense of an incredible amount of backstory for each character (little things, like the family life of some of the Shadow's agents, barely glimpsed, or even just the complex web of those agents across the city), or that around the corner there lies a world to explore.

This movie can be difficult to classify, which may lead to its unpopularity. Clearly its not a drama, not is it a comedy, nor even entirely an action. Scifi or fantasy are both possible descriptions, but they fail. The Shadow is comicbook style, in the truest sense of the genre. Complex characters, pull-pounding action, some jokes, some drama...it all mixes together. If you can get a bead on the style, its a very enjoyable movie, far ahead of most other super-hero films (Superman, Batman, the Phantom, etc.)

I recommend watching it, but only with an open mind.

Great piece of fun and ironic film making...

[a.hodgson · 7/10 · 23 September 2000]

Yeah Ok the first time I saw it I hated it, but the second time I loved it...go figure! A great piece of fun film making and make no mistake it is supposed to be a bit stupid. Watch it as entertainment and without taking it to seriously ( as the film makers obviously intended) and you will not be dissapointed.

Astonishing and fun!

[jrgirones · 7/10 · 20 May 2002]

The majority of critics have said that the most remarkable point here is the great visual design. In fact, it is really astonishing but "The Shadow" is more than that. It has an exciting screenplay from the notable David Koepp, with thrilling situations, action, fun and even homages to classic movies (the one concerning Gene Kelly's and Stanley Donen's "On the town" up the Empire State is really malicious... don't miss it!!). Russel Mulcahy's direction is vibrant and goes far beyond the visual design and the incredible special effects by insufflating to the Shadow's character the appropriate epical halo. It really deserved more luck than it had, so give it a chance and enjoy this admirable fantasy brought with honors to the big screen.

Not bad...but not great

[on_the_can · 6/10 · 10 April 2011]

I find myself most inspired to write reviews when I see wasted potential in a movie...the Shadow falls in that category though it doesn't fit quite as snuggly.

Set in 1930's New York, Lamont Cranston(Alec Baldwin)is a rich playboy who moonlights as a mysterious superhero known as the Shadow. He can turn himself invisible, hypnotize his enemies, is a crack shot with twin pistols and most importantly, "who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" The Shadow knows. When a descendant of Genghis Khan arrives in New York after completing his training with The Shadow's own former mentor(and killing him), The Shadow seems to have met his match, but he's not going down without a fight.

As a feat of art direction, The Shadow is pretty damn close to a masterpiece. It's set in a world of comic bookish 30's architecture, and light and shadow are played with a whimsical sense of noir. The movie is based on the 1930's pulp novels of the same name and visually it hits the mark dead center. The story unfortunately only makes it there half way. There's a lot of fun stuff in this movie and the plot is full of cool ideas that invoke the pulpy feel it should. Unfortunately it can't quite find its footing on the line between camp and dark grit. There's enough goofiness in the movie to keep you from taking it too seriously but not quite enough goofiness to make it just pure fun. Because of this the camp comes off as unintentional...like they wanted this to be serious and just didn't get there. The set up in the beginning of the film in particular is a little hokey in its clunky handling...if it had been slowed down it could've been interesting and cool...but then maybe the movie wouldn't have been as much fun. I found myself unimpressed with the script and yet at the same time I was more and more engaged as the movie waged on...by the climax I was very interested to see how it would all turn out and now, the next morning as I look back at watching it last night I find myself smirking at some of the fun quotes and winks at the camera.

All and all I enjoyed the movie I guess, but I just found myself so enthralled by the visuals of it, and combine that with my love of pulp fiction and I really should've loved this movie...so I guess, as I've often said before it just didn't quite live up to its potential.

One of the best action movies I have ever seen

[xevergivenx · 10/10 · 7 October 2001]

I found THE SHADOW to be simply amazing. I thought that this movie was a work of art and was the classic definition of a sleeper film. When we were blessed with this great film, it did not get the recognition it deserved. I found this film to be full of great action sequences and witty-special effects. I was disappointed to find that it got such a low vote. This movie was astonishing and I recommend it to anyone who likes creative,action films.

Very Good.

[brijess-2 · 7/10 · 7 July 1999]

The Shadow is a good example on how to do a comic book movie right. While it didn't top Dick Tracy, the Shadow does a better job than the Batman movies.

Alec Baldwin was an excellent choice to play The Shadow. I don't think anyone could have done it better. The rest of the cast did a fine job.

Again, if you want to see a comic book type movie done right, you can't go wrong here.

I give the shadow a B.

Fairly uneventful superhero flick.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 21 November 2007]

The Shadow is set in the 1920's & starts in the opium fields of Tibet where drug warlord Yingko, actually an American named Lamont Cranston (Alec Baldwin), rules his drug empire with force & brutality. Suddenly he is taken to see a mystic monk named Tulku (Brady Tsurutani) who teaches him special mind control techniques, techniques that able Lamont to cloud the minds of people & make him invisible apart from his shadow in order to fight crime. Jump to New York City seven years later where the Shadow, as he calls himself, is notorious amongst it's inhabitants. One night at the national museum they take delivery of a crate from Tibet, a crate containing the solid silver coffin of Genghis Kahn, inside the coffin is Kahn's last living descendant named Shiwan Kahn (John Lone) who intends to take over the entire world with the help of a new discovery, the atomic bomb...

Directed by Russell Mulcahy The Shadow was probably made because of the popularity of Tim Burton's Batman (1989) & the mini spate of superhero films that were released thereafter including Dick Tracy (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), The Rocketeer (1991), The Crow (1994) & The Mask (1994) & I unfortunately have to bring you the sad news that The Shadow is maybe the worst of all of those films. I didn't even think The Shadow entertained as a silly comic book superhero type film, it takes itself far too seriously, it's far too dull & the Shadow himself gets about 20 minutes of screen time in a film which lasts for almost two hours. I'm sorry but I don't sit down to see a fantasy superhero film like The Shadow & expect to be bored, I want it to be fun & entertaining with overblown set-piece action scenes & for it not to send me to sleep. The script was written by David Koepp who would later write the big screen Spider-Man (2002), the Shadow himself started life as a third person narrator of mystery stories on radio in 1931, then due to fan pressure he got his own monthly series of pulp mystery novels named 'The Shadow Magazine' which ran to 1949. Meanwhile back in 1937 the Shadow also got his very own radio show which ran until 1955 & there have been various films over the years to feature the character as well. This filmed adaptation is a mixture of the two mediums, some aspects of the radio play are used here while some aspects of the character from the pulp novels are used as well. Generally speaking the character's are OK but forgettable, Shiwan Kahn is surely one of the most boring villains ever committed to celluloid & there's not really enough action in it to maintain interest over it's near two hour duration. I just think the superhero fantasy film as a genre offers huge possibilities to filmmakers & The Shadow to my eyes was a throughly routine, predictable & forgettable flick.

Director Mulcahy does well in creating mood & atmosphere but not so well delivering exciting set-pieces. I only saw The Shadow a few hours ago & the only action scenes I remember are a fight out in a laboratory, the Shadow being trapped in a huge dome filling with water & the end which rips-off the hall of mirrors from the climax of Enter the Dragon (1973)! By the end of the week I'll have completely forgotten about The Shadow. Some of the special effects are alright, the living, flying dagger creature thing looks OK although I'm not sure why the makers insisted on fitting Baldwin which such a large nose when he's the Shadow. It looks rather silly at times in fact, come & see the Shadow the superhero with the biggest nose in the business!

With a supposed budget of about $40,000,000 The Shadow had a lot of cash spent on it & it looks great with fantastic 20's art deco period sets, it's just a shame the film wasn't better. Set in New York but actually shot in Los Angeles. The acting is alright but nothing particularly special, Tim Curry gets the role of the comedy relief while Sir Ian McKellen makes his first appearance in a superhero flick before his role as Magneto in the X-Men films.

The Shadow is a below average superhero film, I though it was pretty dull & uninspiring stuff all round to be brutally honest. Give it a week or two & I doubt I'll remember a thing about this film. Besides the radio plays & pulp novels the character of the Shadow also appeared in nine other films, The Shadow Strikes (1937), International Crime (1938), The Shadow (1940), The Shadow Returns (1946), Behind the Mask (1946), The Missing Lady (1946), the made-for-TV The Shadow (1954), The Invisible Avenger (1958) & Thwarted (1991) with this 1994 big screen adaption killing the character off completely it seems.

Excellent noir adventure

[CjDull · 10/10 · 26 February 2000]

The Shadow is one of the best super-hero films ever made. Ranking up their with Superman (1978) it's one of those rare gems that boasts of a cast deserving of their roles and superb writing. A sleek, noir adventure full of action, intrigue, truly evil villians, and one bombshell of a heroine. the Shadow is not one to be missed.

Legendary pulp/radio hero The Shadow is brought to the big screen to fight his greatest enemy, Shiwan Khan.

[hotelsawyer · 7/10 · 14 April 2006]

"The Shadow", starring Alec Baldwin, was an attempt to finally bring the legendary character to the big screen that fell just short of its goal.

Alec Baldwin, while not the first actor that comes to mind to play the character, nevertheless does a stellar job as Lamont Cranston/Shadow. Great voice!! Ditto for John Lone as Shiwan Khan. Thankfully, a real Chinese actor was hired to play a Chinese character. The rest of the cast was equally stellar.

The sets were 1930's perfect. There were little touches here and there, like the wallpaper on Moe Shrevnitz'z living room, or the "Llama Cigarettes" billboard blowing smoke rings, that really gave me a feeling for what life was like in Depression-era New York. I could almost imagine stopping at an Automat for a slice of pie.

Most of the faults with the film are in the script. The one-liners are dreadful, and while the "mind control" aspect of the script was original, the story just didn't seem weird enough to be a true Shadow story.

All of the best Shadow stories, either on radio or in print, always had an air of the macabre to them. Why were the gangster guys at the beginning of the film so conventional? Why didn't they have their own weird back-story, like they would have in the novels? And when the Shadow dispenses orders to his agents, why do they all just blindly follow? Not everyone would be as dedicated to a lifetime mission of fighting evil as the Shadow, regardless of what he's done for, or to, them. If Margo Lane can resist him, why not the other agents? Also missing from the script is an example of one of the classic Shadow "impossible escapes", like the ones in the novels. The novels were written by Walter Gibson, who studied under Harry Houdini, along with a young Orson Welles. It was this connection that persuaded Welles to play the Shadow on radio!! And yet there were no "escape artist" stunts on screen like the ones found in the novels. An "impossible escape" is as essential to the Shadow character as a martini, shaken not stirred, is to James Bond.

The other glaring fault with the film was the soundtrack. For all the great sets and costumes on screen, why was a Kenny G-styled soundtrack inserted in the nightclub scene? The Chinese percussion used through the rest of the film was appropriate; why screw it up with some Kenny G crap? Jellybean Benitez was listed as "music supervisor;" I can only assume that the fault lies with him.

Regardless, the film was incredibly entertaining, and the costumes were as fantastic as the sets. I remember reading somewhere that real Tibetan monks appear in the beginning of the film, and Shiwan Khan's burial clothing was actually made in Mongolia. And the twin .45 automatics made for the film always turn up at gun shows with people trying to buy them. Pretty good movie, but it could have been better. Hell, with a few minor changes, it would have been GREAT.

Entertaining, but not very well made.

[theshadow908 · 5/10 · 9 October 2006]

The Shadow tells the story about a wealthy man from New York City who, while living in Asia, acquired the hypnotic ability to cloud men's minds so they can't see him. Once back in America, he becomes the mysterious Shadow, a crime fighter who has vowed to root out corruption in New York City. His greatest enemy yet comes in the form of Shiwan Khan, the last descendant of Ghengis Khan, who plans to destroy New York. The Shadow recruits the help of a young woman with a unique ability of her own who's father is the key to executing the plan. The Shadow is a mildly entertaining film, but too many flaws bring its quality down.

The Shadow uses ideas from both the radio show and the comic book to make the movie as interesting as possible, but it doesn't really help. The movie is entertaining whenever the Shadow shows up in costume, pulls his chrome plated .45's and starts blasting people. The costume looks really good on film. The special effects are okay, but they could have been better. I didn't like all the supernatural aspects of the film, such as the knife that controls itself. There were a couple of things that were added that weren't really necessary, such as whenever Lamont Cranston puts the costume on, his face changes just so he can look like the comic book version of the Shadow, and when he takes it off, his face goes back to normal. That was a useless plot point that could have been left out. Making Margot Lane a mind reader was a bad move in my books. She's always been a foil to the Shadow, they should have kept her that way. The dialogue in this movie was pretty bad, and the delivery of these lines was even worse. Most of the time, rather than coming off as heroic or sinister, the characters came off as goofy and annoying. The plot was mediocre at best, and it didn't keep me interested like it should have.

The acting was pretty bad. I usually like Alec Baldwin, but his performance in this movie was pretty dull. His corny dialogue wasn't his fault, but the way he delivered them was. Penelope Ann Miller was a joke in this movie. No wonder she's not a big actress. I never thought Tim Curry was THAT great, but he's certainly better than he was in this film. I was especially disappointed with Ian McKellan. He is usually a fantastic actor, but he really let me down here. You could argue that it's the character he plays, but he could have played it better.

Overall, this movie is mildly entertaining, but it just isn't that good.

5/10

another look

[random_ax · 28 March 2002]

I have watched the movie several times now after purchasing it and it actually gets better each time I view it. I would highly recommend the film to everyone.

At first (see my earlier comment) I found John Lone's villain to be too weak...but I see now why. The REAL foe in the film is not Khan..but the SHADOW himself. His inner darkside vs his good side. Lone is just there to show you what the darkside could be. HE isn't what scares the Shadow. It's his own past, his evil side, loss of control that plagues the hero.

I wish this had been better received because we could've enjoyed a few sequels by now. And the same goes for THE PHANTOM and THE ROCKETEER.