tvsweeney-39052 I loved listening to "The Shadow" on the radio and I liked the serial starring Victory Jory (and I'm now showing my age, aren't I?) I LOVED this movie! I can't say how many times I've seen it...in the theater, as a VHS and now on DVD.Great sets, just surreal enough to give that "comic book" air but not enough to be ridiculous, the designs and costumes catch the era perfectly from the Bauhaus phantom hotel to the image of the Shadow on the staircase, cape swirling around him, pistols at the ready.There's catchy dialogue and the cinematic work/editing exceptional. Alec Baldwin is perfect as the "Arrow Shirt Man" hero, though I wish they'd managed to show a little more of Lamont's pre-Shadow life. As far as I'm concerned, everyone was perfectly cast for their roles, from Baldwin on down to Tim Curry.I have no idea why this didn't do better at the box office than it did, unless it's because few of the younger generation of the viewing audience weren't aware of who and what the Shadow was. Too bad, for they missed an very entertaining film. Their loss.My only wish: That there had been a sequel.

birthdaynoodle If you're looking for an entertaining superhero movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, 'The Shadow' might just be it. The film is based on a character created in 1931, who first appeared in pulp novels and then in a popular radio show. Alec Baldwin plays Lamont Cranston, aka The Shadow, a mysterious hero in 1930s New York City, who has psychic powers that allow him to control people's minds and appear invisible – except for his shadow. It's a cool concept. He's confronted by the villainous Shiwan Khan, descendant of Genghis Khan, (played by John Lone, of 'The Last Emperor') who shares similar powers with Cranston and has a plot to conquer the world! Baldwin is smooth as The Shadow, but less so whenever he wears a long hair wig... I spent much of the time wondering whether Lone's beard was real or not. Either way, he looks a bit ridiculous as Khan. 'The Shadow' ventures into camp territory and is plain silly at times. But it's funny. Much of it is an exercise in absurdity and I was half expecting the actors to suddenly burst out in laughter. The bottom line is that I enjoyed watching it. The cast also includes Penelope Ann Miller, Ian McKellen and a typically kooky Tim Curry.

jc-osms Well, this film was on in the background on New Year's Eve 1997 in Copenhagen, when I took a phone call from what at that point I knew would be my future wife, I love old comic books, (although I'm not familiar with this particular character), like any other (relatively) young person in the 80's I've enjoyed a number of director Russell Mulcahy's music videos, heck, I even like the old Coasters hit "The Shadow Knows", so do you know what, I'm not going to be too harsh with my judgement.Yes, there are things not quite right with it, for one thing the title character's powers or their sources are never fully explained, he himself makes only fitful and to be honest rather underwhelming appearances when he does show up, plus most of all, John Lone as the Shadow's nemesis Khan is physically too small and cherubic-looking to impart any kind of old-fashioned dread. One scene where you see him from the back brushing past the NYC hordes in full war-attire had me tittering behind him. The main characters too, have little depth either, with none of the angst which fuels the more popular Batman or Spider Man characters.Better then to concentrate on the backgrounds, which are excellent, recreating the heady days of 1930's New York in all its glory and the special effects which are fine and entertaining. Director Mulcahy gives us some imaginative set-ups especially when his cameras go airborne. Lone apart, his Iead actors serve him well, Alec Baldwin and Penelope Ann Miller, playing their wonderful clothes well enough whilst Jerry Goldsmith's heavyweight score gives the movie some added grandeur.Slightly overlong and with too many gaps between stunts, nevertheless, the film is always good to look at even if the drama on screen occasionally slips shadow-like into the background.

goatbut29 This movie is so bad that I watched it when it first came out and totally forgot about it. So much so, that I thought I found a 'superhero' movie that I had somehow missed.Baldwin is Baldwin. I wasn't expecting anything there. Knowing now that the guy hated on his daughter like an evil bully, its hard to forget what a schmuck he is when trying to escape reality for an hour and a half.The graphics are dated and obviously fake, the cast was the same from many other movies which gave it an even more obviously fake feel.The cheesiness of it is just dreadful.Seeing all the glowing remarks about it just confirms what I had already thought: you cannot trust the reviews on this site. Either they are all cheesy little lib-tard art-majors (also called 'unemployed'), or hacks for the companies that pump out this bile.Either way, skip this flick. Even if its free. If you decide to watch it and somehow find yourself liking it, please consider that your life is worthless and you should not be voting, breeding, or consuming oxygen around others. Seek professional help.