The Shadow (1994)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

As a longtime fan of the fiction and culture of the 1930s, I'll admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about this film. I thought it would be a mediocre film with over-the-top acting and a crappy soundtrack. I have seldom been happier to be proved wrong in my initial assessment of a film!Seriously, this film is a hell of a lot of fun. The acting is superb on all counts, with a young Alec Baldwin easily stealing the show as both Lamont Cranston and The Shadow from amazing actors like Sir Ian McKellan and Tim Curry. Not only that, but if you listen to the original radio dramas of The Shadow on YouTube or iTunes, you start to understand exactly how well the film makers adhered to the source material. Apart from a small handful of changes, the characters are virtually untouched, and this is what lends the film it's feeling of authenticity, while still remaining fantastical in nature.The special effects are subtle, but very effective in their use of turning The Shadow invisible by clouding people's minds. The soundtrack is as near flawless for a film from the mid-nineties as I have ever seen, and both the set designers and the department in charge of props and vehicles certainly deserve a mention for their outstanding jobs in bringing a truly believable version of the Radio Pulp world of The Shadow to the big screen.For me, though, it is not the individual components of the film that make it so good; rather, it is the combination of the acting, the soundtrack, the set design and the special effects, that, coupled with a compelling storyline and characters that still stand the tests of time after nearly 100 years of being in the public's eye, makes a fun, thrilling film that is a classic piece of superhero cinema.

THE SHADOW is a lesson in getting it right. Alec Baldwin is spot on as tortured Kent Allard who assumes the name Lamont Cranston and The Alter Ego The Shadow .Walter Gibson's Shadow's never gave him an origin. So this film starts as a starting point and gives The Shadow one. And its masterfully done. Howard Chaykin a comic book artist and writer Did a comic book mini series in 1986 Which introduced some of the elements used here.The Year is 1927. Former American soldier Kent Allard has gone insane and seized control of a army of barbarians. And he has complete control of the opium trade making him wealthy. Ying Ko as he is called is ruthless. Slaughtering villages and raping the women and forcing the men to serve him. Then Ying Ko is kidnapped dragged before a Tibetan priest who has complete control of his mind. He tells Ying Ko that now is the time for redemption. he will be entered to serve as a soldier for justice. he will teach him how to fight crime and destroy evil using his mind. And clouding men's minds leaving behind one thing he cannot control His Shadow.Flash forward seven years later. Kent Allard has assumed the name Lamont Cranston. and dines every night with his Uncle The police commissioner Wainwright. And after that prowls the streets destroying crimes as the shadow. those he saves becomes agents of the Shadow. together they form a network dedicated to smashing crime. Then comes two people. One is the beautiful Margo Lane who matches the Shadow mind power for mind power. And she soon comes to realize Cranston is hiding a secret. The second is Shiwan Khan the last living relative of Genghis Khan His goal is to finish what his relative started. Conquering the world. but to do that he needs a powerful new weapon. and he needs to destroy the Shadow.With the faithful Margo Lane at his side and Moe his faithful driver. and his network of agents the Shadow goes to war against the most cunning foe he's ever met.The Writing is top notch. the cast is wonderful and the director captures the mod of the Shadow. as well of the mood of the 30s . The Shadow plays like a wonderful time machine taking you back. Back to when times were easier bad guys were bad guys and heroes were heroes . nothing complicated. With that said if you are a fan of the pulp heroes The Shadow is as perfect a movie as there ever could be. My sons watched it with me and enjoyed it. The Younger generation was thrilled by the Shadow just as all the other ones were.

Then again, I'll admit I don't care much for Batman at all. It's too bad The Shadow has basically been forgotten in modern times since I thought it was pretty fun. It had its problems, definitely. Many of the characters weren't developed enough, especially Shiwan Khan and Tim Curry's character. Also, as someone who has had no previous encounter with the franchise, I honestly was a bit confused about the powers of The Shadow. Some of the effects look pretty dated. The climax was a bit disappointing, since Shiwan Khan doesn't really fight back against The Shadow. Still, the movie had charm. Alec Baldwin is pretty good as the titular character. The other actors do well with what they're given, with the exception of Penelope Ann Miller. I'll admit I didn't really like Penelope Ann Miller as Margo Lane. I can't really explain it but I just thought she delivered her lines in an uncanny way, like she was really close to delivering them right but didn't quite do it right. Anyway, the climax was flawed but it was still suspenseful. Oh, and I really liked the song performed by Taylor Dayne that plays during the end credits.

In true 30's period style and setting this comicbook/pulp adaptation visually looks awesome and captures the atmosphere of the era perfectly. If you think along the lines of 'Dick Tracy' and 'The Rocketeer' then you will get an idea of the vibe going on here. Even though the budget for 'The Phantom' was actually bigger than this film, director Mulcahy's film certainly looks the slicker and more realistic.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. He always did seem like a poor man's Batman in all honesty, not too distant from the Phantom or Darkman actually. The main difference with this guy is the fact he does actually have some special super powers. He can cloud men's minds (what about women?) with a kind of spiritual hypnosis that blinds people to his presence...accept for his shadow oddly enough, hence his name. Oh and he's pretty snazzy with the two guns also. This character fits his dark little world perfectly 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 just like Wayne Manor to the Batcave and he lurks around in the shadows quite nicely.The plot is an odd one, Baldwin starts off as a bad guy in Tibet after succumbing to his darker side not long after WWI (dunno why). He is then kidnapped by some wise holy man who for some reason will train Baldwin to be a good guy, unsure why really, but in the end he goes back to New York and begins his Batman-esque lifestyle. Then some other magical fellow turns up to challenge Baldwin or try and get him to join with him so he can gain world domination. This bad guy happens to be a distant relation of Genghis Khan, for some reason we have another crime fighter who must face off against a Khan. 'Hellboy' had to face off against the actual Genghis Khan, weird how Khan seems to pop up in these fantasy films.As you can guess from this story idea there is a lot of mystical hocus pocus going on throughout and the plot is slightly convoluted to be frank. Really the film excels with its visuals, a lovely looking old fashioned 30's New York complete with dated cars, store fronts and atmospheric swirling mist, the invisibility effects, shadow effects, hands on makeup and a surprisingly cool looking outfit for the Shadow (did someone pinch ideas for 'Dark City' here?). The sets are really well designed throughout too and look stunning I must say, beautifully presented and created, the sets are obvious but that adds to the charm and realism plus it works much better than CGI. Not too sure about the far East look for Baldwin's character though, wig was a bit crappy. There is of course some CGI present throughout which tends to swing from being reasonable (looking back now), to a bit hokey in places, bit plastic looking. Of course back in the day the effects were relatively special to a degree.The movie is great fun and looks slick with a good casting choice in Baldwin for the main heroic/bad guy lead. He looks perfect for the part of 'Cranston' the playboy and actually could well have been a good 'Bruce Wayne' too I'm sure, a bit gruff maybe. This is really how 'The Green Hornet' should of been approached instead of the geeky spoof-like farce it was. Shame 'The Shadow' failed at the box office as this is another decent period superhero flick adaptation which is uniquely fresh plot wise but visuals wise was maybe more familiar. You just gotta look past the solid but clichéd appearance. Gotta love that classic film poster though huh, just like 'The Rocketeer' they really capture the essence of the old style crime caper and dare devil hero aspect. Lovely combination of colours and art work, very striking.6/10