The Shadow (1994)

The Shadow (1994)

6/10

Starring

Alec Baldwin

John Lone

Penelope Ann Miller

Peter Boyle

Ian McKellen

Directed by Russell Mulcahy

Before the whole cinematic universe of Marvel and D.C., there were many other adaptations of superheroes in the 90s. Some of these, like this movie, were based on characters that didn’t exist in either the Marvel or D.C. universe at the time.

Based on the pulp fiction character of the same name, created in 1931 by Walter B. Gibson, the movie’s plot goes like this: The Shadow, a somewhat gun-blaring superhero detective, mostly deals with kingpins and gangs. In this movie, he has to face an evil with powers beyond his own.

The Shadow is skilled in marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat. He also has the power to cloud people's minds and make his presence invisible. He can hypnotize and possesses some level of telekinesis.

As a whole, the movie is fun for the following reasons:
The musical score by Jerry Goldsmith is to be admired. It’s well-crafted to suit each scene. Another plus is the CGI; at every point in the movie, the graphics don’t fail to deliver. One moment that comes to mind is when The Shadow has to step out from the wall after his coat is pinned. It’s done well.

The movie’s main plot starts in Tibet, where we see how Lamont Cranston (Alec Baldwin) became The Shadow and moved to New York after a seven-year disappearance from everyone who knew him. He’s wealthy, lives alone, and doesn’t work.
Everything about him seems fine—his identity is safe, and he has control over things in New York. All of that changes when he meets his love interest, Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller). Her presence in his life and the emergence of a new evil, beyond The Shadow’s own powers, threatens the world. He’s the man who has to stop this evil and end it.

The pitfalls of the movie lie in the writing (storyline). You begin to notice this in the movie’s first opening scene, where we see how Cranston became The Shadow. Even for a movie from the 90s, The Shadow has a very silly initial ten minutes, which can make anyone not want to see what follows. This doesn’t improve much later on, even though the visual style keeps you glued. At times, the writing makes you wish someone else had control of it.

Another waste in the movie is the villain and everyone in the realm of evil. Regardless of how powerful the movie tries to make them seem, their presence doesn’t portray that on screen.

Casting Alec Baldwin might have felt like a miscast in the initial ten minutes of the origin story in Tibet because his portrayal of a lost soul was hard to believe. The moment we have him back in New York, wearing suits and playing the superhero The Shadow, his acting power and presence shine.

This is the movie that made Alec Baldwin shy away from A-list movies and stick to B-movies instead. This happened because the movie did poorly at the box office and was not well received.

For its nice visual style, cinematic excellence, and amazing score, this movie is a keeper. That said, the lack of good writing makes this movie drop from being a classic to a fine movie to watch.