MovieChat Forums > The Shadow (1994) Discussion > This was placed as one of the worst comi...

This was placed as one of the worst comicbook movies recently

posted 16 years ago by jason005-1
43 replies | jump to latest

I can't remember the site other than that of the worst 20 comic book movies it was number 20.

Anyways the reasons

1.Not enough development by that I assume they mean we never see Lamont Cranston in trainning. Ok I don't think that should be a reason for bashing the movie. During this time period super hero movies they went with screw putting the origin in and everything before they became a super hero.

2.The Villain's role was sterotypical If having a Asian American play a evil ruler, conquerer, dictator, etc is sterotypical then by that logic these same people would bash The Mummy Returns because there it is again a Asian American playing a evil ruler.

3.It was a box office Bomb. It didn't make as much as it's budget.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Jasons_Argonaut 15 years ago

I know what you mean. I just watched it again the other day and really enjoyed it. The Dark Knight was really good, but I've only seen it twice in theaters. I haven't even bothered with it on DVD. It's weird, for as good as The Dark Knight was, it just has no rewatchability (a term I picked up on TV Land years ago) for me. Nolan's films could stand to have a bit more style than a CNN news report. Style isn't everything, but it can help!

[–] nightcrawler-329 15 years ago

"The Shadow" was an awesome movie. It was leaning toward campy (i.e. it had Tim Curry in it) and I think campiness is one of those things where you either love it or you hate it. I thought the film was done perfectly - the 1930s art deco atmosphere, the memorable lines ("the sun is shining, but the ice is slippery), and the awesome soundtrack (which I bought off of ebay). The Shadow is a superhero and IMO if you do a superhero movie where the main character fights crime in a costume, you can't just plop him into a real world atmosphere and expect it not to look silly. One solution is to make the setting as over-the-top, as stylized and as epic as the hero himself. Batman fights crime in Gotham; Superman fights crime in Metropolis; the city reflects the personality of the hero. The second solution, is to take a costumed hero, put him into the real world, but make him so dark and violent that his "realness" takes away from the fact that he's wearing a silly costume. I'm not such a fan of this second solution, but that's what the new Batman movies try to do. Watchmen also uses this version of the superhero.

[–] praisedivinemercy 15 years ago

I like your points, however The Shadow is a superhero that could be done very well realistically precisely because he doesn't exactly wear a silly costume. It's just a cloak, coat, hat, and scarf. In the pulps, there are times when he simply folds up the cloak and walks off to blend with the crowd. He's also already rather dark and violent, what with the gunfire and slightly maniacal personality. He wouldn't need the grimness of Nolan's Batman to seem believable.
I very much hope the new film takes this direction.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Speak softly and carry a sakabatou."

[–] hubcap18 15 years ago

The Shadow's origin is shown, or at least the events immediately preceding his origin

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The SHADOW knows.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] evilreincarnated 15 years ago

The people who came up with the fact that the Shadow was crap obviously had not seen The Phantom. That film was OK but pales in comparison to the far superior Shadow.

[–] Ricochet84 15 years ago

1. I liked that about this movie.

2. PC bastards. Following that "logic", wouldn't a white nemesis be stereotypical racism against whites?
I hate racism. Most people do. But that is ridiculous.

3. So box office equals quality? No, it justs means people have different tastes.

(I'm not insulting the OP, I'm insulting whoever came up with those moronic "reasons")

---
Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K

[–] Yorick_Brown 15 years ago

I saw it earlier today. Character development was lacking alright but it was an okay albeit a little cheesy. It's no "Dick Tracy" (1990) but i beats "The Phantom" (1996) alright.

You had better decide whether you're hangin' on the cross... or bangin' in the nails.

[–] red_phenix 15 years ago

I remember this film fondly, watched it when I was about nine. And I recall far more about it and the plot than the other "comic book movies" of the time. So it can't be that bad.

[–] tl2055 15 years ago

The best parts are when the Shadow shows up, but there are too few scenes with him in it....some of the Shadow-centric stuff is fun to, but there is a LOT of dumb stuff that just grinds the film to a halt.

Official Bleeder

[–] mario_023 14 years ago

I wouldn't say it's one of the worst at all. The only flaws against it were it was a little cheesy, the Shadow wasn't the best fighter and there were a lot of goofs in the movie, but otherwise it was pretty damn awesome.

"The saddest thing in life is wasted talent." ~ A Bronx Tale (1993)

[–] TiggerPromfit 14 years ago

This film was a complete stinker, i know why it's bashed a lot now.

It's basically Darkman but 10x more boring, well deserved of its bad reputation.

[–] TheSolarSailor 14 years ago

Yet all its critics can do is make lame, shallow criticisms that amount to nothing in lieu of saying anything that matters.

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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] lkwaterski 9 years ago

Wow SolarSailor! I didn't think that we all had to be profound here. I hope you aren't criticizing the IMDB public who writes these posts as lame and shallow. I think there is room here for the profound writer, the profane writer, and the light-hearted writer. Everyone can give their two cents worth.

[–] rogerscorpion 14 years ago

Darkman was Sam Raimi's re-working of some of The Shadow's elements--with less atmosphere.

Carpe Noctem!

[–] fang123horn 14 years ago

I'd prefer The Phantom over The Shadow.

[–] Neoblackdragon 14 years ago

I would really be curious about quantity. If these were worst sci/drama/...movies then year. But when it comes to Superhero moviess made in the last few decades(usually with most of the focus on 80,90's,00's movies). Then is it really hard to see this movie on the list? Honestly going though my mental list of Superhero movies. Its low on the list but not in a bad way.

[–] magic8ball2112 14 years ago

It wasn't 'great' but I wouldn't include it as 'one of the worst comic book movies', both because a) it wasn't THAT bad & b) it was a radio serial adapted into a movie!
Ok so the 2nd reason is semantics but still!

Anyhoo, my lone critique about the flick was that the character wasn't developed enough. Ok so he's a 'superhero' "who can cloud men's minds". They could've gone into what made him such a 'hero' beyond that.

As for the villian being 'stereotypical', well, the villian was a wayward student of Cranston's old Nepalese master. It would've been more PC yet oddball if the bad guy was, say, European or a black guy!

And while I'm not surprised it tanked at the box office, a movie can tank at the box office yet still live on as a cult classic i.e. Highlander, Blade Runner, etc.

[–] anannya_sen 14 years ago

I think every scene with John Lone in it is electric, especially the scenes where he interacts with Baldwin.

"But it happened at sea! See? C for Catwoman!!"