THE AISLE SEAT - by Mike McGranaghan
"THE SHADOW"
For some reason, the early '90s were a time when Hollywood thought going severely retro was a good idea. It was the dawn of the CGI era, yet studios were looking back to the days of matinee serials and radio dramas for inspiration, perhaps sensing that the “old school” entertainments were becoming dinosaurs at the hands of new technology. The Rocketeer, from 1991, is an example of retro cinema from that time. So is 1994's The Shadow. Perhaps to nobody's surprise, neither of them was much of a hit. The Rocketeer remains beloved by its fan base, though, and The Shadow looks to increase its own with a new Collector's Edition Blu-Ray from Shout! Factory.
Set in the 1930s, Alec Baldwin stars as the title character, a.k.a. Lamont Cranston, a crime-fighter gifted with the ability to “cloud men's minds.” When Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the last descendant of Genghis Kahn, makes his way to New York City with a plan to detonate an atomic bomb, it's up to the Shadow to stop him. Penelope Ann Miller plays Margo Lane, the daughter of a scientist (Ian McKellen) who has been kidnapped by Khan. She's also a romantic interest for Cranston.
The Shadow was directed by music video veteran Russell Mulcahy, who supplies the film with visual razzle-dazzle inspired by the era. At the same time, he mixes that retro flair with a few distinct comic book-y touches that mark it as taking place in an alternate version of the decade. For instance, when the Shadow attacks an assailant, we see a black blur materialize in front of them with a whoosh and an almost subliminal flash of Cranston's profile. One of the chief criticisms aimed at The Shadow in 1994 was that it had more style than substance. Looking back, the style is one of the best, most ambitious things about the movie. You can feel the love and care that went into it.
Baldwin is good in the lead role. He's got that “dashing” quality so many matinee idols of the period had. The actor also brings a much-needed intensity to the character, and that helps us become invested in the admittedly overwrought story. The continual sense of visual invention is a plus, as well. The Shadow was never going to appeal to kids or those too young to remember the more quaint adventures of the radio era. That's probably even more true now than it was in 1994. But for adults with a fondness for old-fashioned daring-do, it remains a respectable take on the character, one that tries to find ways to infuse it with something inherently cinematic.
Shout! Factory's Blu-Ray comes equipped with a nearly 25-minute retrospective documentary. Almost all the major participants are accounted for, including Baldwin, Miller, and Mulcahy. They all praise David Koepp's screenplay, and Koepp himself discusses the tremendous leeway he was granted at the time, having just come off adapting Jurassic Park. It's entertaining to hear everyone reflecting on film, especially Penelope Ann Miller, who delicately suggests that Baldwin's dark side made him the ideal actor for the role. The movie's original theatrical trailer is included, as well.
Shout! Factory has cleaned The Shadow up nicely with a 1080p high-def transfer and a DTS 5.1 stereo mix. It looks and sounds very good. For more information on this release, please visit the Shout! Factory website.
The Shadow is rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence. The running time is 1 hour and 48 minutes.
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