Room 237

First of all, let me tell you that I've always found hidden messages, conspiracies, occult themes etc extremely interesting and it's something I love discussing about. I'm always very open minded when it comes to this kind of stuff and when i saw the trailer for this movie i just could not wait to watch it. The Shining is a masterpiece and just the thought of that it could have a much bigger meaning was just too good to be true.

Last night i finally watched it, and man was i ever disappointed. Like i said, I'm always opened minded when it comes to this kind of stuff, but the theories the creators of this film has come up with are so far- fetched it's almost embarrassing. They find a hidden meaning in every little thing and they never really seem to stop to question their own theories. Everything is taken for granted, and in my opinion, most of the claims are ridiculous; it holds no water.

To give you an example of just how ridiculous some of the theories are: If you watched Finding Nemo right now in the same state of mind as the creators of this movie watched The Shining, you too would find subliminal messages about everything from The Holocaust to the faked moon landing. It's just insane.

Also, all the different theories just turn into one big mess because there's so many of them, so it's hard to understand what they are actually trying to say.

However, big ups for making this type of movie. I just wish there were way more solid arguments and not all these extremely far-fetched ideas that don't really make sense. The creators might have some things correct (we'll never know) but for me it's just way too over ambitious and messy.

This movie was worth while, it was interesting, entertaining and made you think. For a fan of the shining, or Kubrick or conspiracy theories this was a great film. Junk science came to mind a few times, to me the most interesting parts of the film were the details which were brought to the attention of the viewer which Kubrick definitely had a hand in, the conspiracy theories, ideas about the holocaust, extermination of the native Americans and faking of the lunar landing were a bit more out there but intriguing and I wouldn't put anything past Kubrick. The most interesting point of the film to me was the discussion of post modern works of art and the claim that irregardless of the authors intent, themes can be found which might have been or have not been consciously intended. Overall, the mind of Kubrick, his eye for detail, his humor and overall brilliance is what is most evident when watching this film. If one looks for themes and ways to make connections they can be found in many different places, overall this can lead to seeing reality though higher levels of awareness and if one is lucky enough glimpses of enlightenment, that was the broader and most important theme in this movie.

I really hoped this would somewhat focus on the film 'The Shining', but it doesn't. It's all about how people, who I have never heard of, think about it and how they interpret it. Sorry, I don't need strangers to tell me what to think. My recommendation is to avoid.

This film is essentially people who are obsessed with Stanley Kubrick's The Shining spinning out their theories about what the film means. It reveals little about Kubrick's vision or intent and everything about their specific and sometimes downright crazy views about the world as expressed through their interpretations of Kubrick's movie. Room 237 demonstrates the deep impact a film can have when something about it resonates with the particular psychology or beliefs of members of its audience. The real brilliance of The Shining is that it created an almost palpable atmosphere of dread while remaining enigmatic and opaque. It's a Rorschach test to be freely interpreted by its audience.

Yeah, that's right. I said comedy, and this isn't a review for the wrong film. Like most people, I went into ROOM 237 expecting a documentary on Kubrick's THE SHINING, containing various theories exploring the movie's subtext and the like. What I got was an increasingly deranged collection of ramblings and outlandish conspiracy theories from a team of crackpots and wackos.

Because ROOM 237 isn't about THE SHINING at all. Instead, it's a documentary about obsession, and how ANYTHING can be interpreted as ANYTHING given the right frame of mind. So in the course of this documentary we learn that Kubrick faked the Moon landings, that a poster of skier is in fact a minotaur, and plenty more besides.

It's all complete hogwash, of course. Yes, Kubrick added in subtle, almost subliminal things to mess with the viewer's mind; changing the carpet pattern or removing a sticker from a door. But he did that to further unsettle the viewer in what after all is a horror film. There's no more to it than that. However, the nonsense spouted in this film is actually very funny, hence my comment that this makes a great comedy indeed.