The Shadow (1994)

[rogue trooper]

I never knew that. Are The Avenger stories any good?

I haven't read any of the original stories, though I hear they're quite good. The creator of The Shadow and the creator of Doc Savage had a bit of input in the creation of The Avenger.

I did read DC's First Wave mini-series, which featured The Avenger in a supporting role, alongside Batman, Doc Savage, and The Spirit.

From wikipedia:

The Avenger's real name is Richard Henry Benson, a globe-trotting adventurer who "had made his millions by professional adventuring": discovering rubber in South America, leading "native armies in Java", making "aerial maps in the Congo", mining "amethysts in Australia and emeralds in Brazil" and finding gold in Alaska and diamonds in the Transvaal.[2] Following the pulp archetype of a wealthy hero, despite an internal chronology making them (and Benson in particular) "children of the Great Depression", the Avenger's backstory gave him the funding to ultimately "support [his] crime-fighting appurtenances."[2]

Deciding to settle down and raise a family, the first Avenger adventure ("Justice, Inc."), Benson's plans for a peaceful life as a "world-renowned industrial engineer" are shattered when his wife (Alicia) and young daughter (Alice) are killed during an airplane journey. The shock of this loss has a bizarre effect on Benson. His face becomes paralyzed while both his skin and his hair turn white, his facial flesh becoming malleable, like clay. His face was thereafter (for the first dozen stories) regularly described (as in "The Smiling Dogs") as:

...dead, like something dug out of a cemetery. The muscles were paralyzed so that never, under any circumstances, could they move in an expression. This dead, weird face was as white as snow – as white, in a word, as you'd expect any dead flesh to be! In the flacial expanse of the face were set eyes so light-gray as to seem completely colorless.[5]

As a result of this tragedy, Benson vows to avenge himself on the villains, and to fight for all those who have suffered at the hands of criminals.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Read that a tv series based on the Avenger is coming, but it's not about Richard Benson. In this version he's murdered, but the daughter survives and becomes The Avenger or something like that.

Don't know why they would change the the story like that. Maybe someone should make a Batman movie where Thomas and Bruce Wayne are killed, and Martha becomes Batman. Or Peter Parker is killed by a robber because he listened to Ben Parker's words of wisdom

 

[samsnee]

I wonder if they'd ever do a Shadow/Phantom/Rocketeer style Avengers movie. Almost like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but actually good.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

They could do something like Masks (Dynamite comic book).

 

[Jason Kane]

They could do something like Masks (Dynamite comic book).

I'd kill for a movie version of Masks!

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

I'd kill for a movie version of Masks!

How would you do it? Knife, gun or chainsaw?

 

[Jason Kane]

How would you do it? Knife, gun or chainsaw?

All of the above!

 

[rogue trooper]

Got the Collector's Edition BluRay! Very much enjoyed the interviews with Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller, Russell Mulcahy, and David Koepp.

 

[Two-Face]

I wonder if we get reboot? We should though since Baldwin is too old to play the character. Who do you think should get the role?

 

[3dman27]

I wonder if we get reboot? We should though since Baldwin is too old to play the character. Who do you think should get the role?

brett Dalton?

 

[horacethegrey]

I thought this movie was boring. It's wildly uneven with many dull stretches interspersed with occasional moments of brilliance, particularly every time Baldwin appears as the Shadow. The villain played by John Lone doesn't exactly inspire fear or respect, in fact he's hammy as hell and very lame. I wish they didn't go the campy route here, as for a character like the Shadow, a darker tone would have been more appropriate.

Not all of it is bad though. Baldwin is good in the role and as I said, every moment he appears as the Shadow is brilliant (I just wish there was more of that). Penelope Ann Miller was probably the hottest she's ever been in this flick. And I do like the period atmosphere.

But all in all, this film could have been great. It just fell short is all.

 

[CountOrlok]

What about Tim Curry, and that living knife thing..

I kind of liked the interplay between Baldwin and Lone. And rarely do you see a charismatic asian villain.

 

[bluerayer]

I wonder if we get reboot? We should though since Baldwin is too old to play the character. Who do you think should get the role?

Adrien Brody. Directed by Sam Raimi.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Deleted scenes:

Originally the final fight was going to be much longer. The crew had dozens of mirrors set up but they were all destroyed in an earthquake. With no time left to acquire new ones, the scene was filmed with the few left over. The above image is from a cut sequence in which Shiwan Khan forces Lamont to encounter memories from his childhood and his reign of terror.

A deleted or perhaps alternate scene shows Lamont in Shadow costume in the Sanctum.

A scene in which Margot reads A Tale of Two Cities was cut.

A scene in which Margot is given a ring, thus becoming a Shadow agent, was also cut.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Behind the scenes & promo pics:

 

[ThePhantasm]

 

[rogue trooper]

Deleted scenes:

Originally the final fight was going to be much longer. The crew had dozens of mirrors set up but they were all destroyed in an earthquake. With no time left to acquire new ones, the scene was filmed with the few left over. The above image is from a cut sequence in which Shiwan Khan forces Lamont to encounter memories from his childhood and his reign of terror.

A deleted or perhaps alternate scene shows Lamont in Shadow costume in the Sanctum.

A scene in which Margot reads A Tale of Two Cities was cut.

A scene in which Margot is given a ring, thus becoming a Shadow agent, was also cut.

Nice find!

 

[Majik1387]

So I just watched this fully for the first time the other night and.....I didn't like it, at all. I don't understand why this movie gets such love. Someone explain it to me?

 

[Naked Shia]

I like the pulp mood, and how it feels faithful to the source material.

 

[EssayM]

To me, one of the best parts about this movie (aside from Alec Baldwin, who's actually not that bad) is all the great character actors in the cast. Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen, Jonathan Winters, Tim Curry...I could watch any of those guys in anything, and putting them all together in one movie is just genius. Winters and Curry in particular just steal every scene they have in this, even when they barely have anything to say.

As for the movie itself? Well, given that pretty much all of the superhero movies in the 90s were campy and terrible, I'd say this is probably one of the better ones. The action scenes are pretty cool, the acting that isn't enjoyable OTT is at least passable, the period look is a lot of fun. It's not my favorite, but I don't mind watching it every once in a while.

 

[The Shape]

I re-watched this last week and have gotten myself into a bit of "Shadowmania". I just spent like 200 bucks buying graphic novel collections of various comic runs of The Shadow lol.

What I love about this movie is how it faithful (in its own way) to the history of The Shadow. It just got so much right in terms of the character that I can forgive some of the wonky writing and boring scenes. The good really outweighs the bad for me here.

The opening bridge scene is one of my favorite comic book movie scenes ever. Baldwin's laugh, his voice, the outfit, the makeup on him, the dialogue -- it's all perfect. They need to reboot The Shadow and they MUST keep it set during the same era.

 

[Tg11]

I sure hope they remake or reboot The Shadow but with the same origin story, same characters with the same villain basically rebooting the origin story from scratch in the sense of making it similar to the 1994 film but more darker with an edginess to it that it actually could potentially spawn off into a future franchise but who can play The Shadow though? Who could play Lamont Cranston/The Shadow?

 

[Travesty]

Nolan should do a grounded take. I would love to see a realistic Shadow.

 

[The Shape]

Nolan should do a grounded take. I would love to see a realistic Shadow.

Really?

 

[Tg11]

I re-watched this last week and have gotten myself into a bit of "Shadowmania". I just spent like 200 bucks buying graphic novel collections of various comic runs of The Shadow lol.

What I love about this movie is how it faithful (in its own way) to the history of The Shadow. It just got so much right in terms of the character that I can forgive some of the wonky writing and boring scenes. The good really outweighs the bad for me here.

The opening bridge scene is one of my favorite comic book movie scenes ever. Baldwin's laugh, his voice, the outfit, the makeup on him, the dialogue -- it's all perfect. They need to reboot The Shadow and they MUST keep it set during the same era.

Yes but who could play Lamont Cranston similar to the way Alec Baldwin played him in 1994? Yes they should keep The Shadow in the same time period in the same era of the 1930s with him being the superhero of New York City in the 1930s but just which actors look enough like Alec Baldwin that they could pull off being Cranston?