Room 237 (2012)

Room 237 is a movie about how a bunch over people who have obsessed over the movie ‘The Shining’ talk about the various things and messages that are littered throughout the film. I have never seen ‘The Shining’ before watching this film but to be honest I don’t think that I have missed anything but I will see the movie at some point. The thing that I’ve been told about Stanley Kubrick is that he was a perfectionist and so nothing went into his movie that he didn’t obsess about so that is the one thing that you have to keep in mind when listening to these theories. On the subject of theories, some make sense such as the window in the managers office when the layout would contradict that. Then there is the theory about Kubrick faking the moon landing and you just end up thinking that its another wacky idea but then when the kid stands up and you see him wearing the Apollo 11 jumper then you start thinking that there might be some credit given to this. Another thing is where Kubrick is suppose to be giving a big FU to Stephen King when there is a shot of the car that King has in his novel being crushed in the movie.

There were several moments when watching the movie when I just thought that this was the stupidest thing I had ever seen. There were theories where you just think “nope”. The moment is where apparently Kubrick has his face superimposed on the clouds. Now with the best will in the will there is no face in those clouds and no face of Kubrick. Sometimes the voice would say “Now I’m taking a leap” in which I would respond by saying “You haven’t taken a leap so far?”. My favourite BS moment was when one person said that a ski poster which was clearly a ski poster was in the eyes of this person a minator. Then there was the idea that when the manager goes to shake Jack Nicholson’s hand he stands at the end of the desk and it looks like an erection. As the film progresses it seems that the outlandish ideas take centre stage.

There are so many theories and BS that go through the film that its amazing that Kubrick was able to make anything at all. That said I think that there might be some foundation in the theories about genocide and the Indians but other things such as the geography (except for the office) of the corridors are more a continuity error that Kubrick couldn’t do much about. At the end of the day he was a director working for a major movie studio and would only be given so much room for moving. Even the great Stanley Kubrick wouldn’t be able to dictate to the studios.

As a movie I think that providing you leave your senses at the door and are willing to accept some of the more barmier ideas that get voiced in the movie I think that it’s a fun movie but my ultimate feeling when the movie finished was that I am glad that I don’t obsess over movies like these people and I think that the people that participated in this movie need serious help. Go out and have a long walk in the countryside or read a non-scary book. Do something because its not healthy to obsess over a film this much.