This has got to be one of the worst adaptations of any character in the history of film. For everyone who says "just enjoy it" or "don't analyze it" just proves that this film doesn't have much going for it. Although the screenplay attempts to pull as many details from The Shadow's history as possible, any attempt to tell a good story was made as transparent as the Shadow himself. I am disappointed that with such a great supporting cast (Johnathan Winters, Tim Curry, Peter Boyle) was given NOTHING to do! Curry goes from a sniveling coward to a sweaty maniac with no transition or explanation. And poor Ian McKellan, award winning actor, is simply wasted. The Shadow himself is poorly written, making wise cracks ("Next time, I get to be on top!"), something that he never does and is out of character. Many good moments are ruined by the intrusion of some silly one-liner that deflates what little tension was building. The Shadow even makes Uncle Wainwright forget about the Shadow, all the while driving around in a futuristic cab with sci-fi gadgets in it. Not exactly subtle.
Don't forget, The Shadow in this film doesn't even save the city, he just stops the bad guy in a climax stolen from "Highlander". Margot and her father are really the ones who saved thousands or millions of lives. Supposedly two different scripts were written, a dark serious one and a funny camp one. Shame the second one was picked, because we might've gotten a good film instead.
Don't forget, The Shadow in this film doesn't even save the city, he just stops the bad guy in a climax stolen from "Highlander". Margot and her father are really the ones who saved thousands or millions of lives. Supposedly two different scripts were written, a dark serious one and a funny camp one. Shame the second one was picked, because we might've gotten a good film instead.