ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

thesar-2 I'll be honest: I really just want to belt this one out. I have two more reviews to write and spending any amount of time on The Shaft (and not the good one) is too much time.ATTENTION: THE MOVIE IS ABOUT A KILLER ELEVATOR (or "shaft" or "lift.") Surprisingly, I've now seen three "killer elevator" movies: The Lift, Devil and now The Shaft. Believe it or not, it's better than Devil but a few floors down from The Lift – from what I can remember. It's been awhile and damned Netflix doesn't have The Lift so I can't revisit that shaky climb.So…I guess they're playing on people's claustrophobic fears of an elevator because, quite frankly, the idea behind the three films (three? Really?) is rather dumb. It seems a lot safer to avoid stepping into an elevator than the ocean, as JAWS 2 warns you.Beyond the obvious problems with this feature of a NYC high rise that has a touristy elevator with an attitude, such as terrible acting, laughable dialogue and a sad list of great (Watts) to good (Perlman) actors who should know better…is the length. I mean, really? This is a B-movie, it doesn't pretend to be anything but…and still they thought 111 minutes (when 80-85 would do just fine) was what they needed to tell their story of a, and I repeat: KILLER ELEVATOR?Okay, honestly, it's not the worst movie I've seen, or even the worst B-movie, and I have seen plenty. But, it's still far too long with just awful acting, namely the lead: Marshall as no-good-trying-better elevator repairman, Mark Newman. Also, though some (just a bit) of the "kills" the shaft produces are creative, most are just painfully obvious…for someone who can think of what goes through the mind of a KILLER ELEVATOR.There really is no point of going over the plot…but just to make it quick: It's profitable to keep the beaches (sorry, still on JAWS 2) I mean, one of MANY elevators open, even though there's been some mysterious deaths (and births…don't ask.) New-comer repairman Mark teams up with "smart, sexy and obviously in it for the money" Watts as Jennifer Evans to crack the case of the satanic shaft.It's not at the point of "so-bad-it's-good" but it's worth watching if you're on something. In which I wasn't. Honest. I thought this might be a good substitute to Netflix not having The Lift. I was wrong.

derlowen I got this neighbor who scours thrift store video tape bins to find what I can only describe as the worst misuses of VHS media known to man. The worse the movie, the bigger his chest swells with pride for saving it from oblivion. So when he gives me another one of his treasures I said OK, because I was bored out of my mind anyway and knew it would be a trek into weirdness. Incidentaly, here in the US the title of the movie is "The Shaft", my neighbor happens to enjoy the company of men so I suspect he thought he had stumbled upon a porno! Heh, heh, heh... :). Anyway, I popped it in the VCR and was immediately struck by the quality of the cinematography in the opening scene, really novel and well done. The setting kind of reminded me of some of the mid 80's films HBO used to run as filler, the look and pace of it hail to a previous decade. I kept watching and became ever more surprised by all the twists and turns, it really keeps you off balance and that makes it fun. I found myself talking at the screen and bursting out in laughter with some of the ridiculous things the movie asks you to accept. Just a great little quirky, surprising and fun pseudo sci-fi ride.

DrSprayRimbaud Naomi Watts must've been a bit short on the rent when she agreed to sign up for this turkey. Without doubt, this was one of the most inane, farcical and annoying pieces of rubbish it has ever been my misfortune to watch.There isn't even one decent scare in this z-grade schlock-fest, and it becomes unintentionally humorous towards the end with the extremely low budget special effects. Having said that, if they had spent the minuscule amount of money they had put into the sfx into getting a decent scriptwriter/s, then this might have been a watchable film.The dialogue is awful enough to make good actors such as Ms Watts and Ron Pearlman look like nothing more than animatronic simulcra in search of a personality, and in general, the whole thing tries to come across as a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster to no avail.I want the 90 minutes of my life back that were thoroughly wasted on this crappy excuse for a film. If i had seen it at the cinema,I would not just have demanded my money back, i would have stormed into the projection booth and burned the film print.Awful. Truly awful.

bmanacles I had seen 'The Lift' when I was a little kid...it was one of the weirdest movies I'd ever watched...so I remembered it. We have the video, and I've seen it more than a few times. And then I find 'The Shaft'...deciding to watch it. What amazes me is that there are not only plenty of famous actors in it...but just how funny it is! And most of the things in it...I doubt I would have found as hilarious, if I hadn't seen the original. The scene transitions range from decent, to gruesomely morbid and hilarious. While I didn't like the opening scene...the rest of it is just great. It's such a shame it wasn't in theaters, which is understandable...it having come out only 2 years after the whole 9/11 thing.