Sometimes I miss a movie that, at best, I was only mildly interested in seeing when it originally came out.  Often, I forget about this movie.  Other times, my interest, though mild, remains.  Though I don’t actively seek the film out, I will watch it if I get the chance.

Such was the case with 1408, a 2007 release starring John Cusack and based on a Stephen King short story.  As I said, I had only a mild interest in the film and when it quickly came and went from the theaters I thought it probably wasn’t all that good.  And yet it stuck with me, a little itch I had to scratch.

For the record, I like John Cusack and feel that even in some not very good movies he, nonetheless, is reliably good.  And although I’m not a huge fan of the works of Stephen King, there have been some good movies made out of his stories.

So, the little itch remained.

A week or two ago the SyFy Network aired the film and I decided to record it.  The movie languished in my DVR for a few weeks but yesterday I finally had a chance to see it.

Now, obviously I’m reacting to the “sanitized” TV version of the film, so therefore my opinions of what I saw should be taken with that particular grain of salt.

Nonetheless…what a disappointment.

John Cusack, for the most part, is the whole show here and he’s in good form.  You sympathize with his character and root for him.  This is a good thing as his character, after a few early and late sequences in the movie, is the whole show.  A less sympathetic actor in this role might well have turned audiences off completely.

The story goes like this: John Cusack is author Mike Enslin, another of those Stephen King proxies.  He investigates supposedly “haunted” Hotels and has carved a small niche publishing books related to his experiences at these Hotels.  He’s also a cynic who doesn’t believe a thing about what he writes.  To him there is no supernatural phenomena.  Finally, as the film goes on it becomes clear he’s harboring some deep personal pain within.

The movie starts with his “investigation” of a Bed and Breakfast type place where the owners of the establishment are hopeful Enslin’s “investigation” will allow them to get some free publicity for their place.  We then see him at a bookstore (remember those!?) signing copies of his book and answering questions from the few people who have come to see him.

Later, he returns home and finds an intriguing postcard regarding a New York hotel named The Dolphin.  The postcard tells him about a room within the hotel, #1408 (natch), and he heads to the library to check up on it.  He finds there have been several mysterious deaths in the room and decides that is the next place he wants to investigate.

He heads to New York and avoids his estranged wife (more hints at the pain he’s harboring within) and gets to the Hotel.  Once there, he meets up with the Hotel’s manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson in what amounts to a cameo role).  Olin tries to convince Enslin not to go to the room but the author will not be denied.

Finally, he reaches the room and soon all hell breaks loose.

While one can certainly admire the sheer amount of work produced by Stephen King, it’s fair to say that its a dual edged sword.  On the one hand, there’s more for fans of his works to enjoy.  On the other hand, there are bound to be times when, consciously or not, Mr. King repeats certain themes.  In the case of 1408, the long shadow cast by The Shining winds up darkening this particular work.

The protagonist?  Like in The Shining, an troubled author with family issues.

The setting?  Like in The Shining, a Hotel (though to be fair, most of the “action” in 1408 occurs in a single room).

The conflict?  Supernatural elements in this Hotel room, not unlike the haunted presence in The Shining.

Thus as the movie progressed I couldn’t help but compare 1408 with the far superior Stanley Kubrick film version of The Shining.  Despite this, the film was reasonably engaging early on.

Unfortunately, after the first series of phantom menaces, the film reaches its high water mark and never moves higher.  Worse, as we near the conclusion we’re given a series of “climaxes” that are at best not very satisfying and at worse suggest the movie’s makers were straining to come up with a good end (my understanding is that the home video release features at least one more alternate unused ending!).

So, despite a good performance by John Cusack, 1408 winds up being a mess of a movie, especially in the second half.  The film’s greatest sin is that its resolution undermines whatever good will it establishes beyond its similarities to The Shining.

Oh well, you can’t win them all.