The Shadow

BEFORE SUPERMAN, BEFORE BATMAN, before anythingman, there was The Shadow. In this $45 million epic, Alec Baldwin is Lamont Cranston, a Billionaire who swaps his tux for the black cloak of the crime fighter who "clouds men's minds." The script by David Koepp ("Jurassic Park") pits Shadski against Shiwan Khan (John Lone), a Gengis Khan wanna-be who's also an ace mind clouder. So is stone's squeeze, Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), so there's a lot of cumulus in everyone's cranium. The movie, half camp, half straight, has its moments, but Australian director Russell Mulcahy lacks the loopy flair of "Batman's" Tim Burton. Still, the art deco-1930s New York, Miller's silvery dresses-is gorgeous.