Every summer comes complete with its load of heavily touted blockbusters, most which fizzle and fade like Pop Rocks. This summer was no different in the sheer amount of big budget films, but was different in the way that some of them actually succeeded.
In a summer dominated by heart-felt films like "Garden State," documentaries like "Super Size Me" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" and comedies like "Anchorman" and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," here's a look at the most talked about suspense and action films.
Spider-Man 2 (Directed by Sam Raimi, PG-13)
Verdict: A-
Less of an action flick and more of a deep character analysis, Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2" star is not our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, but the ordinary kid behind the mask.
Having trouble balancing the responsibilities of a normal, debt-ridden college student and those of his superhuman alter ego, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) abandons his duties as Spider-Man. With the appearance of a new villain and the sudden surge of crime due to his retirement, Parker must decide whether he should once again don his mask.
Though Raimi's development of Parker is leagues more gripping than any of the action sequences in the film, it takes away from the screen time of Alfred Molina and his wonderful performance as Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus. Aside from this minor qualm, "Spider-Man 2," with its nigh perfect balance of action, drama and comedy, is a perfect example of a summer blockbuster film.
Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban (Directed by Alfonso Cuar??n, PG)
Verdict: B-
"Prisoner of Azkaban" finds Potter and his schoolmates older and wiser, but in no less danger. The infamous Sirius Black has escaped from prison and wants to do harm to the Hogwarts students. Harry also learns to hone a new power to repel demons. A surprise ending sends a lunatic packing.
The film has held up a bit flaccidly to the review of author J.K. Rowling's readers. A couple of showy effects impress briefly, but it's the thematic structure of Rowling's content which drags "Azkaban" out of "C" territory.
There's something to be said for enjoying entertainment meant for children. There's also something to be said for resisting the natural maturing process. Many college students look back on Disney's "Aladdin" with fondness and nostalgia. Many others seem to attempt to recreate the experience.
Troy (Directed by Wolfgang Peterson, R)
Verdict: C
"Troy" took Greek mythology center stage as the only period epic this summer. The plot of Homer's epic poem is well known. A war of once-unknown proportions between Troy and Sparta ensues over two men's love of a single woman after Paris steals Helen away from Menelaus.
No purported "epic" film in recent memory has so unabashedly relied on the sex appeal of its cast. Showing studs Orlando Bloom (Paris) and Brad Pitt (Achilles) bare-chested in the preview, along with gorgeous newcomer Diane Kruger (Helen) dropping her garb to the floor, gives girlfriends and boyfriends alike a reason to take a peek at a laughable re-enactment of classic mythology.
Despite reasonable performances from a quality supporting cast (Brian Cox, Eric Bana and Brendan Gleeson) "Troy" is sure to be the Achilles heel of many fine careers. It was not shocking, awe-inspiring or moving.
I, Robot (Directed by Alex Proyas, PG-13)
Verdict: C
With each passing summer comes another Will Smith movie. In "I, Robot," based on the novels of Isaac Asimov, director Alex Proyas ("The Crow," "Dark City") takes the concepts and intelligence of Asimov's work and dilutes it with overblown special effects teamed with a generic and predictable storyline.
Detective Del Spooner (Smith) holds a deep distrust for all robots, even though not one has committed a crime or harmed a human in any way. When a suicide occurs on the eve before the distribution of the new line of NS5 robots, Spooner becomes tangled in a conspiracy that proves his paranoia of robots right.
What could have been an intelligent film dealing with racism and understanding is instead a by-the-numbers plot filled with the most blatant of product placements. Smith is once again reprising his role as himself, dishing out one-liners much like those in his sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." The emotional robot, Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk), is more likeable than any of the human characters in "I, Robot," which unfortunately parallels the director's preference of computer generated imagery and special effects over pure human drama.
The Village (Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, PG-13)
Verdict: B
M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" presumably takes place in an isolated 19th century town, though the actual date is left unmentioned. The town is surrounded by woods that contain unspeakable horrors attracted to the color red, known inside the town as "the bad color." A pet is found dead and skinned, leaving the town folk and its wise elders to wonder if the creatures have broken their ages-old truce.
Frankly, this does not measure up to Shyamalan's best work, "The Sixth Sense" or "Signs." The creatures hardly live up to their self-ascribed hype, only once providing a good reason for fear. The "ah-ha" ending that viewers have come to expect proved rather predictable this time around. The love story in the film between Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) and Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) is quite good though. The delicate expressions of longing feel genuine - something terribly hard to find in film - and are much appreciated.
Shyamalan is one of the best directors of our generation, along with David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky and David Fincher. Each is bound to come up with a few less-than-spectacular films to which they must lay claim. For example, to every one of Fincher's "Se7en" and "Fight Club" there is a "Panic Room." Shyamalan has alternated between good and great so far in his short career. "The Village" is a good one.
Catwoman (Directed by Pitof, PG-13)
Verdict: F
There are no words to describe how bad "Catwoman" is.
The film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet's underling, Pitof, not only insults hardcore fans of the feline villainess by revamping the character origin as well as changing her name from Selina Kyle to Patience Phillips, but also the casual moviegoer with a horribly written and directed film.
Phillips (Halle Berry), a timid graphics designer, stumbles upon a conspiracy within her cosmetics company that costs Phillips her life. Bestowed with superhuman abilities after an ancient Egyptian cat resurrects her, Phillips sets off to avenge her wrongful death.
Originality is completely absent. Pitof's "Catwoman" origin is lifted straight from Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" and the picture is structured like Sam Raimi's first "Spider-Man" film. The dialogue, supporting characters and villain of the film stink like a filthy litter box.
Let's not even get started on that costume.
The Manchurian Candidate (Directed by Jonathan Demme, R)
Verdict: D
"The Manchurian Candidate" is a remake of a 1962 film about a Korean War veteran who has been brainwashed by the military. He is taught to respond to any command given after he sees a queen of hearts playing card. This time around the war is the first Gulf War. The command is a simple repetition of his name, Raymond Shaw. Both military commanders and Raymond's mother use the control to their advantage in both versions.
Tension was created by the story itself in the original, while the remake's director, Jonathan Demme (who has ruined a classic before with "The Truth About Charlie," a remake of the classic Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn film "Charade"), resorted to frantic over-acting by Denzel Washington (as Ben Marco, a character who did not exist in the original), jump-cuts and constant noise. The film also dated itself with parallel commentary about the upcoming presidential election. Demme attempted to identify one candidate as a republican and the other as a democrat without any mention of political parties.
The mother was equally controlling, but in an in-your-face way that was just grating. When a character has to have a "Slim Jim" marketing-style attitude to make the viewer dislike or resent them, they're compensating for a lack of script content. God save the queen.
Collateral (Directed by Michael Mann, R)
Verdict: B+
Slow and uneasy tension has always been director Michael Mann's ace. Each of his films, from "Heat" to "Ali," has provided a sense of imminent doom, and "Collateral" is, thankfully, no different.
A hired hitman named Vincent (Tom Cruise) forces L.A. taxi driver Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive him to five targets before the end of the night. With each passing murder, Max becomes dragged deeper into the situation until he is forced to stop Vincent's assignment.
"Collateral" isn't for those lacking patience or those looking for a straightforward explosion fest. Although most of the film occurs in Max's taxi with the two characters together, the wonderful acting of both Foxx and Cruise, combined with the stylistic direction by Mann, makes the viewer fear not what Max and Vincent will do to each other, but rather what they will do when they are apart.
Though Vincent is the designated villain of the film, it is hard not to like him, partly due to Cruise's stunning performance as the cold-blooded killer. He also shows that men don't have to be frightened of becoming unattractive when their hair goes gray.
Hero (Directed by Yimou Zhang, PG-13)
Verdict: A-
"Hero" was released in Asia in 2002 as "Ying Xiong." It starred the biggest Chinese martial arts star of the last decade, Jet Li, who has become known here in the West for his roles in poor action films like "Cradle 2 the Grave." The film was a tremendous hit, resulting in the prospect of an American release. There was a long fight with Miramax to keep the movie at its original length and in its original language. After Quentin Tarantino signed onto the title, the film was released in full, as Li and director Yimou Zhang intended.
Jet Li plays Nameless, a man with supernatural fighting capabilities who has defeated three assassins of comparable ability. He is allowed to drink within an allotted distance of the king of the land, who he has saved. Nameless and the king discuss and argue his motivations for killing the assassins, and several versions of the story ensue.
Stunning cinematography drives this simple but engaging film about ancient storytelling. The symbolism of different color schemes associated with different flashbacks is something even the casual movie-goer cannot ignore. They also provide a new look for the new version of story being told. The presence of a respectable moral to the story reflects its involvement with an ancient culture. The film loses its only point for awkward pacing in the final act.
"Hero" has shown itself to be the best movie of the summer.
Alien vs. Predator (Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, PG-13)
Verdict: D+
Ever since the scene in which Danny Glover sees the Predator's Alien skull trophy in the wretched "Predator 2," fans have been dying to see the two legendary monsters together on the big screen.
They should have been a little more patient, because "Alien Vs. Predator" - Paul W.S. Anderson's ("Mortal Kombat," "Resident Evil") vision of the anticipated battle - definitely falls short of fans' expectations.
Weyland-Utani president, Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen), organizes an archeological crew lead by explorer Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a mysterious signal under the ice of Antarctica. What they discover is a temple used by coming-of-age Predators to hunt Aliens.
Though he intended for the film to be a self-contained entity, Anderson mistakenly tries to tie together his Alien/Predator universe with the lore of each respective series. This leads to a tangle of continuity errors and plot holes, forcing fans to rely on their own knowledge of both series to fill in the gaps.
The movie's fine for an evening of mindless violence and entertainment, but "AvP" sorely disappoints as a whole, lacking the intelligence, tension and incitement of a primal terror that made these creatures' previous films classics.
