Sam Raimi throws in everything against his cinematic spiderweb to see what sticks in the overloaded, bloated and often irritating Spider-Man 3 (C-). It basically becomes the third film in a trilogy by default as viewers watch the oxygen seap out of the enterprise in a way that basically proclaims, “There’s really not much more to do or say in this universe of storytelling.” Continuing to breathe lifelessness into their performances, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst return to battle super-villains and the superego. Specifically, Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s celebrity is on the rise as Mary Jane’s Broadway career hits the rocks; and the jovial hero is blissfully oblivious of his girlfriend’s emerging depression (granted, it would be hard to notice, since Dunst’s acting is just the same when she’s happy or sad). Throw into this mix a black suit that turns Spidey into Jim Carrey from The Mask, a series of forgettable antagonists ranging from Sandman to Venom (did we learn nothing from Joel Schumacher’s Batman films about stuffing movies with too many villains?) and an undisciplined storyline and running time, and it’s like Raimi is simply begging to be fired from the series. Still, it’s not so drastically different in quality than its two predecessors; the trilogy is giddily middle of the road.
Tag Archives: Superhero
Third Entry in Series “X-Men: The Last Stand” Shows Signs of Age
Director Brett Ratner botches his shot at the helm of the third entry into an iconic comic book film series with X-Men: The Last Stand (C-). The characters are all back and look basically the same; but none move, talk or relate in the same way Bryan Singer set them up in past installments. Instead Ratner relies on big explosions, larger-than-life set pieces and general bluster. His sound and fury doesn’t symbolize much of anything, and the prophetic “last stand” of the title means it’s time for prequels and reboots already.
“Superman Returns” Sometimes Flies
Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (B-) is an often lovely art deco tribute to the most American of superheroes with Brandon Routh doing an admirable but thankless job stepping into the shoes of the late Christopher Reeve. Although the film is beautiful to behold, much of the story is a bore. Kate Bosworth is dull as Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey is inspired as Lex Luthor until his master plan involves a bunch of rocks falling down for about 20 minutes in the film’s final act. Still, for its homage to the first two Superman films and restoring the grandeur to the franchise and for small touches such as a supporting performance by Parker Posey and a digital cameo by Marlon Brando, it gets a marginal vote of approval.
“Batman Begins” a Glorious Reboot by Nolan
Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (A-) is a thrilling reboot with Christian Bale as the caped crusader. I loved how it began unexpectedly in the Himalayas before settling in Gotham City. Nolan’s particular talents fit nicely with labyrinthine plot devices, elaborate inventions and double-crosses. Cillian Murphy is ok as The Scarecrow and Katie Holmes barely registers as a love interest, but overall the supporting cast is outstanding: Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson, to name a few. This is a highly recommended superhero movie that saves the franchise from the clutches of Joel Schumacher.
“Spider-Man 2” Improves on Original
Sam Raimi gets a bit more daring and delves into character a tad more in his superhero sequel Spider-Man 2 (B-), a remarkably more accomplished film than its predecessor, even though it is still weighed down by the missed casting opportunity occupied by the tepid twosome Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. There’s a deeper sense of gravitas in the masked man maintaining his parallel identities, and the super-villain (Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus) demonstrates a good deal of menace, upping the stakes in this episode. Still, the tentacles of this adventure don’t really capture the imagination to the extent they should, and Raimi’s take on this potentially pulpy story rarely has the sting or the smarts that it could.
“X2: X-Men United” Mutates into Full-Fledged Action Film
With the origin story and mythology behind him, Bryan Singer is free to plunge viewers right into the action of a cloak and dagger adventure with his ensemble of mutant superheroes in X2: X-Men United (B+). Few of the affairs are as fast or fresh as before, but it’s fun to watch the deepening of characterizations such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Singer continues to plumb the analogies of the mutants’ outsider status to contemporary civil and human rights issues, lending more gravitas to the adventure than would normally befall an action adventure.
“Hulk” (2003) Doesn’t Know What It’s Trying to Be
A rare misfire from acclaimed director Ang Lee, the comic book thriller Hulk (C-) is schizophrenic indeed. Ostensibly it’s supposed to be an action movie; but in trying to draw out the human elements characteristic of his greatest works, Lee creates a soapy, off-the-rails domestic drama. The story about the man who becomes a monster when enraged is shrouded in a blur of inconsistent effects and sloppy storytelling. It’s often quite a mess, despite admirable work by Eric Bana as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte. I’m not completely sure how this curiosity in its current incarnation ever got green-lit.
“Spider-Man” (2002) is a Bit of a Bore
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (C) skews too safe and squeaky-clean with Tobey Maguire a particularly bland central casting choice stuck playing the dual role of the superhero and Peter Parker. After dispensing with the mythology of how the teen becomes the “arachninspired” legend, Raimi plunges the story into a rather weak romance with Mary Jane (a dead-eyed Kirsten Dunst) and a beleaguered battle with the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe, in another “didn’t he used to be good?” role). The special effects are obvious cartoonish CGI and miniatures, and the action just doesn’t seem all that urgent. The best thing that can be said is it’s a fairly harmless film that kids will enjoy as a starter comic book adventure, viewed with parental guidance of course. With great power comes great responsibility, and the usually very creative Raimi stumbled a bit on the job here. Kudos to the iconic upside-down spider-kiss though!
“X-Men” is an Epic of Marvelous Superhero Misfits
Bryan Singer’s X-Men (B+) is an epic superhero film and apt allegory for outsiders as so-called “mutants” find their way to a special academy for people with special powers and prepare for a clash between good and evil. Patrick Stewart plays the protagonist professor versus Ian McKellan as the sinister mutant with the ability to control metals, who has a disturbing past from WWII. Hugh Jackman is the breakout star as the wily, claw-bearing Wolverine, and Halle Barry and Anna Paquin are among the female warriors in the ensemble. Singer orchestrates quite a streamlined story given the overstuffed number of characters and continually impresses with his bag of tricks. This clearly marks the spot of a fresh new franchise.
“Batman and Robin” Gets the Tone Wrong
Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin (D-) is a cluttered cacophony of hardware and hardbodies, of mechanical merchandising mayhem, madness and magnificent men in their flying machines. But there’s nary an ounce of human connection in a comic book adaptation that all of a sudden got too cluttered and silly for its own good.
“Blankman” is Uninspired
Mike Binder’s Blankman (F) is a superhero spoof that just sits there like a bad chunk of Kryptonite. Damon Wayans, whose transition to the big screen from In Living Color has not quite soared, plays an inner-city superhero, and that conceit is intended to be funny in and of itself. This film has the power to move viewers to not a single laugh in a single bound.
Man of Steel Crash Lands in “Superman IV”
Sidney J. Furie’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (F) was the film that trashed a perfectly good franchise, and this was coming off a previous film in which Supes accidentally ate dog food and straightened the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This fourth installment has Christopher Reeve’s now sullen Superman promise a bratty kid he will rid the world of nuclear weapons; but when he does so he accidentally activates a super-villain named Nuclear Man who had been strategically placed in embryo form in outer space by Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and his Valley Girl nephew (Jon Cryer) for just such a fertilization. Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow) is quite possibly the lamest supervillain in movie history. Some of the effects in this film look like two dimensional cardboard cut-outs. Hurriedly-dressed sets are hilarious in how much they don’t look like Manhattan/Metropolis. And the stunning lack of logic around topics such as breathing in space further mars this quickie sequel as it creaks to the screen.