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redbat1
Reviews
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Not the best of the trilogy, but very strong
This movie came out May 2nd, 2007 in China, because of the May Labor Holiday. As I happen to be in China now, I was able to see it a few days early.
Now, I went into this movie with the highest expectations possible. And for most of the picture, I was not disappointed. Unfortunately, being a 21 year old male from the US, I grew up watching the Spider-Man cartoons on fox and reading the comic books of the last ten years or so. Sam Raimi did not. He waxes nostalgic on a whole different era of villains. And it shows.
Basically, I can't complain that they didn't stick to the source. What they did or didn't follow isn't nearly as important in this film as the wasted potential of the characters he chose to use in the film. He chose good characters, made them extremely interesting, and then gave them so little screen time that when the end of the movie came, I couldn't help but feel like despite the length of the film, some of the characters were rushed through the motions of their parts of the plot so quickly that they probably shouldn't have been involved at all.
Sam Raimi said in an interview that one of the producers (or someone up there at Marvel, my memory isn't completely clear) told him that the fans were demanding Venom, and despite his lack of interest in the character, he needed to do the story. Well, what was done was barely a compromise. While the dark side of Peter is apparent from every trailer, they could have done that some other way and not wasted an opportunity with such an interesting villain. But Sam had to have his Sandman, obviously.
Not to say that Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace aren't high points of the movie. They are. They just don't get to be part of it that much.
Now, to the rest of the movie: It is fabulous, it is great. The acting is great, the special effects are great, the plot is interesting. The special effects are worth the price of admission. Tobey is worth the price of admission. And i think this is Kirsten's best performance yet as Mary Jane.
Unfortunately, it does drag a bit. I didn't mind, but I was in a theatre with 99.5% Chinese people, and conversations could be heard in the crowd at several points where it was just SLOW for an uneccessary amount of time. This is an extreme example, in another country where they don't appreciate melodrama as much, but that was the main problem. Where the first two movies had action, had comedy, had drama, this movie has melodrama. It's just doesn't tug at the heart strings like the previous movies, a lot of the time. The speeches get preachy, the moments of realization too obvious. It's very much like a lot of Raimi's other works I can think of. Which, is not a bad thing, mind you. But where the other two movies were so perfect because they were Spider-Man movies with a touch of the Raimi flavor, this was more a Sam Raimi movie staring Spider-Man.
Now, I can tell you, that's not a bad thing to be. It's just not perfect.
Red Skies (2002)
A Slick and Stylish Fair That Leaves You Wanting More
***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** Red Skies, while the title may not tell much about what it really has to do with, should be a guideline for the entertaining, action/drama. Lately, it's hard to find many good shows that have both action, and performances by actors worth watching. You either watch one of the countless cop shows on network and cable TV, retreading the same ideas again and again, or you decide you want to see some action: the only programs available are either on, or are only worthy to be on, Saturday afternoon programming. And as entertaining as those shows can be, I've never seen one that would give the Emmy's a reason to blink when sweeping them off the ballot. And yes, this movie was not an oscar candidate, but it also wasn't really a movie. It was a pilot for an upcoming television series (that is, if this pilot scores). So, comparing it to the other pilots out there, this movie definitely gets an A.
So, now that I've sung about how good this movie is, I ought to start explaining why outside a few criptic remarks.
First off is the action and choreography. This was very much like watch a Woo picture. The guns fit seemlessly into the martial arts world, and the martial arts was pulled off in a way definitely not tacky. I've seen worse in big budget flicks as of late. The actors fit very well into the roles of these people who have different ways of fighting. Shawn Christiansen (main character Agent Cross) who's 180 pounds at least, doesn't fight like a 90 pound limber boy. He fights like a man with martial arts skills. And his partners each have their own deals. Vivian Wu, as Li, of course is the most graceful in the martial arts arena, since she's the "tough as nails asian cop" and martial arts perfection is a requirement there. Kadeem Hardison, Cross's partner from the start Agent Riley, is a shooter, more comfortable with the gun than the fist to fist. And Agent Nicole, done excellently by Rachel Crawford, plays the rookie who is far from sure about herself when it comes to fighting, and about goes into shock when she shoots someone for the first time. This all is so well done not only to make interesting fight scenes, without the monotonous "fire bang kick kick" that many action shows have, but character growth and exploration while battling. Not many pilots can claim that, for sure.
And the best point, which I've already gone over by talking about the fights, is the characters and their interaction. Agent Cross is not someone who loves to do things by the book, but he is the responsible, authority figure of the team. He interacts and creates fusion between the members, and looks damn attractive while doing it. His partner, Agent Riley, is a man who has seen plenty and has no illusions about everything around him. He's getting his guns ready, knowing they might not be enough to save him one day, but he'll deal with that when it comes. And Agent Nicole, and brand new rookie. She's fresh out of the academy, like a kid to be babysat in Riley's mind, and in her own too. She's great with the detail work, and very insecure. She never expected anything but a whole lot of desk work. Cross explains to her in a beautifully done scene (I'm paraphrasing) "The cold war is over. We used to always win because we had more numbers. But it's not the same now. Our enemies use terrorist tactics, and the clean little lines aren't there any more." And obviously, she's not ready for those lines to dissappear. But she grows comfortable as the pilot progresses, leaving you waiting to see how else she can influence the newly formed team. And finally, there is Li. She's a chinese Colonel and the military police. She is the enemy to the people she came to america with, huddled in the back of a truck for a month. She convinced her partner to come with her to America to track a druglord, and that lead to his death. Now she's got a vengeance to take out, and a guilty conscience. All this while still chasing the drug lord, and having culture clashes with the american FBI agents she must work with.
All in all, this forms together for what could be a perfect new series. I personally am just crossing my fingers to see this made into a television series on the USA network. This seems like a great addition to Alias and... well, I can't think of anything else in that same league for it to join, just a whole list of cop shows recycling the same theme and plot every other episode, despite the new "circumstances" each episode brings. Anyway, I digress. This pilot was very well done, and left me (and others) wanting much more. Please deliver, USA.