AdamWhite1421 Reviews

The Village (2004)

Forget who the director is and you may enjoy it

[7/10 · 6 September 2004]

One must not expect too much from M Night Shyamalan. He made the fatal mistake of producing his best film first, meaning it could only go downhill from there. Unbreakable and Signs (IMHO) were not as bad as everyone made out, they just weren't as good as The Sixth Sense and the same goes for The Village. If this had been the first film by M Night Shyamalan I feel that public opinion would have been higher.

The twist at the end was expected and therefore guessed pretty quickly, but if you look beyond it and see the movie as a whole it is something very beautiful. Shyamalan has used colours so well, they are integral to the story but also he allows them to beautify the screen. The dullness of peoples clothes and the buildings is contrasted by the bright yellows of the cloaks and torches and the reds of the flowers and beasts.

The true winners of this movie however are Joaquin Phoenix (his best performance yet) and a surprisingly good debut by Bryce Dallas Howard. The love story between them and the way M Night Shyamalan allows it to blossom is mesmerising. The Village is an okay horror/mystery film but is a really amazing love story. I still look forward to his next project.

7/10

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Bad. Really bad.

[6/10 · 3 September 2004]

A prime example of style over substance. It felt like they spent so much money on the special effects (which were very good most of the time) that they forgot to think about the plot. Pitch Black was an amazing film, but Riddick was only one of the stars. I understand that everyone thought he was amazing but I don't feel he warranted his own spin-off of this size.

The movie itself was full of holes, there was very little explanation of who the bad guys were or what this (really badly named) Underverse was. It was action by the numbers with a story bolted on just because they had to, but even the action sequences were a bit lame. It felt like it was a Schwarzenegger film from the 80's, which were good then but the times have moved on and audiences want more than just mindless action these days. ...and finally, what a really bad ending! Cheesy, disappointing and really really bad.

If I didn't like Sci-fi action films so much this could have got a really bad score. As a movie fan I recommend you avoid it if you can as there are better ways to spend 2hrs.

6/10

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Sam Raimi just keeps getting better

[8/10 · 1 September 2004]

This is how sequels should be. Sam Raimi has remembered the most important thing that made the first film great, the story. The action almost blends into the background as you get caught up in the turmoil that Peter Parker is experiencing. You find yourself (or at least I did) routing for him as a person and cheering as he defeats his own inner enemies. His (non)romance with Mary-Jane in this film is heartbreaking but ultimately leads to an amazing climax that had me jumping up and down in my seat.

The special effects were a treat as well. They have ironed out the cartoon look to Spider-man himself with his web spinning acrobatics looking less comical this time around. Doctor Octopus looked fantastic (if the reason behind his arms was pretty lame).

This is the best superhero film yet but I feel that Sam Raimi still has more to give. Spider-Man 3 anyone?

8/10

I, Robot (2004)

Welcome back Will Smith

[7/10 · 12 August 2004]

I only truly realized how much I enjoyed this film at the end, when it occurred to me that at no point did I try and work out what the twist was going to be. During other films I am always looking for what the twist might be and seeing at the end if I was right. In I, Robot I didn't have time to stop and think about it, I was far too engrossed by the story and action to care!

Will Smith is the coolest man on the planet! He should stay away from biopics like Ali and stick to what he is better than anyone else at, being cool.

The special effects were a bit dodgy at times but mostly were superb, delivering a very beautiful (and almost believable) view of the future. The action sequences were directed perfectly (except maybe when there was a little too much camera swoooshing).

The real appeal of I, Robot however was the story. I have not read Isaac Asimov's original short story and therefore I don't care how close to it the movie was. I enjoyed it because it was very intelligent and actually quite original which is rare these days.

Maybe on second viewing my opinion will change and maybe the impact won't be as great on DVD but for now I am happy that I have seen the best action movie this summer so far.

9/10

Gladiator (2000)

Four years on and still as strong

[8/10 · 9 August 2004]

Upon release this film set the world on fire. It was an amazing achievement. Four years on and it has lost some of its original charm but most of what made it great still remains. Russell Crowe deserves to be a superstar based on this performance alone. He controls the screen with such ease he was destined for good things from this moment onwards. This film also kick-started Ridley Scott's second career high which is a good thing for the movie world as he can be one of the best directors when he wants to be. The score by Hans Zimmer is as amazing as usual, I can't recall the man creating a bad soundtrack for a movie.

Now for the downside. The film is only really good when Crowe is on screen. Joaquin Phoenix put in an amazing performance as the new Emperor but that didn't help the scenes in Rome from being very boring. I also can't help but cringe at the ending, only because watching the slaves walk out into the coliseum and stand around while Connie Neilsen badly acts being sad was a terrible way to end such a good film.

8/10

Panic Room (2002)

The best it could have been but will never be a classic

[7/10 · 23 July 2004]

David Fincher has to be one of the most consistent directors working today. Every film he has directed has made me say "wow!" and Panic Room is no different. With all the twists and turns flying around movies these days it made a refreshing change to watch a film that didn't need a huge revelation half-way through. The film was entirely shot in one location with most of the action taking place between two adjacent rooms so it took great acting and storytelling to keep the excitement levels high.

David Fincher knows when to use clever visual tricks and that is one of his greatest strengths. He knows when to go into slow motion (and have me jumping up and down, shouting at Jodie Foster to "Run!!!"), he knows when to fly around the house showing the bad guys' attempts to break in in one beautifully long take. He is a master of the camera and all of his films show it.

Casting can sometimes let a movie down but this film flourished because of it. Everyone was perfectly suited in the roles. From Forest Whitaker's nice-bad-guy all the way to the random cop who suspects something is happening. Perfect!

It falls short of top marks, not because of any real problems with the film, but because this film could never have been a masterpiece. No director or cast could have made it better than it was.

8/10

The Hole (2001)

An example of when not to have a plot twist

[4/10 · 20 July 2004]

It's hard to comment on this film without giving away any spoilers. It started off really well. The first half an hour had me gripped and I thought I was watching an intelligent psycho killer film. But just as the plot was starting to heat up the film did a complete U-turn and took everyone in an entirely new direction that was more intelligent but far worse than the original plot. There were none of the frights I was hoping for and, even worse, I felt nothing for the characters by the end of the film. I was very very disappointed by what happened. The direction and acting was okay, nothing to shout about. Really disappointing really. The only thing that stopped this film from getting a worse mark is that I remind myself of how it started and try to forget the rest.

4/10

U-571 (2000)

Give it a try, it may surprise you

[8/10 · 18 July 2004]

From the start it was obvious that this wasn't going to be the no-brain actioner that I was expecting. Jonathan Mostow has done a good job at creating a respectable World War 2 submarine movie. The scenes on the bridge were as realistic as any other submarine film I have seen, truly giving you the sense of claustrophobia, especially during the depth charge sequences. The underwater shots of the submarines were surprisingly realistic, the way they reacted to the explosions around them was as if it was really happening, count me impressed.

The true winners of this movie however were the main actors. Harvey Keitel and Matthew McConaughey were outstanding, they really controlled the screen whenever they were on. The supporting roles were all very good, convincing me at every turn that they were the characters they were portraying. The only disappointments when it came to the actors was that Jon Bon Jovi couldn't act and Bill Paxton was cruelly miscast, but fortunately their screentime was limited. The biggest error with the movie was the terrible score that did not fit it with the feel of the film at all. It made it feel comical at times instead of rousing.

I know that a lot of people say that the history of the film is inaccurate because it was the British that got the Enigma encoder first but that doesn't bother me. I can overlook historical inaccuracies when the film they are in entertain me as much as this.

8/10

Resident Evil (2002)

Average, but better than expected

[6/10 · 17 July 2004]

This movie should be terrible. It's director has an awful track record (although I did enjoy Event Horizon), It's full of unknown actors and it's based on a video game. But somehow, I enjoyed it. It's not going to go into my top ten list, or even my top 100, but it is an enjoyable way to waste an evening. The special effects were terrible and the action scenes cliched and badly done but it all adds to the appeal of the film. The game itself is very tongue-in-cheek and the movie reflects this, although not quite as much. It could have been a lot worse than it was and I suppose that adds a lot to the reason why I don't give it too bad a mark. An average film, but entertaining nonetheless.

6/10

The Craft (1996)

Has not aged well

[4/10 · 17 July 2004]

When I first saw this film I was very impressed by it. It entertained me and seemed quite original as no-one had touched witchcraft in the movies for years and placing it in a high school was a nice idea. Unfortunately, seeing it again a number of years on and I can't believe that I ever enjoyed watching it. The four stars were horribly miscast and the characters they portrayed didn't make me believe in witches at all. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has produced more believable witchcraft than this. As far as a story goes it didn't hold my interest and I couldn't give a stuff what happened to any of the characters.

4/10

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

The best Harry Potter film so far

[9/10 · 11 July 2004]

By far the best Harry Potter film yet, but it still left me feeling disappointed. Cuaron has taken the franchise and improved it, he has made it grow up along with the characters. The film was scary at times and moving at others. The special effects where the best yet and very rarely looked CGI which was surprising. The acting was a mixed bag however. Only a few stood out; Oldman was brilliant if a little underused, Emma Watson was outstanding and a talent to watch but poor Harry Potter can no longer carry a film, the scenes with other people in were more entertaining. It's also a big shame that there was only one Quidditch match in this one, also how long would it have taken to explain the authors behind the Maurauders Map?

8/10

Swordfish (2001)

Watch the first ten minutes then switch off with a smile

[5/10 · 11 July 2004]

When I started watching Swordfish, it looked like it was going to be an entertaining action film, but it was all downhill from there. It seemed like the director had used up all his creativity in the first ten minutes and proceeded to waste my time with pointless who-to-trust and nobody-is-really-the-bad-guy plot strands. It insulted my intelligence at times, shoving cliché after cliché onto the screen. The director was trying to create a cool, hacker movie with a thought provoking reason behind it all, but it ended up being pointless, repetitive and a waste of good talent. It did have some cool action sequences though and if it wasn't for them I doubt I would give it a second glance.

5/10

Save the Last Dance (2001)

Enjoyable but nothing really to shout about

[6/10 · 11 July 2004]

This was an enjoyable film to watch but there was nothing really to it. There was no part of the film that stood out from the rest for being good or bad, it was just average throughout. The dance sequences were great but that does not make a good film, there was no twisting in the plot and nothing really original happened. The leads showed great talent and potential for the future but the supporting roles were filled with tired characters that have been seen a hundreds of times before. Overall, it was an okay addition to the recent collection of teen films but it won't set the screen on fire.

6/10

The Corruptor (1999)

A waste of my time

[4/10 · 11 July 2004]

As far as buddy-buddy cop movies go, this is one of the worst that I have seen. This kind of film works only if the two leads work well together and you care for their relationship. Mark Wahlberg and Chow Yun-Fat did have good chemistry but the barriers placed in their way by the plot worked against them. After this film was over I felt empty, I had gained nothing from watching. However the film did keep my attention for the whole 110 minutes but only because I was waiting for something amazing to happen. Which didn't! Thankfully the two leads went on to do far better things for which I am more grateful for.

4/10

Soylent Green (1973)

A surprisingly thought-provoking movie

[7/10 · 11 July 2004]

Very interesting. The big twist wasn't as big a shock as maybe they had hoped for and it was very dated but it did get my mind working. It really got me thinking about a world without vegetation or livestock and made me appreciate the world I live in a lot more. Charlton Heston does a good job, as do all the supporting characters, and it was a very realistic film which was surprising. It lacked direction at times and a lot of the settings and background needed more explanation but it was still a surprisingly good and intelligent movie. The main fault that I could find was that I didn't want the film to end when it did, I would have liked to see what happened next.

7/10