Spiderman 2 (2004)

[Lack of a new story hurts this sequel]

Spider-Man 2 (2004)
IMDB- 7.5
Rottentomatoes- 93
RJG Rating- 40

Spiderman deals with the downsides of being a superhero as a new villain creates havoc.

Starring- Tobey Maguire,Kirsten Dunst,Alfred Molina,James Franco
Director- Sam Raimi

Spiderman 2 is the sequel of the blockbuster 2002 version .The movie unites Sam Raimi and the original cast.

Tobey has definitely improved in Spiderman 2 ,but hes still imperfect as Peter Parker.Kirsten Dunst plays the usual damsel in distress and doesnt bring much on board.James Franco has a larger role and he does his best in such a limited role.Alfred Molina as Doc Ock does a great job.He is able to portray perfectly the split personalities of Doc Ock.

The story for Spiderman 2 is its most weakest point.Watching this felt like deja vu.The story is just a more polished version of the first part.For example:Green Goblin had a split personality,Doc Ock too has dual minds.While Mary Jane is the sole victim in trouble in Part 1 ,Aunt May is the sole victim in the 2nd.Both are rescued and given a swing tour around NewYork by Spidey.While Aunt May is injured by Goblin in Part 1 ,Mary Jane is kidnapped by Doc in Part2.In both these instances ,Parker is the main catalyst.And the list goes on and on.

Another issue with the story is the lack of any development in Peter Parker's personality.Even after 2 years ,hes still the nerdy kid who is still extremely shy.In any other movie,this may be acceptable ,but hes Spiderman in this one !

The story needlessly brings certain issues that is plain silly.Spiderman losing his powers for no apparent reason,Doc Ock creating a 'sun' etc.These could have been good plot points ,but the reasons they give are too vague and are left unexplained.

A superhero uses an alter ego to protect his real life family & friends.Peter Parker doesnt understand this concept.Villains hurt him and his family ,because almost EVERYONE knows that Parker meets with Spiderman and thus in both movies ,Parker is punished for being connected with Spiderman.

As i mentioned in my previous review of Spiderman ,Sam Raimi maintained a very careful balance between fun & cheesiness in the first part ,but he unfortunately tips the scales in part 2.Plenty of scenes are cheesy and forgettable.

The action scenes are very much improved and exciting.The best one is definitely the train fight.The visual effects are utilized better and gives Spider-Man the cool factor that made him a hit in the comics.

On release ,Spiderman 2 was a big hit among the critics but fell short of its record breaking predecessor in terms of box office collection.

Overall ,fans of Spiderman will be pleased but if you are looking for a continuation to where Spiderman let off youll be disappointed.

Acting- 3/5
Story- 1/5
Direction- 2.5/5
Action- 5/5
Romance- 3/5
Drama- 2/5

Oscars
Nominated--2
Best Sound Mixing

Won--1
Best Visual Effects

Spiderman 2 (2004)

[Lack of story hurts this sequel]

Spiderman 2 (2004)
IMDB- 7.5
Rottentomatoes- 93
RJG Rating- 40

Spiderman deals with the downsides of being a superhero as a new villain creates havoc.

Starring- Tobey Maguire,Kirsten Dunst,Alfred Molina,James Franco
Director- Sam Raimi

Spiderman 2 is the sequel of the blockbuster 2002 version .The movie unites Sam Raimi and the original cast.

Tobey has definitely improved in Spiderman 2 ,but hes still imperfect as Peter Parker.Kirsten Dunst plays the usual damsel in distress and doesnt bring much on board.James Franco has a larger role and he does his best in such a limited role.Alfred Molina as Doc Ock does a great job.He is able to portray perfectly the split personalities of Doc Ock.

The story for Spiderman 2 is its most weakest point.Watching this felt like deja vu.The story is just a more polished version of the first part.For example:Green Goblin had a split personality,Doc Ock too has dual minds.While Mary Jane is the sole victim in trouble in Part 1 ,Aunt May is the sole victim in the 2nd.Both are rescued and given a swing tour around NewYork by Spidey.While Aunt May is injured by Goblin in Part 1 ,Mary Jane is kidnapped by Doc in Part2.In both these instances ,Parker is the main catalyst.And the list goes on and on.

Another issue with the story is the lack of any development in Peter Parker's personality.Even after 2 years ,hes still the nerdy kid who is still extremely shy.In any other movie,this may be acceptable ,but hes Spiderman in this one !

The story needlessly brings certain issues that is plain silly.Spiderman losing his powers for no apparent reason,Doc Ock creating a 'sun' etc.These could have been good plot points ,but the reasons they give are too vague and are left unexplained.

A superhero uses an alter ego to protect his real life family & friends.Peter Parker doesnt understand this concept.Villains hurt him and his family ,because almost EVERYONE knows that Parker meets with Spiderman and thus in both movies ,Parker is punished for being connected with Spiderman.

As i mentioned in my previous review of Spiderman ,Sam Raimi maintained a very careful balance between fun & cheesiness in the first part ,but he unfortunately tips the scales in part 2.Plenty of scenes are cheesy and forgettable.

The action scenes are very much improved and exciting.The best one is definitely the train fight.The visual effects are utilized better and gives Spider-Man the cool factor that made him a hit in the comics.

On release ,Spiderman 2 was a big hit among the critics but fell short of its record breaking predecessor in terms of box office collection.

Overall ,fans of Spiderman will be pleased but if you are looking for a continuation to where Spiderman let off youll be disappointed.

Acting- 3/5
Story- 1/5
Direction- 2.5/5
Action- 5/5
Romance- 3/5
Drama- 2/5

Oscars
Nominated--2
Best Sound Mixing

Won--1
Best Visual Effects

The Incredibles (2004)

[best animated superhero movie]

The Incredibles (2004)
IMDB- 8.0
Rottenttomatoes- 97
RJG Rating- 100

Forced into early retirement,superhero Mr.Incredible struggles to cope with normal life.

Starring- Craig T. Nelson,Holly Hunter,Sarah Vowell,Spencer Fox
Director- Brad Bird

Incredibles is Pixar's 5th movie and was a first for Pixar in many areas.First,director Brad Bird was a newcomer to the Pixar group.Second,this was Pixar's first PG rated movie.Third,not only was this their longest movie yet,it was their first that centered around humans.
Fortunately none of the above hindered Pixar and they churned out yet another gem.

Animation turned out to be fantastic.Pixar had problems rendering humans in the past,but they improved immensely with each movie since then.Incredibles had smooth animation and the characters had the distinct Pixar look.The movie is colorful and exudes fun in every frame.

Pixar gets back to spoofing classic scenes from movies,in this case,superhero movies.Its great to see the Pixar take on such scenes,but its all done in good taste and pretty fun too.But what makes Pixar movies standout is their penchance for character development and some truly heart touching scenes and you can see both in The Incredibles.Every single character is lovable as well as distinct.The story is fast paced and never has any dull phases.As with Finding Nemo,Incredibles deals with more mature content,which makes it an enjoyable watch for all ages.

Brad Bird, a new addition to the Pixar family does a fantastic job and blends right in with the rest of the crew.Being an action oriented director (he would later go on to direct Mission Impossible 4),Incredibles has some spectacular action scenes.

With The Incredibles,Pixar opened in first place at the box office, for the 5th time in a row.It opened to mass critical acclaim and was the second highest grossing movie for Pixar till 2009.

Overall,its not only one of the best in animation ,but also one of the best superhero movies.

Animation- 5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Comedy- 5/5


OSCARS
Nomianted--2
Best Sound Mixing
Best Original Screenplay -Brad Bird

Won--2
Best Animated Film
Best Sound Editing

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

[heart wrenching masterpiece]

The Passion of the Christ (2004)
IMDB-7.1
Rottentomatoes-50
RJG rating-100

The last 12 hours of Jesus Christ..

Starring- Jim Caviezel,Maia Morgenstern
Director- Mel Gibson

Even after 8 years Mel Gibson's epic Passion of Christ stands strong among the minds of all...No one else had the courage or expertise to capture the raw intensity of Christ's final hours like Gibson did..
The movie doesnt gloss over Christ's peaceful life like other movies,instead it deeply and painfully paints a raw picture of the last hours of Christ....

Jim Caviezel ,as Jesus ,gives the performance of a lifetime..His major mode of communication is through his one eye..Every line that escapes his mouth makes a deep impact and his body language tells more than anything...
Maia Morgenstern as Mary, is just heart breaking to watch.Every scene of her and Jesus in the flashbacks can reduce one to tears...Once again its not by words but by raw emotions that feelings are expressed..

Mel Gibson's third directorial venture, after critically acclaimed Braveheart & Man Without A Face ,Passion once again is a powerful movie that emotionally captures your attention...Famous for the climax torture scene in Braveheart, Gibson doesnt hold back anything in this movie...Its a pure bloody movie..Not for the weak hearted..Hats-off to Gibson..

Though brutal & bloody ,the movie stays true to the theme of the epic story of Jesus, as written in The Bible...Many scenes are spiced up or added to keep the movie going in a strong pace..But in no way does it undermine the Bible ,since its actually filling the blanks in the story...These scenes are for the viewers ,for them to experience the time in which these events take place...

The music by John Debney is outstanding and raises the intensity of every scene..

Very few movies have actually brought me to tears,but im proud to say Passion is one of them...A must watch....

Acting-5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Thriller-5/5

Academy Award Nominations--3

Best Cinematography -Caleb Deschanel
Best Makeup -Keith VanderLaan & Christien Tinsley
Best Original Score -John Debney