SPIDERMAN 2 review by Fletch...

Right from the innovative start to the jaw dropping finale, Sam Raimi’s sequel has it all, and I mean it all. If this is a summer of sequels then so be it because both Shrek 2 and now Spider-man 2 have equalled or surpassed their expectations.

OK this time it has a similar typical comic book story but it concentrates more on Peter Parker and his hectic life, how he deals with studying, working, being a good nephew and friend not to mention fighting crime as Spider-man! He loses focus and ends up losing control of everything in his life. Blaming his alter ego, Parker dumps the pressure and throws away the suit.

A tangled web (er, sorry…) of character development and cue the bad guys, as the city becomes the playground for Osbourne Jnr and Doctor Octopus. Will Peter find a way to cope? Will he be able to save the day and get the girl? I know, I know, I’m excited too and can’t wait to see it again. Good against bad always triumphs at the box office and this is no different, a joy to watch. It has masterful direction and stunning visual effects but also solid performances from the cast with Alfred Molina bringing realism to his nasty villain and Tobey Maguire very comfortable in the geeky heroic role. Harry, MJ and Aunt May round it all off nicely and give the production a nice familiar feel to it.

There are too many scenes of magic to mention but the train sequence will be talked about the most. Other memorable parts include the coffee shop moment, the pizza delivery and I must mention the “raindrops keep falling on my head” montage – It’s great. Marvel-lous titles to another Mary Jane wet dress moment and the green goblin returning (Oh and a spaceman) spice it all up to get you into a frenzy.

Sam Raimi seems to have delivered it all from love story to action flick to really scary tentacle moments! I can’t see what there isn’t to like. Danny Elfman’s score is more powerful this time and when it gets going, you’re ready.
Arial footage is breathtaking and the CGI movement has improved, a realism that slightly lacked last time has been tightened and the flow is there. Some may say it is too slow in the middle or it is too wordy at times but I felt it needed to back off to give the heroic impact more emphasis. The script is sharp and funny too, with a good balance between characters and I love the fact that this film can break some unbroken superhero rules is fantastic – long may we stick it to the man!

All is in place for part three in 2007 and after this instalment it can’t come quick enough. A great blockbuster has arrived; Spider-Man 2 is a thrill ride you don’t want to get off - Heroic heroes and vicious villains and SO much more…

What are you waiting for! Go and get your ticket.

5/5

Spiderman meets, er, Spiderman.

HELLBOY review by Tangina Barrons...

A pet project of its helmer for many years, HELLBOY is based on a fan favourite graphic novel by Mike Mignola. It focuses on a red skinned demon who was originally summoned by the war weary Nazis to aid their campaign. In infancy, Hellboy is rescued and raised in secret by ‘the good guys’. Flash-forward and we witness an all out attempt to re-enlist the adult Hellboy back into the bad guys camp to spearhead a present day attack on all civilisation.

Whilst I appreciate I’m not HELLBOY’s target audience (I have breasts and am in a relationship), that didn’t stop me from relishing the recent mutant phenomena of the Olsen twins. I mean X-Men. And though HELLBOY looked promising on paper (thanks to the proven horror artistry of Spanish man-mountain Guillermo Del Toro) it sadly fails to deliver little more than a mild yawning fit.
True, Ron Perlman does look freakishly natural as the Nazi-summoned demon and yet he’s given painfully un-natural wisecracks, they remind you that it is only Ron Perlman in make-up.

The movie’s other slap-jobs are equally impressive such as Doug Jones’ fish-faced Abe Sapian (undermined by a diploma from the C-3PO School of Acting) and the awesome nazi assassin who manages to be deeply evil without the aid of lips or eye-lids. The young Hellboy for example is expertly rendered, as is the shimmery green underwater sequence that is reminiscent of Big G’s art-house roots. Fans of Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone will take delight in one of the films highlights in which our heroes resurrect a crusty old dead guy.

In fact it’s only when the practical effects are abandoned in favour of average looking CGI that the film sinks below acceptable. Selma Blair comes off looking like an ad for British Gas and, along with the rest of the cast, lacks the gravitas that the X-men seem to eXude. Surely we’re beyond plummy English Profs and panto villains by now. Granted, voicing otherwise silent graphic characters can prove tricky, maybe this is something Del Boy can rectify before 2006, and the slated release of HELLBOY 2.

Given that Del Toro has only one critical blot on his note book, in the shape of 1997’s Mimic, and that the risky Blade II was a resounding success, maybe he was overdue for a filmic fumble. HELLBOY, let’s hope is his one misstep this decade.