AdamWhite1421

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

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

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