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Dan Owen reviews
2 0 0 3 R e t r o s p e c t i v eP a r t T w o
FREDDY VS JASONIt’s been a long time coming, but horror nerds finally got to see two of thegenre’s biggest stars battling it out in a film many thought would remain asilly idea.
That FvsJ was actually quite entertaining and occasionallyrather exciting was an unexpected treat. But it didn’t stop the movie onlyreally finding its niche in the US of A.
GANGS OF NEW YORKMonths late it may have been, but Martin Scorsese’s epic period piece wasn’ta total disaster. The production values were high, the acting generally good(particularly from standout Daniel Day Lewis as Bill The Butcher) and thethrust of the narrative quite pleasing.
I’m sure there’s a Director’s Cutjust waiting to make this a truly great film, but for now it remains a veryinteresting misfire.
HULKOne of the greatest shocks of 2003 was the relative underachievement ofHulk. Director Ang Lee was a strange choice to helm the film, but hiscredentials and insistence on intelligence seemed sound enough. So what wentwrong?
The movie has some fabulous action sequences (particularly theextended Desert Base escape), but is constantly being choked by a screenplaythat tries to pack too much story and intellect into what should really havebeen a far more fun piece of popcorn entertainment. It sounds crazy to saythis, but Hulk just wasn’t dumb enough to find a receptive audience. Did youhear the kids snoring…?
KILL BILL VOLUME IAfter a six year absence, Quentin Tarantino finally returned to our silverscreens with the first half of his kung fu epic Kill Bill. To almostuniversal praise, Kill Bill became one of the most awesome spectacles incinemas, fuelled by kinetic fight scenes and wild camera tricks.
Uma Thurmanput the ghost of The Avengers firmly behind her and became one of the mosticonic female action stars of the 21st Century. And we still have Volume IIto come in February…
LARA CROFT – TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFESecond chance for Lara Croft… and she blew it. Angelina Jolie may beperfect casting, and the premise of combining Indiana Jones with James Bondfuelled by Girl Power remains alluring… but it’s just not working.
Thanks to some ropey direction (courtesy of Jan De Bont, he of Speed 2) and a2-dimensional script full of idiocy, Tomb Raider 2 was released to universalapathy. It just seemed so 1997…
LOVE ACTUALLYRichard Curtis (a.k.a The British Film Industry) gave the world another doseof quaint English humour, following on from the successes of Four Weddings &A Funeral and Notting Hill.
Love Actually was another picture postcardLondon wrapped in gooey sentimentality and leisurely laughs, boosted by somefine Brit acting talent from newcomer Keira Knightley, old hand Hugh Grant,older hand Emma Thompson, breakout soap star Martine McCutcheon, theobligatory Rowan Atkinson cameo and even some US “talent” in the form ofDenise Richards. Yes, it may be a chick flick that so obviously tugs at yourheart strings – but it was still a dependably sweet-natured comedy with somegood moments.
MASTER & COMMANDER – THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLDThis year’s Gladiator? Perhaps not – owing to a less expansive canvas, butPeter Weir’s seafaring adventure starring Russell Crowe is certainly one ofthe best ship-based movies in years.
Full of fabulous attention to detail,impressive stunts and excellent CGI work, Master & Commander has the rawadult punch Pirates Of The Caribbean lacked and some memorable sequences.Undoubtedly a movie that will grow in stature and prestige.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICOThat Robert Rodriguez is a busy boy. In 2003 he completed two trilogies(beat that Lucas!) First his sappy Spy Kids franchise ground to a halt in3-D and then Once Upon A Time In Mexico ended his unofficial trilogy (ElMariachi and Desperado – more a remake to be totally fair).
Some solidaction and another wonderful turn from Johnny Depp, but sadly nothing more.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN – THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARLJohnny Depp is a God. He just never fails to impress and his Captain Sparrowbecame one of cinemas most beloved characters – a slurring, somewhateffeminate and rebellious pirate. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley may havebasked in similar glory post-Pirates, but Depp eclipses them both.
A rousingchildren’s film packed full of gorgeous scenery and stunning effects – butjust a tad too long and slightly repetitive…
SPIRITED AWAYA Japanese anime movie that finds mainstream success? Well, Spirited Away iscertainly a success story (particularly in its native Japan) and it scoopedthe Best Animated Movie Oscar, too, remember!
But don’t be disheartened ifyou’ve never even heard of it – just get the DVD and enjoy one of the mostimaginative animated films ever made, and expertly dubbed into English byJohn “Toy Story” Lassetter’s team. A lyrical and magical movie that willchange your opinion of “foreign animation” forever.
2003 Retrospective – Part 1
2003 Retrospective – Part 3Page Content copyright © Dan Owen, 2003.
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.