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SPIDER-MAN Separate this long-awaited adaptation of the Marvel comic book from the cacophony of hype and it becomes readily apparent that this is one summer film that satisfies. Although not in the same league as the screen versions of Superman, Batman or X-Men, this one largely works because director Sam Raimi and scripter David Koepp have managed to turn their movie into a successful tightrope act between soap opera and spectacle, retaining the personal elements that made the comic book so wildly popular while also providing the requisite big-bang special effects that thankfully never overwhelm the story. The first half of the film is remarkably faithful to the origin tale, showing how nerdy teenager Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) turns into a wall-crawling, web-swinging superhero after getting bit by a unique arachnid. The second part settles into more conventional territory, detailing Peter's burgeoning romance with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and Spidey's ongoing battle with his arch-nemesis, The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). Dunst and Dafoe are well cast, though the film occasionally suffers from its erratic portrayal of Mary Jane as well as too much Goblin gobbledygook (not to mention, that cumbersome outfit makes him look about as frightening as Count Chocula). Still, Raimi keeps the picture hopping, and Maguire is wonderfully endearing as Peter Parker, the clumsy kid whose newfound powers enable him to take the necessary steps from youthful indiscretion toward adult responsibility.
STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES The earlier films in this blockbuster franchise may have stirred memories of Flash Gordon serials and epochal Westerns, but who would have guessed that the latest entry in the saga would readily bring to mind All the President's Men? Political intrigue does indeed seem to be the order of the day in this chapter, but fans need not worry that creator George Lucas has basically churned out a C-Span feed with droids instead of drones. Attack of the Clones is many things: a rock-solid mystery yarn, an initially shaky but ultimately affecting love story, an edge-of-the-seat action flick, and, perhaps most importantly, a vast improvement over its 1999 predecessor, The Phantom Menace. With that film's Jar-Jar Binks (that computer-generated abomination who seemed to be equal parts Jerry Lewis and Stepin Fetchit) relegated to a minor role, this exciting entry can deal with the real business at hand -- detailing the demise of the Republic while simultaneously charting the development of Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi knight who would eventually embrace the Dark Side of the Force and transform into the all-powerful warlord Darth Vader. Only some wretched dialogue and a stiff performance from Natalie Portman (co-stars Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are much better) prevent this from achieving total success; otherwise, this is the perfect matinee flick, providing the requisite thrills while also deepening the arc of the entire storyline.
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS It's been eight years since Clear and Present Danger, the last film to feature Tom Clancy's character of CIA hotshot Jack Ryan, but this late-blooming entry shows that none of the luster has worn off the series; in fact, as far as spy games go, the Jack Ryan line has largely proven to be immensely more enjoyable than the recent 007 adventures with Pierce Brosnan. In the role previously essayed by Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck takes over as a younger, more naive Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who's ordered by the company director (Morgan Freeman) to lend his expertise to a matter in which American-Russian tensions could possibly lead to World War III. Ryan figures out that the real villains in the matter at hand belong to a third party (neo-Nazis, to be exact), yet he has his hands full trying to convince his superiors of this fact before events turn explosive. Working from a script by Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne, director Phil Alden Robinson has crafted an intelligent thriller that patiently lays out the necessary expository groundwork in the first half so that matters can come to an exciting head in the second part. The film could have used a little more grit and a little less slick, but overall, it's a welcome throwback to 60s era Cold War dramas that invariably starred the likes of Michael Caine or Richard Burton.