Back in the days when sequels could be stand-alone, there was the 2001 thriller Along Came A Spider from director Lee Tamahori and Paramount Pictures. Based on a novel by James Patterson, the movie continues the story of Alex Cross from Kiss The Girls. Since I have not read the book, I will not compare it but will focus this review on the qualities of the film.
DC Police detective, forensic psychologist, and author Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) loses his confidence after his partner is killed in a sting operation gone wrong. However, he is forced back in the game when Megan Rose (Mika Boorem), the daughter of a United States senator, is kidnapped by Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott), who sends Cross a shoe from the girl. Cross meets US Secret Service Special Agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter), who was responsible for Mega’s security, making her colleagues angry with her. After finding a clue, Cross surmises that Soneji is a copycat of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Charles Lindbergh’s son. As the countdown begins, Cross tries to unravel the plot before the kidnapper can commit the “crime of the century.”
This movie dismisses the psychological thrills of the first film and instead becomes a pretty standard kidnapping movie that features a pretty well-known literary detective. However, the lack of psychological terror does not diminish the film on its face, it just makes the movie, though it is a sequel, seem like a standalone film with no direct ties to its predecessor outside of featuring Morgan Freeman and a brief cameo from Jay O. Sanders, who plays his connection within the FBI. While I do enjoy cinematic universes, I did enjoy watching this sequel’s ability stand on its own as a movie.
Freeman, of course, is fantastic in his role. He continues to bring a force in the role of Alex Cross that makes you want him to solve the mystery. Boorem as the little girl was fantastic. While she did seem slightly more intelligent for a child her age, I filed it away as her being in an elite school. I also need to shout out to the late Anton Yelchin. He plays a young friend of Boorem’s character and though his role is small, it was good to see him acting in this movie.
It did have some technical issues that were noticeable. In the opening sequence, there is a CGI scene that is poorly crafted. It was definitely distracting from the tense feeling the scene was trying to convey. There is also a logic problem that I did not notice at first, but when a twist is revealed, it did make me scratch my head a bit.
Bottom line, the movie is not bad, but it is simply nothing special. It has a few minor flaws but is still entertaining with some really good performances from its stars.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Disturbing imagery, Strong foul language, Violence
FAVORITE QUOTE: Well, he’s like a spider. I happen to like spiders.
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my movie reviews of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker and Joker. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.
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