Rating: 
Summary: An effective slight of hand.......
Review: ALONG CAME A SPIDER is another nice installment of the Alex Cross series of mysteries. The book has truly translated well onto the screen.Morgan Freeman does an excellent job; he plays the character of Cross much less stiffly than we have seen with other genius detective types. Most of the time, they're so clinical and absorbed (sometimes self-absorbed) that it's difficult to watch them. At least Denzel Washington was supposed to be stiff in THE BONE COLLECTOR. The strength of the movie relies heavily on a quick change-up surprise which occurs at about twenty minutes from the end of movie, which is good, because once you figure out that not everyone is quite as they seem (and we all know who's going to win), a resolution shouldn't be drawn out too long. I was impressed by Monica Potter's performance. Most critics called her a copy of Julia Roberts, which isn't a bad thing necessarily. There is one scene in which the character Soneji is finally killed, and we see some good acting from her, but not only is she a good actress, her character is a good actress as well. I won't leak too much information, but when the turning point comes, the movie relies much less on Morgan Freeman as a power-actor and turns the spotlight onto Potter. Michael Wincott, as Soneji, and Mika Boorem, as Megan Rose, also do fine jobs. The movie's not a classic, but the surprise twist does spin your head a bit, and you will definitely not see it coming, unless you've read the book and you know the Alex Cross formula. It's a palpable thriller, and I can't wait for the next installment in the Alex Cross mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing and Predictable
Review: Morgan Freeman, current [actor] of the Thinking-Cop film genre (in which nobody really thinks at all), is trapped in yet another dud. It's one of those thrillers that try to be creepy by alluding to childhood stories and weaving unsettling nursery rhymes into the soundtrack. Little Megan is the daughter of a senator who gets abducted by her history teacher; luckily, she is a graduate of the Macauley Culkin School of Hi-Jinks and Shenanigans and is smart enough to outwit her captor. Aside from a few unexpected twists, the film is basically so predictable from the start that it's pointless to even sit through it at all. The stage is set and, like robotic toys, the actors march dutifully through their motions. Scenes progress as they should, it all happens as it's been programmed to, and we walk out of the theater none the wiser.
Rating:
Summary: Good ending but!
Review: This movie is based on a classical scenario. It is quite boring to see the same scheme again: a cop who feels responsible for the death of his partner and finds a new one. There are some flaws in the scenario: no adequate reason for the killer to call Alex, and the scene where ALex discovers the password of the PC in a short time is quite unbelievable. The final is well designed and worths watching the movie. Good DVD, fair sound, Digital surround adds not too much to the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: What I liked about this film is that it wasn't a photocopy of "Kiss the Girls." It wasn't predictable and it showed how wrong things can go for the good guys and the bad guys. Great movie. Highly viewable.
Rating:
Summary: Great Acting. Few Surprises.
Review: Morgan Freeman's performance as Alex Cross pretty much carries this fairly average movie of a kidnapping case turned into a complex web of mystery, like a spider's web, with a surprise ending.
Rating:
Summary: Along Came a Spider to Little Miss with Too Entangled Story
Review: After the success of "Kiss the Girls," Morgan Freeman makes a welcome reprise as Alex Cross, infallably cool, intelligent, and most of all, very human detective. However, let me set the record straight. It is "Along Came a Spider" that really is the first of the now popular series by James Patterson, not the other one, so perhaps you should consider this as a prequel, not a sequel. As if to show that fact, this film opens with a botched undercover invetigation that ends with a miserably bad result. (And, let me say, so CGI generated car crash scene is.) Flash forward, and now, feeling guilty of this failure, Alex Cross is thinking about retiring when he is forced to join in another investigation about a kidnapped girl of a senetor in a prestigeous school. Then his partner turns out to be an FBI agent, who also experienced bitter taste of failed protection service, now feeling guilty as much as Alex. They start to search for the clues about the girl's whereabout and the criminal's true purpose together until coming to a very unexpected ending of the story. You are to notice that the virtue of the film lies mostly in this unlikely pair of Morgan Freeman as Alex, and Monica Potter as his parter. In spite of given little chance to reveal their inner characterizations before the audience, their highly convincing acting succeed to enhanse the value of the whole production by several notches, letting us forget the incredible happenings and prediatable settings in the script, which actually, differs radically from the original book, so don't tell anyone about how the story develops even to any of writer James Patterson's avid readers. (For example, villainous 'Soneji' meets another fate in the film version.) Whether or not you've read the original, it is certain that you will be surprised to find the truth behind the kiddnapping case. Or you might cry out, "You gotta be kiddin'!" in which case, I agree, you are not to blame. The story itself, if you write down on paper to summerize it, would be as believable as scientific theory in "Independence Day" or incredible disguise of Mr. Soneji's face -- didn't any one of the teachers there notice his cheesy make-up such a long time? -- but, there you are, you find yourself pretty much entertained by this train of thrilling set-pieces presented with a moody camera. After all, it is Lee Tamahori who is officially selected to do the next 007 series, not Tamanori who directed in his earlier days ruthlessly tough dramas. This is, as a conclusion, a good timekilling thriller, as thrilling as the Mother Goose song, on which the title is based. Enough to frighten away Miss Little Muffet away, but too much entangled for us to believe in the story.
Rating:
Summary: a thriller with a twist
Review: This is one of the best movies I have ever seen it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.It has drama , suspense and a huge twist at the end which you would never guess in a million years.I throughly enjoyed this movie and would reccomend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly entertaining and suspenseful
Review: The idea behind "Along came a Spider" is that the director, Lee Tamahori, wants to manipulate and surprise his audience...he does this perfectly. "Along came a Spider" has more twists (exclude the pun) than a spider web. This, of course, makes most people want to go back and check out each character and see how it all envelops in the end. It's very confusing, but makes almost perfect sense...well, almost. "Along came a spider" is the sequel to "Kiss the Girls"...or maybe it's a prequel? You don't know. The one thing you do know is that Dr. Alex Cross, the shady and ruthless detective, is back, reprised by the talented Morgan Freeman. The beginning of the film is kinda farfetched and silly, when a car flips in the air like a board game dice and holds on by a thread over a dam. It almost seems like the car has a mind of it's own! Anyways, Dr. Cross has filed for retirement after his partner was killed in that car, after a sting operation went very bad. Meanwhile, a international catastrophe goes out of control, when the daughter of a US senator is kidnapped by her teacher and posted as ransom. The kidnapper, named "Mr. Soneji" (played perfectly by Michael Wincott) has unknown objectives to the kidnapping. Meanwhile, Dr. Cross is thrusted back into action when Soneji calls him at home, wanting to play a game. Cross is partnered up with a special agent Jezzie (played by Monica Potter) who's is to blame for Megan's (the girl) kidnapping, due to lack of security. The two go out on the case, searching for Soneji, while the really plot starts to unveal about half-way through the film. ACAS is thrilling and suspenseful. The only problem is that much of the climax doesn't exactly explain anything. Most of all, the reason I said it was a "international" catastrophe, was because around somewhere in the film, Morgan's friend is the son of the Russian Embassador. Obviously the Russians are stuck up and act like all of them have a stick up their [end]. In this case, in one scene, Alex and Jezzie stop Soneji from taking Morgan's friend from outside the Russian Embassy. They almost have Soneji while he's getting away, but then the Russian Embassy guards come out and go postal on the two detectives, as if they were the assisins! Nevermind.
Rating:
Summary: Review for 'Along Came A Spider'
Review: Although I'm not a Morgan Freeman fan, I do think that any film he's in is usually pretty good. So I looked into 'Along Came A Spider.'
Unfortunately, when giving my personal opinion on this film, I'd have to say that it didn't affect me at all.
The special effects (most notably during the opening sequence involving the car accident) were very watered down and hokey. I'm not a big special effects fan anyway, and after hearing how thrilling the film was, I allowed the film to attempt to redeem itself with its writing merits. Unfortunately, even that fell short. I'm not sure who wrote the dialog, but to me, it seemed amateurish. Like me. In my amateurish film critiquing ;)
The plot didn't seem all that original, either. A little child gets abducted from some prominent (or not so prominent) family or the child goes missing on their own. All right. I can name at least three other films with that exact plot.
I tried to like this film, but nothing kept me interested. It was too by-the-numbers for me, and it was nothing I hadn't seen before. Knowing that when Hollywood adapts a book to film they almost always mangle the original story, I think one would have better luck reading the novel this film is based upon instead.
Rating:
Summary: Not disappointed--Morgan Freeman is always good
Review: Morgan Freeman is the man in whatever movie he is in. But ok, looking at the movie from the script's perspective I have to agree with some that it's a little lacking there. Though the plot had good twist, the dialog and story seemed a little jumpy...rushed. I enjoyed it though, for a non-scary, yet interesting movie. It's not one I have to watch again to figure anything out though, and that's what I gauge a good mystery by...nothing was subtle here and I could see where the story was going clearly.
"Sonji wouldn't ask for money if he had the money if he had the girl" and then there was a ransom of 'money' asked for... well any mystery buff would have to figure...he must not have had the girl anymore...little things like that stood out.
But all in all, it was good and I was satisfied. Good Friday night popcorn and apple martini movie...for all Morgan Freeman fans.
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