Rating: 
Summary: Poor Imitation of Book
Review: The book was so much better than the movie. The female lead was no where near as interesting a character as she was in the book. Book built the suspense far better, movie just kind of fizzled to an ending. This was the first Alex Cross book I read and if I had seen the movie before reading the book I probably would not have read and enjoyed all the Alex Cross books. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it over the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre thriller that delivers on some levels
Review: "Along Came a Spider" (2001)I'm a big fan of James Patterson novels. I enjoy the mystery and intelligence he puts into his books. I also highly enjoyed the adaptation of his book Kiss the Girls, which was put on the screen in 1997. Along Came a Spider is one of Patterson's most acclaimed novels, and it would be a hard job putting it on screen without some criticism. I agree with many critics that the movie could've been improved, but I still enjoyed this thrill ride. Morgan Freeman returns as Alex Cross, and yet again he embodies this fantastic detective with a style so strong and cool, and this is especially impressive for Freeman's age. Ashley Judd from Kiss the Girls is replaced by Monica Potter, who does nowhere as good as Judd's Oscar-worthy breakthrough, but Potter does make for an impressive and interestingly played sidekick to Freeman's Cross. The rest of the actors are merely okay, and pretty much there just to black up Freeman and Potter. The movie kick starts to an impressive and intriguing first half. In particular the first five minutes are amazingly action-packed (especially for such a small amount of time!) and get the movie on a good action feel. This movie actually moves a lot quicker than Kiss the Girls, but unfortunately doesn't build up as much atmosphere or have enough character development. Unfortunately as the movie brings a fabulous first half, the second half is not nearly as believable or interesting, unlike Kiss the Girls (yes, I know there are too many comparisons in this review) which went the opposite way around, and worked much better. The actual finale you don't see coming at all throughout the movie and is very clever, but the stuff in between the first half and final few shots is frankly pretty... The movie is also let down by some inexcusably silly scenes (Soneji parks the boat, tries to get this Dimitri kid, Potter and Freeman see him, don't shoot, and then just let him go? Is that what a real detective would do in this situation?). The kids in this movie weren't as annoying as I thought they would be (the young girl who is kidnapped is actually a very good actress, despite her horrible performance in Riding in Cars With Boys), but they are just way too smart. I didn't believe for one second that they could decode computers, make a fire burn with something electronic, or figure out completely mind-boggling puzzles. Another thing that got on my nerves was the usage of cell phones in the film! In one sequence, there are about 7 different conversations all used over different cell phones. The sequence in which I am talking about, is when Soneji (the kidnapper) plays his cat-and-mouse game with Cross, and makes him run here, there and everywhere. If I was a detective in his situation, I wouldn't exactly do everything the kidnapper was telling me (Cross, of course, does this, which proves a tense atmosphere, but an unrealistic backbone). Especially when the kidnapper can't see him? There is no lack of suspense in the film, the performances are good, the opening use of CGI is fabulous and the direction is spot-on excellent. I did find too many flaws to give this an above-average rating and fans of Patterson may be disappointed, but I can recommend Along Came a Spider for a late night suspense thriller. MY GRADE: C+
Rating: 
Summary: Was on the edge of MY seat
Review: This movie is typical James Patterson, which is not to say its bad or predictible. In fact, the only predictible thing about this movie is that it is unprecdictible. And although this is an edge of your seat, suspense filled thriller, if you've read (or seen) one James Patterson book, you've read them all.
As far as comparing it to the book, I couldnt say because it is the one Patterson book that I havent read, but I did read and see "Kiss the Girls". Of course the book was a thousand times better.
All in all, this is a very good movie. Very suspensful and well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Thriller
Review: Let's face it, just about any movie with Morgan Freeman is going to be good, by virtue of his being in the movie. This film is no exception. Although the book was better, the movie is still pretty good. Morgan Freeman brings just the right amount of soulful caring about the victims, and can still be tough guy when needed. Monica Potter is still a Julia Roberts wanna be, but she is more than adequate in her role as Alex Cross' (Morgan Freeman) unexpected partner. There are lots of plot holes, and the 'surprise' twist can be seen coming about half way into the movie, but I still enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Read the book
Review: I was really excited to see this movie, cause I'm a huge James Patterson fan and I love his Alex Cross novels. And in my opinion "Along Came a Spider" is his best Alex Cross novel and his first Alex Cross novel. After "Kiss the Girls" was made into a remarkable movie I couldn't wait to see what they would do with this and I was, to say the least, extremely disappointed. I can't completely judge the movie without being totally biased cause the book is just sooooo much better. The movie is ok and the people I saw it with liked it, those who hadn't read the book. But why they changed as much as they did and created a faulty storyline from a master plan, the book, is beyond me. The book is so much more complex and deep and requires a lot more thinking than this film allows. It's unsurprising twists make a joke out of the intelligence the book offers. I do wish film makers would take into consideration the merits of the book. If a book is a huge bestseller don't make a movie out of it that changes the story cause most likely your story won't be better. I will say Morgen Freeman is a great actor and I love watching him and he's good in this, but better in "Kiss the Girls." Now I just pray the movie makers leave Alex Cross alone unless they stick to the books.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite as good as Kiss The Girls...
Review: In my opinion, Morgan Freeman is THE ideal actor for playing a detective. I think "Seven" alone proves his ability to play a believable crime detective quite well. "Kiss The Girls" was no exception, and niether is "Along Came A Spider." Freeman returns to his character of Alex Cross from "Kiss The Girls" and still does an awesome job in this one, but I'm afraid even Morgan Freeman couldn't have saved this one. Infact, without him this film probably would've been worse. "Along Came A Spider" definitly lacks the intrigue of other Freeman crime movies. This one just failed to capture my interest. I think the problem was that I was used to the creepy environments and the brutal murders that were strong in the previous Freeman movies. This one just lacked all that and the mystery. The many twists and turns at the end were definitly good and not obviously lead into, but still didn't make up for this movie's sluggishly methodical plot that is like most "Law & Order" episodes.
Rating:
Summary: Surprising, given Tamahori's earlier output.
Review: Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori, 2001) Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) is back for film #2, this time with a new partner (Monica Potter) and a kidnapped Senator's kid. Most of my Kiss the Girls review could be cut and pasted into this one, and that is the film's main failing; there's just not that much new here. The movie is a strictly paint-by-numbers mystery flick of the kind that seems to have been endemic over the past couple of years. It's a good enough way to escape from the world for a couple of hours, but it ranks in the empty calories section of the video rental shelf: you won't take anything away from it. The film opens with the daughter of a Senator (Michael Moriarty) being kidnapped from her school. The kidnapper gets Cross involved in the investigation by dropping a piece of evidence off in his mailbox and calling him. Jezzie Flanagan (Potter), who's been the Secret Service agent in charge of guarding the kid, latches onto him, and the two end up as partners in the investigation. The plot twists show up exactly where you expect them, and should be predictable to anyone who's watched more than five mysteries between The Thirty- Nine Steps and Kiss the Girls. Everyone reacts the way you'd expect them to in every situation. Everything is safe and requires no thought. Structured and filmed the way Barbara Cartland used to write novels, and about as fulfilling. Morgan freeman gets two stars for his acting ability alone, but he can't carry this by himself. **
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This in my opinion is one of Morgan Freemans best movies. Very exciting and mind boggling. It really makes you think and keeps your attention throughout the whole movie.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Sequel!!
Review: First and foremost, the movie is not as good as the original, but it is as entertaining. This is not a boring movie; it will hold your attention. The stand out elements are the Lindbergh clues left by the kidnapper in the classroom and on the computer and the super surprise ending. I felt that they could have did without the precredit sequence where Cross's partner gets killed, though. It is immensely entertaining and the uniqueness is that it is not the traditional whodunit because we are introduced to the villain early on in the film (or are we??) The plot does not drag like a good percentage of sequels or in this case, prequels. I recommend it for Morgan Freeman fans and fans who were intrigued with the film's predecessor, Kiss the Girls.
Rating:
Summary: Saw it coming a mile away!!
Review: Good acting, fare story line, some what predictable. But no one beats Morgan Freeman in this type role. Wish they would have developed the main characters a little better
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