ntertainment
The Compass, Oct. 2004 PftgC 7
The anarchy of the robots
By Corey Freeman
Stajf Writer
‘1, Robot” takes place in
Chicago circa 2035, a city
where spectacular new
skyscrapers share the
skyline with landmarks
like the Sears (but not the
Trump) Tower. The tallest
of the buildings belongs to
U.S. Robotics, and on the
floor of its atrium lobby
lays the dead body of its
chief robot designer,
apparently a suicide.
Detective Del
Spooner is on the case.
Will Smith plays Spooner,
a Chicago Police
Department detective who
doesn’t believe it was
suicide. He has a deep-
seated mistrust of robots,
despite the famous Three
Laws of Robotics, which
declare, above all, that a
robot must not harm a
human being.
“Robot” makes
Spooner into another one
mi #
%
m
of those movie cops who
insults the powerful, races
recklessly around town,
gets his badge pulled by
his captain, solves the
crime and survives
incredible physical
adventures. In many ol
these exploits he is
accompanied by Dr. Susan
Calvin (Bridget
Moynahan), who also
serves as the love interest
and the converted
disbeliever in the movie.
Over all on an
academic scale, “ I Robot”
merits a C+.
The story line is
nothing new, but the
special effects including
the robots karate-like
fighting moves,
computerized chase
scenes, and the charisma
of Will Smith, make this
movie averagely
entertaining. This is not a
scholar’s movie, but is a
good old-fashioned
American sci-fi action
flick.
jl j| Y 1B
Spiderman aspires to
build a better web site
By Nate Rhone
Staff Writer
“Spider-Man 2”
has all the elements of a
good, but not great,
superhero motion picture. A
worthy sequel to the 2002
blockbuster, Spider-Man 2
will deposit fans
somewhere on the
satisfaction spectrum
between quietly pleased and
overjoyed. Although not as
economical with its scenes
as the first Spider-Man, this
film nevertheless advances
the leftover threads from its
predecessor, tells its own
self-contained tale, and
dangles enough bait to hint
at where “Spider-Man 3”
will be heading.
The movie - at
least the first half - is a little
hght on action and heavy on
talk. This is not an
inherently bad thing, except
that a lot of the dialogue
relates to Peter Parker’s
soul-searching:- should he
sacrifice his innerMesires
for the greater good of
mankind (cue his dead
uncle’s pronouncement:
“With great power comes
great responsibility”) or
give up crime fighting to
become an ordinary guy,
pursue his dreams, and get
the girl. Fortunately, the
second hour, which
contains all three major
action sequences, is better
paced, leading to a rousing
climax that works on
multiple emotional levels.
There are a trio of endings,
all of which satisfy in their
own ways.
“Spider-Man 2”
picks up a couple of years
after the conclusion of the
original Spider-Man. By
this time, the costumed
alter-ego of geeky Peter
Parker (Tobey Maguire) has
become a New York City
legend. Despite being
decried by the Daily Bugle
as a “menace,” Spidey (as
he is affectionately known)
is as big a hero to some as
he is a villain to others. In
staying true to his calling as
a crime fighter, Peter must
stay away from the girl of
his dreams. Mary Jane
Watson (Kirsten Dunst)
loves Peter, and Peter loves
her, but he can never let her
know, because he’s afraid
his enemies would use that
information against them.
So he pines away in silence,
and she becomes engaged
to an astronaut.
Meanwhile, a
brilliant physicist named Dr.
Otto Octavius (Alfred
Molina), who is working for
Peter’s best friend, Harry
Osborne (James Franco),
has mastered a way to
generate a controlled fusion
reaction that can provide
enough energy to fuel an
entire city. Using
mechanical arms grafted
into his spinal column, he
begins to manipulate the
mini-sun he creates, but
things go disastrously
wrong. When the dust has
settled. Dock Ock is no
longer the man he was - he’s
insane and obsessed, and
determined to rid
Manhattan of Spider-Man.
But, like Clark Kent in
“Superman 2”, Peter has
decided to abandon his
powers so he can love a
woman - and just at the time
when the world most needs
him.
Tobey Maguire is
back as the web-crawler and
Kirsten Dunst makes her
second appearance as his
one true love. James Franco
shows a marked
improvement in his acting
as the conflicted Harry,
whose desire to fill his
father’s shoes is matched
only by his hatred of Spider-
Man. The return of so many
familiar faces (including
Cliff Robertson as Uncle
Ben and Willem Dafoe as
the Goblin in cameos)
assures a strong sense of
continuity with the first
film. If there’s an acting
standout, however, it’s not
any of the major players.
Instead, it’s
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah
Jameson, the publisher of
the Daily Bugle. Simmons
was one of Spider-Man’s
small pleasures. Here, in an
expanded role, he
dominates every scene he’s
in with his perfect timing
and his drill sergeant-like
delivery of dialogue.
Simmons not only
embodies the Jameson from
the comic books, he
enhances the character.
The specicil effects
are, on the whole, a little less
successful than in the
previous outing - probably
because there are more of
them. At times, especially
during some of the complex
battle maneuvers or when
he’s slinging his way high
above Manhattan, it’s pretty
obvious that Spider-Man is
computer generated. The
key to CGI is not to overuse
the technique. “Spider-
Man” flirted with the line.
“Spider Man 2” crosses it,
although barely, and not in
a way that it becomes a
serious detriment. And
there are some marvelous
scenes, such as when
Spider-Man tries to stop an
out-of-control train, or
when Peter Parker leaps
atop Mary Jane to keep her
from harm’s way.
“Spider-Man 2” is
about 20 minutes too long.
Although Sam Raimi’s
direction is generally solid
(and, in some scenes,
flawless), the film’s middle
act has instances when it
seems repetitive and
exposition-heavy. The
strength of the climax and
denouement almost renders
such concerns moot, but
they cannot be completely
dismissed, since they
prevent this film from
ascending to the pinnacle of
superhero movies.
Nevertheless, even though it
does not eclipse
“Superman”, “Hulk”, or
even “X-Men 2”, “Spider-
Man 2” proves that this
series has plenty of juice
left. As long as this creative
team remains in place, I
look forward to more
adventures with my friendly
neighborhood Spider-Man.
Twentieth Century Fox presents a film directed by Alex Proyas. Written by JejfVintar
andAkiva Goldsman. Suggested by Isaac Asimov’s book. Running time: 115 minutes.
Rated PG-13 (for intense stylized action and some brief partial nudity). Starring Will
Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, Alan Tudyk, Chi McBride, and James
Cromwell Directed by Alex Proyas & written for the screen by Akiva Goldman and
Jeff Vintar, suggested by the book by Isaac Asimov 2004
c
October 5 & 6, 2004
at 6:00 p.m. in the
University Center
For more information contact
Derrick Wilkins at 335-3373