Review of Along Came A Spider

Introduction

Dr Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) was first seen in the crime thriller "Kiss The Girls" a couple of years ago.

"Along Came A Spider" is the follow up, and starts off with Dr Cross in temporary retirement following a sting operation which goes badly wrong. However, when a Senator`s daughter is kidnapped from a supposedly secure school under the guard of the Secret Service, the kidnapper, a fan of Dr Cross` work, involves him in the case. What follows is a game of cat and mouse as Dr Cross and the Secret Service try to track down the kidnapper and his prisoner.

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and as you would expect from a major movie made earlier this year, the picture is of very high quality with no sign of film dirt or grain.

Along Came A Spider is a very well made crime thriller, which starts with a very spectacular car crash (with some CGI that is fairly ropey on close inspection), and then continues with an excellent crime scene and locations. Throughout the movie, everything is very well shot and looks authentic.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 and, like the video, is of high quality. Primarily the sound concentrates on the front channels, but good use is made of the rear speakers when necessary.

Dialogue is always clear and understandable amongst the myriad of sound effects used.

Features

The extras don`t amount to much, as with most other Paramount releases. The disc only contains the trailer and a making-of documentary that offers little of interest and as usual degenerates into a back-slapping exercise, with everyone praising everyone else and seemingly forgetting that we actually want to know something about the movie!

The disc is packaged in a black Amaray case.

Conclusion

"Along Came A Spider" is an enjoyable thriller, and certainly a worthy successor to the excellent "Kiss The Girls". The film contains a good story, some good action, plenty of plot twists and is very well made. As usual, Morgan Freeman turns in a very good performance, and he is backed up by a strong cast, including Michael Wincott and Monica Potter.

Sound and video are both good, but the extras are the usual Paramount drivel.

Overall, an enjoyable movie, but the lack of extra material is not reflected in the retail price, so perhaps this is one to rent out when it arrives in Region 2 shortly.