DVD Review: Along Came a Spider (2001)

Along Came a Spider (2001)

Written by Marc Moss / Directed by Lee Tamahori
Starring Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter and Dylan Baker
104 mins / Paramount Pictures / Rated R
Retail: $19.99 / Street: $17

Review by Alex Mestas 4/22/2003

More info: Along Came a Spider

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The Cover

So Along Came a Spider, isn't exactly Silence of the Lambs. This is made obvious by the heavy handed, expositional dialogue. For movies like this, I throw up my hands and say "it is what it is."

In general though I'm a sucker for these kind of suspense thriller movies. And unlike most of them, Along Came a Spider actually contains some nice plot twists that I forgot about, even though I read the (pulpy) book. They'll surprise people that...well, watch too much Law and Order and always know what to expect.

The only thing is, the surprise is a bit tempered by the fact that the relationships in the film never quite develop enough to make the end result as impactful as it should have been. A plot like this would be better served by an entire season of television. Get the audience to empathize with the characters, and then throw them for a loop. 24 has been amazing at doing this over the past two seasons.

Unfortunately, the relationships aren't the only things that are given too little attention. Par for the course, the music is way too over-dramatic. Apparently, composers of music for thrillers haven't heard of a little thing called subtlety.

Along Came a Spider isn't great, even for a thriller. But it is competently acted and shot. Your very definition of a B movie (or rather, a C+ movie).

Movie Grade: C+

Video: 3 out of 5
Nothing to really celebrate or write home about. The video is plenty dark at the opportune moments, but there is a little bit of graininess.
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Freeman holding court.

Audio: 3 out of 5
Other than the rather overagressive music, there isn't much going on with the soundtrack. There's a nice scene with some car crash noise action, but otherwise, nada.
English (Dolby 5.1 and 2.0), French (Dolby 2.0)

Extras: 2 out of 5
On the disc is a half hour making of. It's mostly promotional in nature, featuring a lot of film clips. Nothing that's really "behind the scenes." The only other extra is a trailer, and not a very good one at that. The disc is a single disc in a keepcase.

Overall: 2 out of 5
Not much on this disc for fans or casual viewers. Consider renting it if you like the genre. All others, stay away.