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Non-demanding fans of the original The Matrix will likely be enthralled by the second installment in the series. More demanding aficionados will likely have a few reservations, some of which will not be addressed until the release of the third fea...
U.S. Release Date: 2003-05-14
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Sexual Situations, Nudity)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, ...
The Matrix Revolutions represents a disappointing way for the science fiction trilogy to bow out. Overlong and underwhelming, The Matrix Revolutions reinforces the thinking that it’s a rare movie series in which the final chapter is the stronges...
U.S. Release Date: 2003-11-05
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Situations)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, ...
There's no sophomore jinx for the Wachowski Brothers. Andy and Larry, a pair of obviously talented film makers, have returned to theaters with The Matrix, a science fiction thriller that is every bit the match of their debut effort, Bound, for ten...
U.S. Release Date: 1999-03-31
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, ...
The problem with some franchises is that the studios don't know when it's time to quit. The lackluster nature of Men in Black II should have been a hint to Sony that the Men in Black series had run its course. Now, at least ten years beyond the "s...
U.S. Release Date: 2012-05-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION/COMEDY
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, ...
It does not follow that a parody has to be funny but, in the case of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the humor is there. A clever send-up of comic book and video games (circa 1990), this movie illustrates that writer/director Edgar Wright can rise to...
U.S. Release Date: 2010-08-13
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: ACTION/COMEDY
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, ...
Send Help answers the long-simmering question of what would happen if director Sam Raimi—the mastermind behind The Evil Dead and Spider-Man—were to direct a big-screen reimagining of Gilligan's Island. Okay, that's not quite true, but you get ...
U.S. Release Date: 2026-01-30
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, Profanity, Nudity)
Genre: Thriller/Comedy
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien
Note: I consider this review to be “spoiler-lite.” Although there are no overt revelations of things that can’t be learned by scanning published cast lists or watching the trailer, if you don’t want to know anything about the movie, co...
U.S. Release Date: 2021-09-03
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, ...
Spider-Man 2 has all the elements of a good, but not great, superhero motion picture. While lacking the tragic grandeur that made last year's Hulk such a unique experience, Spider-Man 2 fills the void with solid character development, self-referen...
U.S. Release Date: 2004-06-30
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, ...
The Spider-Man series, which debuted in 2002 and continued in 2004 and 2007, represents the first superhero cycle to complete a trilogy with the same primary cast and production team it had at the beginning. If nothing else, that assures viewers o...
U.S. Release Date: 2007-05-04
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, ...
The Spirit is an example of what can happen to a comic book-inspired movie when the sense of style becomes so pervasive that it overwhelms everything else, including an unremarkable superhero adventure. Unfortunately, the eye candy quickly grows st...
U.S. Release Date: 2008-12-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity, Nudity)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: Frank Miller
Cast: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, ...