2002 - A Year in Movies

2002 A YEAR IN MOVIES

As another year in cinematic history draws to a close, we look back and see a year of broken records, huge money makers, the 40th anniversary of a movie institution, the world's biggest star and director first calibration and the return of many old faces. The year started off with a very cool crime caper, monsters behind every child's closet door, Tom Cruise looking ugly, Russell and Howard's mind tricks on Oscar and animation becoming very cold indeed.

After a lacklustre summer in 2001, the studios made up for their previous shortcomings by filling the season very some real blockbusters. Superheroes made an impact, Anakin became a Jedi, Jack Ryan found the fountain of youth, Tom Hanks became a killer, Tom Cruise was only ugly for a couple of minutes, Werewolves terrorised north Wales, crop circles where everywhere, Jodie Foster had a panic attack and everything was groovy baby yeah!

The end of the year seemed very familiar in deed, with wizards and hobbits running around everywhere. People couldn't be trusted as spies seemed to be everywhere, children had to walk a hell of a long way to get home, Disney unleashed more aliens, Michael Caine knew someone who wasn't very chatty and Britain was populated by the undead.

So as 2002 disappears into oblivion, which where the top fifteen movies of the year and top five turkeys you should have avoided like the plague…

THE BEST OF THE YEAR

15. DOG SOLDIERS
2002 will be seen as the year that the British film industry returned to a genre that it loved in the 60s and 70s, Horror. Dog Soldiers is a classic example of a very British Horror movie, combining gore and humour to great effect. The budget was low, the characters were over the top but it was rip-roaring good fun. (Read Review)

14. VANILLA SKY
The second collaboration between Tom Cruise and writer/director Cameron Crowe is a total departure from Jerry Maguire. A virtual shot for shot remake of Alejandro Amenabar's 1997 Spanish original, Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes), this is a movie that plays with your mind, not revealing what is going on until the very last act.
(Read Review)

13. SPIDER-MAN
At last a comic book movie adheres to its origins. Director Sam Raimi has given us the best comic book adaptation ever, that truly captures every characteristic of the superhero. Tobey Maguire is perfectly cast as your friendly neighbourhood crime fighter. Roll on the sequel
(Read the Review)

12. MINORITY REPORT
The biggest star in the world, Tom Cruise joins forces with the biggest director in the world, Steven Spielberg for the first time to produce a vision of the future that is both suspenseful and thought provoking. This is intelligent science fiction at its best (Read the Review)

11. THE BOURNE IDENTITY
Matt Damon, action hero. This is a sentence that you thought you'd never hear but after watching this movie your mind will be changed forever. He is a natural as he brings Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne to life in this classy spy thriller. (Read the Review)

10. THE EYE
Now if you thought the Sixth Sense was scary you haven't seen anything yet. This is the most frightening film I have seen in years. Expertly blending suspense and sheer horror, Hong Kong filmmakers The Pang Brothers have smashed their way into the horror elite. (Read the Review)

9. DONNIE DARKO
The best debut film for many years, writer/director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal pull you into Donnie's dark and mysterious world of love, death, time travel and giant six-foot bunny rabbits.
(Read the Review)

8. DIE ANOTHER DAY
Celebrating 40 years on the big screen, James Bond is back for his 20th adventure and is it his best since Live and Let Die. Great action, gadgets, girls and villains combine to make this a Bond tour-de-force. After all the year's pretenders to the crown of top spy this movie just proves that nobody does it better than Bond. (Read the Review)

7. INSOMNIA
One of the most promising directors in years follows up his critically acclaimed hit Memento, with a movie that pushes psychological dramas to their limits. Al Pacino faces off against Robin Williams in a duel that has more twists and turns than any other movie this year. (Read the Review)

6. OCEAN'S 11
One of the coolest movies ever sees Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh bring together an all star cast for the biggest heist in screen history. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan and Shaobo Qin could together to swindle Andy Garcia out of a fortune and his girlfriend, Julia Roberts. Class. (Read the Review)

5. MONSTER'S INC
As Disney 2D animated movies have a hard time at the box office, Pixar's 3D computer animated films have gone from strength to strength. The difference is story. Yes these movies look better and more sophisticated but they are also complemented by interesting and original stories and characters, of which Monster's Inc is a prime example. Animation at its best and make sure you watch all of the end credits!
(Read the Review)

4. HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Mr Potter's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is just as good, if not better than the first. All the cast are back and the young principles seem more at home in their roles. They are joined by a scene stealing turn by Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart. Better special effects, more action and no hindrance of story setting make this a more enjoyable and faster paced movie. Roll on Harry's third adventure. (Read the Review)

3. STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
After the slight disappointment of The Phantom Menace fans hoped George Lucas would deliver with the second instalment of the prequel trilogy. The good new is that he did, big style. Epic battles, forbidden love, dark forces gaining power and an end light sabre fight that is the best in the Star Wars franchise. Ok so some of the dialogue wasn't the greatest and the love story seemed rushed and emotionless but this is a special effects show piece and bloody good fun. (Read the Review)

2. ROAD TO PERDITION
Oscar Winning British director Sam Mendes brings us one of the most visually stunning movies of the year. Set in 1931 when American was under prohibition and ruled by gangsters, this is a story about father's and sons. Bravely casting Tom Hanks as Mob hit man Michael Sullivan who is on the run from Boss John Rooney, played magnificently by Paul Newman, this is a movie that both touches and grabs never letting go until the very last frame. Superb. (Read the Review)

1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
The epic story continues. The fellowship has split into three, as Frodo and Sam continue onto Mordor, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas track Uruk-hai across the plains of Rohan and Merry and Pippin escape into a mysterious forest. The tale continues at a lightening place and it is just as electrifying as the first adventure. Peter Jackson and his team move the goal posts again when it comes story telling, special effects and overall visual flair. This is what cinema is all about, transporting you into another world. (Read the Review)

So there you have it, the top fifteen movie that I totally loved in 2002. You should really try and see all of them as I grantee you won't be disappointed with any of them. Other movies worth considering are… Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, the computer generated comedy Ice Age, Phillip Noyce's Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Quiet American, the very dark comedy The Royal Tenenbaums, Jack Ryan's return in The Sum of all Fears, M. Knight Shyamalan's Signs, David Fincher's Panic Room, the excellent Y tu Mama Tambien, Vampire hunting in Blade II, Disney's return to form with Lilo & Stitch, Hugh Grant's best ever movie About a Boy and the return of Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Along with all these fifteen great movies there were bound to be some complete turkeys in 2002. Here is the list of worst five to avoid like the plague. The ones that I watched to you don't have to…

5. DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE
So predictable and badly acted that I wanted everyone dead by the end of it.
(Read the Review)

4. THE SWEETEST THING
Embarrassingly unfunny. Cameron Diaz needs to sack her agent
(Read the Review)

3. NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE
Will teen spoof movies just die, please! (Read the Review)

2. THE WASH
Self-indulgent crap (Read the Review)

1. THE MUSKETEER
Alexandre Dumas must be turning in his grave (Read the Review)

As we say goodbye to 2002, lets say a big hello to 2003. What do we have in store?

2003 is going to be dominated by three movies. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Read the latest News), The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (Read the latest News). These are the films the rest of the world and I, can't wait to see in 2003.

Others worth getting excited about are Steven Spielberg's Catch Me if you Can (Read the latest News), Ang Lee's Hulk (Read the latest News), Ben Affleck in Daredevil (Read the latest News), Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines (Read the latest News), Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation, Pixar's Finding Nemo (Read the latest News) and The X-Men return in X2 (Read the latest News).

2003 could be rather good.

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