Review of Along Came a Spider (2001) by Abdulmalik A — 01 Aug 2015

Long before Tyler Perry turned Alex Cross into an action star, the all-star detective was portrayed correctly by the legendary Morgan Freeman. While the first film, Kiss The Girls, was a huge success, it's sequel, Along Came A Spider was a bust, once again due to the fact that the strengths of the character were not utilized properly.

The character of Alex Cross was created by Author, James Patterson, and has been responsible for over 20 best selling novels, because he's unlike any other cop in any other mystery series. Cross is a psychologist first, who gets inside the heads of killers.

Once he knows what they're thinking and why they're acting the way they are, Cross is usually able to capture them. These stories make for terrific novels, but when transferred to the screen, producers felt that they lack the action movie goers crave.

Despite a successful first appearance on screen, the producers felt that with more action and bullets, the sequel would do even better, they were wrong. When a Senator's daughter is abducted from an upscale private school, detectives are at a loss, but call Cross in when evidence and a ransom demand turn up at his house.

Cross believes the criminal is using his admiration to cover up the real motives for this crime, and he needs to play into that role, in order to determine what those motives are. This was a terrific novel, but wasn't right for the screen, so much of the story was cut and replaced by the manhunt and police chases.

These elements make for a more intense film, but don't do justice to the story. Alex Cross and his abilities are the story and are what make the series unique. Morgan Freeman returned hesitantly to do the sequel and he was right when he said he shouldn't have done it, mainly because it takes away from the brilliance of the first film.

The producers of this movie even managed to screw up a terrific surprise ending and that really says it all. Along Came A Spider is not a bad film, it certainly has it's movements and a legendary star, but if you're a fan of the Alex Cross novels, expect to be disappointed.