The Matrix Revolutions
Enough
Centerpiece battle scene with lots of boom boom and bang bang does not a movie make.
Weak ending.
Matrix movies did well, and now they are done.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
The first 15 minutes were so boring that I thought it was an episode of "Enterprise."
Revisioning is an insult to the first two movies, which were great. Claire Danes was good in the movie, but she shouldn't have been in the movie. Producers are trying to turn heroic sci-fi action into some sort of chick-flick kids-flick franchise. What's next--Terminator Teens and Terminator Kids?
Kristanna Loken should keep her vapid face and dumpy ass off the screen.
I hope this betrayal of Cameron's vision loses big money.

Wrong Turn
Too much running, not enough jeopardy. What idiot decided to kill off Lindy Booth so early in the movie? Each of the murdering freaks needed more personality. What a waste of Julian Richings! Eliza Dushku was good. Cast her in the next Alien movie.

The Matrix Reloaded
The freeway chase was well done. Other sequences also show a lot of effort was expended. Uh-huh, that was about it. The techno-babble by The Architect was interesting, for anyone who goes to a movie for technobabble. And that whole Zion thing, especially the rave, was very boring.

Star Trek: Nemesis
Not the worst Trek movie but not much more than a TNG episode.
It would be a chore to list all the negatives.
Cringe at the wedding scene. Starfleet would not be using dune buggies.
Paramount should forget about Star Trek if this is the best they can do.
I like the first twenty minutes of the first movie, a few scenes in the second movie and not much in any of the other movies.

Die Another Day
Pierce Brosnan has never been better as Bond. The best parts of the movie involve him but no huge action special effects--like when he walks into the hotel.
Lovely titles and the song by Madonna Ciccone is good.
Much of the action is improbable because impossible. It's not likely a helicopter could get its rotor going after dropping out of a flying aircraft. Too much cutting in the car chase make it hard to follow, therefore too hard for viewers to suspend disbelief. And the surfing also is beyond the credible.
But any movie with a swordfight is good to see.
A big plot hole gapes when M is talking to Falco about Graves.
No way Halle Berry gets her own franchise out of this movie. Her lush body looks good in pose or repose, but when she moves she tends to waddle. Too obviously it is a stunt double doing back flips on the aircraft.
The more striking presence is Rosamund Pike. She is going to be a big star.

The Transporter
Five furiously paced action sequences which violate laws of physics adorn a perfunctorily plotted story.
Deflection of a bazooka-type missile by a metal serving tray was deleted, so I'm glad I saw the preview trailer or I wouldn't know what I was missing.
Jason Statham did a convincing job as title character.

XXX
The hope was that Xander Cage, extreme-sports bozo, could replace James Bond.
He uses the missile on his car to blow up a farmer's wagon. Oooh, that was exciting.
Because Xander Cage is an extreme-sports bozo, he is able to pull up on a motorcycle's handlebars and make it jump over a high fence.
Yeah, right.
I'm going back to Bond.

Minority Report
Stories involving time paradoxes are always riddled with plot problems. For coverage of the conceptual problems and narrative inconsistencies in this movie, check http://www.movie-mistakes.com and read a long list.
However, as it was based on an original story by Philip K. Dick, there is enough duplicity and paranoia in this movie to keep me intrigued.

Spider-man
Sam Raimi directed with fidelity to the Marvel comic book, capturing the tone and ambience. Engaging characters well portrayed by strong cast. NYC looked perfect. This was a summer movie actually worth seeing.

Jason X
Resurrected in 2455, Jason Voorhees can't be stopped by soldiers, but later Lisa Ryder has guns that blow him away. Why didn't the soldiers use those guns? And why were the soldiers on the ship with archaeology students, anyway?
Some inside homage humor was good.
Lisa Doig and Lisa Ryder were good, but others in the cast didn't create much effect. The movie industry has got to have better to offer.
Also, make the characters sympathetic before killing them off.

Blade II
Sharp movie. The sword fights, in particular, are fast and furious.
Wesley Snipes is always credible as an action hero, unlike some of the pipsqueaks Hollywood tries to foist on audiences.

The Scorpion King
Worth seeing just for the costumes Kelly Hu wears.
Many good fights that are cleanly blocked so the audience can follow what is happening. Too often, fight scenes are muddled by jerky camera movements and fast cutting.

The Count of Monte Cristo
Changes to the Dumas story improve dramatic effect. Beginning is too slow, middle (in the Chateau d'If) is paced nicely, and the rest is too rushed. It also needs more action sequences. More sword fights! But it's worth seeing.

Impostor
Like an episode of "The Outer Limits."
What is there is good but there is not much there.
Needed more conflict involving secondary characters.
If the aliens can slip replicants through Earth's defenses, then they probably don't need to slip replicants through--just bombs.

Click on the film-strip icon for movies I saw in '00 and '01.