When it
comes to sequels, Sin City: A Dame to Kill isn’t like most; this sequel comes a
full nine years later and seemingly out of nowhere, unlike most sequels, which
are teased almost immediately following the original film’s release; also, this
Sin City isn’t a straight follow up to the last film, we see the same characters
and some new ones, but their stories don’t build on the last film. Unfortunately, what this new Sin City does
have in common with a lot of sequels is that it doesn’t live up to its
predecessor, no matter how hard it tries to top it.
On its face,
this Sin City looks, sounds and feels just like the original. The graphic novel
style is still there, all the characters still talk in the those gritty,
gravely-voiced, self-loathing monologues and the action is still very cartoony
(and yet extremely violent); however, this sequel is simply missing the heart
and soul of the original. In fact, it almost plays like a parody of Sin City rather than a true sequel.
This is disappointing
because in addition to bringing back most of our favorite characters from the
original, the sequel boasts some potentially exciting new characters as well.
Sadly, none of these new characters really deliver on their promise (except for
Eva Green, who by this point must be able to do the femme fatale role in her
sleep), and much of the drama surrounding them (especially in the case of
Joseph Gordon Levitt’s character) seems rather pointless.
As for the
old characters, it just doesn’t seem like there’s anything important to do in
this film. Mickey Rourke pops up from time to time, but he’s mostly a hired
hand and has no real cause as he did in the original Sin City. Bruce Willis
simply floats around like a ghost (he is a ghost I guess?) lamenting the
self-destructive behavior of his beloved Nancy (Jessica Alba). We do get to see
the origin of Manute’s golden eye, but to be honest it isn’t even that exciting
(although it is the goriest part of the movie); and of course, the senator is
back and as corrupt as ever, although this time it just seems like he’s
deliberately trying to be mean. Disappointingly, Rosario Dawson doesn’t get
nearly enough screen time (in my opinion), even though she’s clearly one of the
only two interesting characters here (the other being Eva Green). Finally, Clive
Owen is replaced by Josh Brolin and I must say, I missed Clive Owen in the role
(although I realize at this point in the story he is supposed to have a
different face than in the original movie).
There isn’t
much else to say about this second attempt at bringing Frank Miller’s Sin City
to life; it succeeds in achieving the same look and overall feel of the
original movie, but in the end it can’t reach the same quality as the 2005
film. If you’re desperate to see more Sin City then perhaps this movie will
suffice, however, if you’re expecting anything as ground-breaking as the
original, you’ve been warned.
-Ryan Maples
Rating: 5.5.
No comments:
Post a Comment