The Top 10 Best Movies of 2002Jan 13 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Here are 14 films that I recommend from 2002 (10 of which were the best in my humble opinion).
2002 wasn't really filled with a lot of films that I took a liking to, but there were some that were both memorable and exciting, and did leave a lasting impression on me. Only a few of them will be remembered years from now as being any good, but there were a select few that really made themselves known as the best of the crop that year. Here is my list of what I felt were the 10 best movies of 2002. Chicago -- Starring Rene Zellweger,Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere One of the most successful musicals to hit the stage in Broadway, Chicago finally made its way to a major motion picture. Chicago was a play long before it became a motion picture musical, but when it hit theaters everyone fell in love with it. Rob Marshall directed the story about Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart who aspire to be famous dancers, and will stop at nothing to accomplish that. Aided by a lawyer played by Richard Gere, they may get to do just that. Starring in the film are Rene Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the two main characters. In other roles are Gere, Queen Latifah, Taye Diggs, and John C. Rielly. Combined you have a really strong cast that brings a lot to the screen, and the movie succeeds on that backs of that, a strong story, and some really great singing and dancing. Chicago of course is about the city and everything that it can offer to a celebrity. Using the press to get what they want, these two women set the town on its ear. It ended up winning 6 academy awards including best picture, and well deserves its spot on my list. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers -- Starring Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen just to name a few Chapter 2 in the journey of The Lord of The Rings came out in 2002, and enjoyed even more success that the first film did. This is the continuing story of Frodo's journey across the lands of Middle Earth to destroy a powerful ring that if fallen into the wrong hands, would spell doom for their world. A host of new characters are introduced into the story, and as we watch, the Fellowship of Ring has been broken, and now everyone is out on their own, still trying to achieve the same goals. The excitement of Part 2 is kicked up a notch, and it all leads to an epic battle at Hell's Deep which could spell the end of man if the castle is not protected. The tension becomes even greater, as we see each main character fight for their lives, and it leads a great battle involving The Two Towers and the forces of Mt. Doom. Road to Perdition -- Starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law What I felt to be one of the most underrated movies of 2002, Road to Perdition was a quiet masterpiece that could have been Tom Hanks at his best. Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, more or less a hit man for and Irish mob boss played by Paul Newman. He is married, and the father of two children, and when one of his kids witnesses a murder that John Rooney's (Newman) son carries out he must go on the run to protect his son. This is not going to be an easy task though, because Rooney is very well connected, and he isn't going to turn against his own blood. Jude Law plays the hit man sent after Sullivan, and does very well in this role as well. With Newman, Hanks, and Law this film really stood out as the best film of 2002 to me, but it didn't find the audience that it needed to win major awards. It was extremely well done, the cinematography of 1930's New York and Chicago were great, and it was amazing what Hanks was able to do with his role. This is one that shouldn't be missed. Spider-Man -- Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Willem DaFoe Spiderman was probably the most anticipated film to come out in 2002. People were lined up for hours and hours to see it, and that caused it to be one of the highest grossing films of all time. The film stuck to the story of how Spidey became that way, and is developing its characters very well, without selling out to pushing too many villains at one time. They cast the perfect person to play the web-slinger, and in doing so got the male and female audience that they wanted to achieve. The movie was the type of action film that everyone had been looking for, and it did a great service to the Spiderman story by not trying to be too far over the top. Tobey Maguire was great in the role, and Willem DaFoe played a great Green Goblin. With two sequels set in motion after its opening weekend smashed all kinds of box office records, Spiderman set its place in my top 10 list. The Bourne Identity -- Starring Matt Damon A man is found floating at sea with bullets filling his back. He is alive (just barely), but has no memory of who or what he once was. He doesn't even know where to begin, but when he finds a microchip buried in his skin, it leads him to a bank vault and some clues as to who he might be. This is how we are introduced to Robert Ludlum's character; Jason Bourne. Bourne is played by Matt Damon in an action role that was very well suited for him as an actor. It turns out Bourne is a deadly assassin, and though he has no memories, he hasn't lost his abilities to kill. And kill he must as he discovers many people are after him who want him dead. The movie becomes a race for him to find out the truth to his past before it is to late. The movie is packed with action, and I really liked the character. It led me to read the two sequels written by Ludlum, and actually also led to The Bourne Supremacy being made into a film 2 years later. This is one of those films that ages well too, so years from now it will still be a good "spy" movie. Signs -- Starring Mel Gibson and Joauin Phoenix M. Night Shyamalan directed this film about crop-circles and gave us a theory as to what the actually are. In natural M. Night Shyamalan fashion, he weaves a story that is intended to build on itself, and set up the scares that are to come later on in the film. The real scary part of the movie is that he plays upon shadows and fear of the unknown to build a story that ended up pretty well laid out in my opinion. There are those people who saw it, that felt it fell flat in the end, but I really liked how they tied it together easier than they could have. Instead of leaving a lot of loose ends, the story wraps up on itself, and we know what the ending is. This is something that Shyamalan usually makes sure to do with his films, but it has at times alienated his viewers. For me though, Signs was a successful movie that has ended up in my collection. Gibson and Phoenix were both very good, and when they needed to be funny or subtle, they were equal to the task. About A Boy -- Starring Hugh Grant Nick Hornby won awards for the novel he wrote, which was later adapted for the screen by Peter Hedges. It is a really good story, that not only plays with your heart, but shows that life lessons can come from someone no matter what their age may be. Hugh Grant is the star of the picture, playing an immature, all be it "hip" man from London, who is living his life care free. He is rich, and sees women more as a conquest than anything else, but through the movie and a young boy, comes to realize that there is more to life than being a "playboy." Marcus is the 12-year old boy (Nicholas Hoult) who is also able to learn a few things about life from Will (Grant). This includes how to be cool, and together they are able to learn many important things from each other. The movie isn't as "lovey-dovey" as it may seem, but instead is deeper in its presentation of the themes, and is extremely well written. Rachel Weisz plays Rachel who also has a role in the film, but the main focus is on the relationship between Will and Marcus. This is a wonderful film, and I highly recommend it. Punch-Drunk Love -- Starring Adam Sandler In a severe departure from the comedy roles that had made Sandler's career, he took on the starring role in Punch-Drunk Love. There are very few laughs, because it is an attempt at using his acting in a dramatic fashion, and by using his movements more subtlety, I think it came off very well in the film. He plays Barry Egan who is convinced that the way out of his job is to keep playing in a contest that could win him a free trip. With 7 sisters on him for every decision that he makes, it is a wonder that Barry hasn't snapped years before. Instead he has crawled into a shell inside himself, and hasn't let the outside world come in. That is until he crosses paths with a girl (played by Emily Watson) that catches his eye, and makes him do things he hadn't even considered before. Despite it being Sandler's first attempt at a drama, the film does a good job of playing to his strengths, and keeping his character within the confines of innocence. This is what makes the film work so well, and why it ended up making my 10 best list. Catch Me If You Can -- Starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio Stephen Spielberg directed a film based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr. Abagnale was a successful kid con artist who was able to pass himself off as many different people in many different professions. He ended up with the FBI on his tail after taking a lot of money from Pan Am, and forging the checks so that they would cash more easily. Cashing more than $2.5 million in checks is what put Carl Hanratty on a pursuit that would surely catch Frank. Abagnale was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in a really well acted role as a high school student in the 1960's. He was may more intelligent than what he put his mind to, but I guess it was the excitement of it all that wrapped him up. Hanratty is played by Hanks, as a dedicated FBI agent who is sure that he has the means and methods to catch Abagnale if he sticks to the case. Together they are great, and with the Direction of Spielberg turned this film into a real winner. Spirited Away (Animated film) Spirited Away, is about a 10-year old girl named Chihiro, who goes on one fantastic adventure. Think of the film in terms of a RPG game, where Chihiro must go through a quest of her own to save her parents. Along the way she must find friends and allies who are willing to help her fight against the Gods and monsters of the Land of Spirits. Losing her name along the way, she must fight to not only save her parents, but regain her own identity in a world that at times doesn't make sense to her, and at others seems as far from home as someone could get. The character development, and the way that Miyazaki makes us care about the people in the film is what ended up making this a winner to me. Though it may seem like an easy, clear-cut Disney type plot, the story goes much deeper than what is on the surface. That is one of the reasons I felt the movie was so deserving of its best Animated Feature win in 2003, and is worth giving a chance to. The battle of good and evil is now in the hands of a young girl. Just Barely Missed The List: Insomnia Ice Age Lilo and Stitch (Hilarious Movie!) Minority Report  |
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