Belser Movie Reviews: “SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR”(Spoiler-Free)

BELSER MOVIE REVIEWS: “SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR” (Spoiler-Free). 
 
 
What's up, peoples? It's your boi " The Belser",  back once again to give you guys and gals here at Comicbookmovie.com a look at the unethical rantings of a guy with WAY too much time on his hands..lol. Now, I'm a big fan of the original novels and the original movie. I loved the look.  The dialogue. The overall gritty style.  Most of all, I loved the originality of it for its time. I just finished this flick and ...it was cool.  Not original. Not outstanding. But....just 'a'ight'. I will explain that assessment as I continue......

 
HERE'S THE STORY:
 
Just like the first movie, this movie is a collection of interconnecting stories all based in BaSIN CITY and it’s just like they left it. Dirty . Violent. Disgusting.  Corrupt. Basically "Hell on Earth". The big difference is that these stories take place BEFORE and AFTER the events of the first movie.  The first story, "Just Another Saturday Night", shows a night in the life of Marv (Mickey Roarke), waking up and finding himself surrounded by a bunch of dead guys and trying to find out what happened. The next story ,"The Long Bad Night" shows a young hotshot gambler named Johnny taking on Senator Roark (one of the main bad guys from the first movie), in a poker game turned VERY bad. The following story has a pre-surgery Dwight McCarthy dealing with his old manipulative lover, Ava (Eva Green), the "Dame to Kill For". Lastly, "Nancy's Last Dance" , has stripper Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) is out for revenge to avenge the forced suicide of  Hartigan( Bruce Willis).
 
ACTING:
 
A good of number of the actors from the original return in their respective parts ( Mickey Roarke, Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, etc.). It also has many new faces to add the mix. Really, A LOT. All great actors too. Josh Brolin( taking over Clive Owen's part), Eva Green, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Chris Meloni,  Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert( taking over Michael Clarke Duncan's role) and more. I even caught Lady Gaga as a diner waitress.
 
 
DIALOGUE:
 
This movie is written again by the great Frank Miller. The stories are still told in the classic Film Noir style: First person narrations told from the main character's point of view. Lots of old time gangster jargon that gives it a timeless quality. Lots of talk about forbidden romances, whores, death and corruption. Plus, they play up features that make up the world: dismemberments,  lots of nudity, sex, gun shots, blood splatter. You know, all the fun stuff...
 

SPECIAL EFFECTS:
 
Just like the first one, they use high-def digital cameras and lots of green screen to convert everything to the classic black and white and color is used at certain moments  to emphasize certain features ( lips, eyes, blood, etc.).  Making it look like a living breathing comic book.
 

GRIEVANCES and THE FINAL WORD:
 
I do have a few issues with certain aspects. First and foremost is the continuity of the storylines. Many of these stories include characters that died in the first movie but they are alive and well in this one. Next is the  timing of the release. When the first movie came out, it was fresh and innovative. But now, these types of special effects are pretty common at this point.  Movies like " GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY" and "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" are  still fresh in people's minds. I think they waited WAY too long to release a sequel. I mean, the first flick came out almost TEN years ago ( 2005).  There also wasn't a lot of marketing for this movie as well and I think that will hurt it at the box office.  Now the important question: Would I watch this again? That would be a  Yes.  It is an enjoyable movie, despite my gripes.  It reminds me a lot of my assessment of  300 : RISE OF AN EMPIRE that came out  earlier this year. If you dug the first movie, you dig this one. For that, this movie GETS the Belser Seal of Approval.

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