‘Sin City’ sequel is an unoriginal sin

‘Sin City’ sequel is an unoriginal sin

By Jacob Pierce

It is weird to think it has been nine years since the release of the original “Sin City.” The year was 2005. “Sin City” was released to the masses and is still a critically acclaimed film today.

It wowed us with its noir style, interesting world filled with dynamic characters and amazing sense of tone/visuals. But that was nine years ago.

Many people have forgotten “Sin City” was a thing, let alone something they liked.

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The second film in the series, “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (Rated R; 102 min), released on Aug. 22, fails in comparison to the original.

“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is a comic book adaptation of Frank Miller’s series. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller direct the film with stars like Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey Rourke and Josh Brolin.

The film is similar to its predecessor, with the story being told in an anthology format. We follow the characters of Dwight, Johnny, Nancy and Marv as they battle their way through Basin City again, otherwise known as Sin City.

Let us have a mini-session of a class called comic book history 101. For those of you who do not know who he is, Frank Miller was once a visionary of the comic book industry. Miller helped push the comic book industry into its mature phase and legitimize comic books in the world of pop culture.

Then everything changed.

Miller seemed to become a parody of himself and continued to do the same old comics, but with less heart and passion. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill” proves this theory.

Everything in this film seemed to be an old rehashing of the film before, but no one cared this time. This film does nothing to make itself different from the first.

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At times, it hurts beloved characters from the first film. Marv, played by Rourke, was the stand-out character of the last film. Ask anybody about Sin City, and they will most likely talk about Marv. This film uses him so much and without reason, making one wonder why he was entertaining at all.

Very few good things can be said about this film. For the most part, it is an unoriginal, bland and boring film. The wall of the theater might provide more entertainment.

The film is helped by many of the actors and actresses in it. Certain characters seemed to be just as bored as you with the film, for example the character played by Rourke. Even so, a lot of the characters help make watching the scenes bearable.

Levitt, Brolin and Alba are key examples of this. Alba should especially be commemorated for giving a career best performance. She brings pain, anguish and empathy to an invigorating character.

You will leave wondering why she has waited this long to show her skill, and why she did it in this particular film.

Do you like the first Sin City? If your answer was anything close to a yes, then do not see this film. After nine years, they should have left the series alone.

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected]Twitter @JacobPierce1_DE or at 536-3311 ext. 273

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