Incredible! Fan of graphic novel & now fan of the film

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2005)

I had the misfortune to read several critics reviews of the movie before going in to see it and I was a bit worried. I heard things like bad dialogue, poor special effects, and too much violence. I had feared that perhaps, even though Frank Miller partially directed, that the movie would not stick to the graphic and well-written comics of the Sin City series. Why did I ever doubt!?! This movie was fantastic! First off, it's style is original and bold with a huge lot of characters performed by A-list actors that are well cast. Bruce Willis the best in my opinion although I suspect many moviegoers will choose Mickey Rourke's Marv as their favorite. There are no blurry CGI effects like you see in Star Wars and the most recent Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow. Yes, you can see it's CGI, but it's only noticeable because it's supposed to look like the comic book - not real life. Rodriguez makes sure it's bold and bright and I give him major credit for pulling it off. My fiancé, a graphic designer, raved about the amazing shadow work - something I've never heard him do in the recent CGI films of the past few years.
As for those who dislike the dialogue I counter it was simply sticking to the source material. I would also say if you're unfamiliar with film noir you may be left cold. I am a fan of old Bogart films so I thought the wording was perfect. Sin City doesn't take place in modern day Earth - this is a dimension all to itself and it was written to be very detective-novel-esquire.
As for the violence, it's all there from the novels. I have to give Rodriguez props again for sticking to the source material and steering away from a cheesy 'Hollywood' ending. I loved every minute of the action.
Finally, this movie is a great film for the new anime female generation. The women of Sin City are amazingly strong and when I first read the graphic novels when I was in college I thought it was some of the best female characterizations I'd ever read. I'd say if you're a girl and hesitant to go see it, don't. It's portrayals of women are about a hundred times better than any of the more recent 'sci-fi' genre films.
I can't wait to see it again.