Entertaining - mostly; cringe-worthy - occassionally; but never brilliant

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2002)

This film was quite enjoyable but some of the 'romantic' scenes were bordering on execrable. I struggled to understand why more viewers weren't vomitting at these nauseatingly puerile teen wannabes. Dunst's character was far from the classic hero's love-interest. She was closer to the town bicycle, stumbling from one partner to another at a pace that would make the 'Sex and the City' girls cringe. The action, what there was of it, was entertainly and slickly rendered (for the most part) but was really all too predictable and the obvious sequel ending avaricious in the extreme. All in all I struggle to understand how this film can be running at the vote that it currently is - except that it is a sad indictment on the movie-makers and watchers! My vote - a kind 7/10.