Universal Pictures (USA): 245

Jarhead (2005), the American war drama film, is based on Anthony Swofford’s 2003 memoir of the same title. Following the footsteps of his father who served in Vietnam, Anthony enlists in the United States Marine Corps and is sent to Camp Pendleton, California. Though he initially joined the military as an alternative to college, Anthony struggles to fit in at Camp Pendleton and faces difficulty making friends. Despite faking illness to avoid responsibilities, Anthony catches the eye of Staff Sergeant Sykes, who recognizes his potential and offers him a spot at his highly competitive Scout Sniper course. After ...

In the action horror film Van Helsing (2004), written and directed by Stephen Sommers, we are taken to 1887 Transylvania. There, Doctor Victor Frankenstein works with his assistant Igor and Count Dracula in creating a monster. However, when Frankenstein refuses to follow Dracula’s plans for the creature, he is killed by the vampire. Meanwhile, Igor stands by and watches without emotion. As a mob approaches the castle, the monster escapes to a windmill with Frankenstein’s body. The windmill is set on fire by the angry mob, seemingly killing the monster. One year later, Gabriel Van Helsing, a renowned monster ...

The British film, Shaun of the Dead (2004), is a romantic zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Pegg. In London’s Crouch End neighborhood, 29-year-old electronics salesman Shaun faces disrespect from his coworkers, a strained relationship with his stepfather Philip, and a recent break-up with his girlfriend Liz due to his failed attempt at planning an anniversary date. Seeking solace, Shaun turns to his go-to spot, the Winchester pub, where he drowns his sorrows with his slacker best friend Ed. Meanwhile, their roommate Pete ...

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) is an action-thriller film featuring Robert Ludlum’s popular character, Jason Bourne. While the title is derived from the second novel in the series (1986), the film’s plot is completely unique. We find Bourne and his partner Marie Kreutz living peacefully in Goa, India where he continues to struggle with memory loss. To piece together his past as a CIA assassin, Bourne records flashbacks in a notebook. Across the globe in Berlin, CIA agent Pamela Landy authorizes $3 million to be paid to a Russian source for important documents known as the Neski files, detailing the theft of $20 ...

The Rundown (2003) is a film directed by Peter Berg and written by James Vanderbilt and R.J. Stewart. Beck, a ‘retrieval expert’ who works for Billy Walker, is sent to a nightclub to collect a championship ring from a football player. During the job, he is attacked by one of Walker’s other collectors and decides that he wants to leave the business. However, Walker convinces Beck to take on one final task – retrieve his son Travis from a small mining town in Brazil and he will provide enough money for Beck ...

Intolerable Cruelty (2003), an American romantic comedy directed by the Coen brothers, follows Donovan Donaly, a TV soap opera producer who discovers his wife Bonnie with an ex-boyfriend. After filing for divorce, Bonnie hires Miles Massey, a renowned divorce attorney known for his ‘Massey pre-nup’ which guarantees airtight prenuptial agreements. As Donaly is left bankrupt from the settlement, private investigator Gus Petch captures wealthy and married Rex Rexroth in a drunken affair with a blonde. When Gus presents the video to Marylin Rexroth, a woman infamous for marrying for money, she demands a hefty ...

The fantasy adventure film, Peter Pan (2003), was co-directed and written by P. J. Hogan and Michael Goldenberg. Set in Edwardian London, the story follows Wendy Darling as she tells her younger brothers, John and Michael, tales of Captain Hook and his pirates. One night, as Wendy shares her stories with her brothers, Peter Pan overhears from outside their nursery window. However, not everyone is impressed with Wendy’s imaginative tales. Concerned about her future prospects, Aunt Millicent urges the Darlings to focus on more practical matters. Meanwhile, at school, ...

The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003) is an animated 4D film based on the Shrek franchise by DreamWorks Animation and the book by William Steig. As Shrek and Princess Fiona search for the Honeymoon Hotel, Thelonious appears and captures Fiona. Shrek and Donkey chase after them, leading them to a graveyard where they encounter Lord Farquaad’s statue of Dragon which he has sent to attack them. However, the real Dragon arrives to save them, resulting in a chase that ends with the stone dragon losing its wings and falling into the water below. In another attempt to harm Fiona, Farquaad sends her over a waterfall on a raft ...

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) is a film, filled with action and drama, written, produced, and directed by Peter Weir. It takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. In this film, Captain Jack Aubrey of HMS Surprise receives orders to intercept the French privateer Acheron. The enemy unexpectedly attacks Surprise near the coast of Brazil, causing severe damage. Despite returning fire, Acheron proves to be a formidable opponent. To escape, Aubrey orders the use of jolly boats to tow Surprise into a fog bank. Afterward, his officers suggest abandoning the chase since they are no match for Acheron. ...

The film Johnny English (2003), directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and William Davies, follows the journey of a bumbling but well-meaning MI7 agent who longs to be the agency’s top spy. When Agent One and all other MI7 agents are killed at his funeral due to his inadvertent blunders, Johnny is left as the only agent capable of completing Agent One’s mission. His latest task is to stop a scheme to steal the newly returned Crown Jewels ...

Directed by John Singleton and written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, and Gary Scott Thompson, 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) is an action-packed film. After assisting wanted criminal Dominic Toretto in Los Angeles, former LAPD officer Brian O’Conner flees to Miami. There, he earns money by participating in street races organized by his friend Tej Parker, a mechanic. During one of these races, Brian is arrested and given a proposition by his ex-boss FBI Special Agent Bilkins ...

Dragonfly (2002), a supernatural thriller film directed by Tom Shadyac based on a story by Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson, follows the story of doctors Joe and Emily Darrow. While seven months pregnant, Emily travels to Venezuela to assist natives in the Amazon area but tragically dies in a bus accident. Despite her body never being found, Joe returns to work without taking time to grieve. One night, he is startled by his wife’s dragonfly paperweight rolling across the room – a reminder of her love for ...

The Scorpion King (2002), an action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, features Dwayne Johnson in the lead role. Set before the time of the pyramids, it tells the story of a powerful conqueror named Memnon who terrorizes local tribes with his sorcerer’s foresight. Only three true Akkadians, Mathayus, Jesup, and Rama, are left to face the threat and are hired by King Pheron to kill Memnon’s sorcerer for twenty blood rubies. Sneaking into Memnon’s camp, they are ambushed by guards who were warned by Pheron’s son Takmet, a traitor who kills his ...

Jim Gillespie directed D-Tox (2002), a thriller featuring Sylvester Stallone as FBI agent Jake Malloy. While chasing down a serial killer who targets police officers, Malloy’s former partner becomes a victim. The killer then contacts Malloy from his own home and reveals that he was seeking revenge for being pursued by Malloy in the past for a string of prostitute murders. Tragically, the killer also takes the life of Mary, Malloy’s girlfriend. Despite his efforts to apprehend the killer, it appears that he has taken his own life. Three months later, Malloy ...

The psychological thriller, Red Dragon (2002), is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel. Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally, the story follows FBI agent Will Graham in 1980 as he seeks assistance from forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter in a case. After working together on a psychological profile of a killer, Graham becomes convinced that the murderer is also a cannibal. However, when Lecter realizes Graham is getting close to discovering his true identity, he stabs him. Despite this attack, ...

Directed by Doug Liman and written by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron, The Bourne Identity (2002) is an action-thriller film based on Robert Ludlum’s 1980 novel of the same name. When Italian fishermen rescue a man with two gunshot wounds in the Mediterranean Sea, they discover that he has no memory of his identity but possesses advanced combat skills and fluency in multiple languages. Upon finding a laser projector embedded under his skin, displaying a safe ...

John Madden directed Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001), a war film based on Louis de Bernières‘ 1994 novel of the same name. The Italian Army, accompanied by a few Germans, occupies Greece’s Ionian Islands and takes over the peaceful island of Cephalonia. The island’s inhabitants surrender quickly. Among the invaders is Captain Antonio Corelli of the Italian 33rd Acqui Infantry Division. He is known for his cheerful personality and love for playing the mandolin. Despite his troops never having fired a shot before, he teaches them to sing in ...

The Mummy Returns (2001) is an American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. Set in 3067 B.C., the movie tells the story of the Scorpion King, a formidable warrior who leads an army in an attempt to conquer the world. After their defeat, they are banished to the desert of Ahm Shere where the Scorpion King makes a desperate deal with Anubis – exchanging his soul for power to defeat his enemies. In return, Anubis conjures up an oasis and golden pyramid, along with an army of jackal-like warriors to help him conquer Egypt. However, once his purpose is served, Anubis claims his soul and sends the ...

Hannibal (2001), an American crime thriller directed by Ridley Scott and adapted from Thomas Harris’s novel, follows FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling. A decade after catching serial killer Jame Gumb, Starling is blamed for a failed drug raid that cost five lives. She is approached by Mason Verger, the lone survivor of cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter who has been on the run since escaping custody. Verger, a wealthy predator who was left paralyzed and disfigured by Lecter, has been plotting revenge against him and enlists Starling’s help to capture him. ...

The film Spy Game (2001), directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, follows the United States and China as they negotiate a major trade deal. As the President prepares to visit China to finalize the agreement, the CIA becomes aware of their operative, Tom Bishop’s, arrest in Suzhou. With only 24 hours until his execution, Bishop’s actions could jeopardize the deal. To avoid getting involved, a group of CIA executives turn to Nathan Muir, Bishop’s mentor and a retiring veteran agent. ...