Along came a spider, and he sits down beside her, but this spider is not after her curds and whey. This spider desires bigger and better things; this spider wants to become the most famous kidnapper in the world.

In the new Paramount Pictures film Along Came A Spider, Detective Alex Cross must prevent another criminal from wrecking havoc in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

Morgan Freeman reprises the role of Alex Cross in this prequel to Kiss The Girls. The movie costars Monica Potter and Michael Wincott. Both films are adapted from James Patterson’s novels.

The film starts by introducing us to the loveable teacher, Mr. Soneji (Wincott), and the prestigious school where he teaches. He is loved by all the students’ including the daughter of Senator Hank Rose, Megan Rose and the son of the new Russian President. A group of secret-service agents, led by Jezzie Flannigan (Potter), guard the children.

Soneji decides to act out his dream of committing a perfect crime and kidnaps Megan Rose. In the process of the kidnapping he kills a teacher, the first of many murders for Soneji.

Flannigan realizes that Rose is missing and learns that Soneji kept her after class, a clear violation of procedure. After locating the dead body of the teacher in Soneji’s office, Jezzie tries to stop the kidnapping, but is too late. The hunt for Megan Rose and Soneji starts.

After the accidental death of his partner, Alex Cross finds himself pondering the “what ifs” in peaceful retirement. Known around the world as an accomplished true-crime author, it seems that Cross no longer cares about his work. Then, one day after the kidnapping, Soneji contacts Cross. Soneji wants Cross on the case; he wants to make sure that someone writes a book about him. Putting retirement, the past and “what-ifs” on hold, Cross returns to what he does best.

What follows is a heart-pounding race against time: Cross teams up with Jezzie and to hunt down Soneji and find Rose. Soneji desires to only use Rose as bait to get a much bigger prize. Cross and Jezzie must find out just what Soneji wants and how they can stop him.

The plot takes an interesting twist (one of many), when Soneji discovers that while he was out, someone kidnapped Rose from him. Alex and Jezzie, unaware of this detail, continue trying to locate Soneji.

However, a botched ransom and a few verbal slips from Soneji make Cross realize that maybe Soneji no longer holds the kid, and that at least someone else is involved.

Cross must use his sharp mind to answer the many questions that this diabolical case throws at him. In the process, a major question arises: Can he trust everyone, or does someone know more than they let on?

The movie differs from the book in several ways. The book seems to keep you more on the edge of your chair, afraid to turn the page. The movie maintains the frenetic pace of the book, but loses much in the way of suspense.

As in Kiss the Girls, the character of Cross differs from the novels. A much older Cross with no children appears in the films. This is simply a casting prerogative. It would be unbelievable, to say the least, if in the movie Cross had two young children, as does his counterpart in the novels.

One major focus of the book is the relationship between Cross and Flanigan. The movie never touches on this, and consequently the character of Flanigan suffers.

Though not of same the breathless, page-turning quality as the book, the movie does not completely lack suspense. In a way, it addresses two different audiences on two different levels of suspense. For people who did not read the book, the film contains enough twists and turns to easily keep your interest. For the readers of the novel, screenwriter Marc Moss throws a curveball or two, detouring occasionally from the novel’s plot.

Freeman does an excellent job as Cross, the detective who uses thought more than violence to solve crimes. A big surprise in the film is the excellent acting of Wincott as the maniac who only gets more maniacal as the movies goes on. Wincott delivers the eerie character of Soneji as the movie calls for. Monica Potter fails to impress as secret-service agent Jezzie Flannigan. She should stick with more light-hearted roles.

Along Came A Spider proves to be a worthy film, even though the adaptation from the novel could have been better. The combination of fine actors like Freeman and Wincott, along with a good script makes the movie enjoyable. The never-dull storyline turns Along Came A Spider into a lively thriller that keeps audiences guessing. B