Morgan Freeman has starred in countless hit movies over the decades, but he’s also a hugely prolific actor who’s been in a fair few clunkers, too. One of his critically panned films is currently making a comeback on Netflix. 2001’s Along Came a Spider isn’t a flick that too many folks remember these days, 20 years after it came out, but it’s finding new life on streaming this week.
As per the latest stats from Flix Patrol, Along Came a Spider is the 29th most popular movie on Netflix worldwide right now. This psychological thriller is actually part of a franchise and was the second production to star Freeman as detective/forensic psychologist Alex Cross, who originated in the bestselling book series from author James Patterson. 1997’s Kiss the Girls came first, and its box office success birthed this sequel four years later.
Along Came a Spider follows Cross as he investigates the kidnapping of a senator’s daughter who was under Secret Service protection, all while dealing with his grief for the loss of his partner, who died in a botched sting operation Cross blames himself for. If that sounds like the kind of plot you’ve already seen in a ton of thrillers, that’s what the critics all said. On Rotten Tomatoes, Lee Tamahori’s film sits at just 32%, with the critics consensus blasting its “derivative” nature and abundance of “implausible situations.”
Though it earned over $105 million at the box office, the studio didn’t move forward with a third entry in the franchise. Until, that is, 2012’s Cross, a reboot which made the unlikely move of casting Tyler Perry in the lead. Unfortunately, this one was panned just like its predecessor, with Perry picking up a Razzie nomination for his performance.
Along Came a Spider isn’t available on Netflix in the US, but it can be rented on Amazon Prime Video.
