Sadly Over-hyped

I wanted to but couldn't!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Between the ages of 9 and 11, the Spice Girls were my favourite pop group, which was a legitimate enough reason to see this film. It was the first film I ever saw at the then-new Virgin Cinema (now a Cineworld) in Spytty Park, Newport, South Wales and I have loved it ever since. Within the following year when the video was released, I was in my now-defunct local Woolworth's with my mother and sister and when my mother asked if I wanted her to buy this movie on video, it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I have watched it several times when I was younger but not in recent years because the video is in my bed drawer with the bed drawer side to the wall (like my 'Charlie's Angels' movie DVD) so I decided to rent the DVD after not having seen the film for as long as I could remember. It's as excellent today as it's always been and upon watching this today, I spotted a few things that I hadn't noticed in previous viewings such as Mel B styling Bob Geldof's hair at a party, Jonathan Ross interviewing the girls early in the film and Barry Humphries playing the hot-headed newspaper editor Kevin McMaxford.While this film has lines that are silly and make no sense (such as Clifford's hair-in-plug holes announcement) and a cheap-looking scene of the Spice Bus jumping over the Tower Bridge as the girls rush to their concert, the dialogue is memorable and funny in parts, the cinematography is suitably varied, the editing is straightforward yet effective, the pacing is swift and the acting is just right with the Spice Girls truly allowing their personalities to shine, particularly Emma and Victoria (who smiles a bit more here than people may think). Despite some of the songs having different instrumentations than one would normally hear, the music is a essential asset to this romp and it was a good idea for the Spice Girls to use their second album Spiceworld as the main soundtrack and there were even some delights from their debut album Spice. The incidental music may be rarely used but it included a groovy piece when we first see the girls' pregnant friend Nicola and creepy, tense music when the bald photographer steps out of the toilet for example. Although the Spice Girls are the main stars here, there was fantastic support from Meat Loaf (who references one of his songs before the girls encounter some aliens) as Dennis the Spice Bus driver, Richard E Grant as Clifford, Naoko Mori as Nicola and Claire Rushbrook as Deborah plus more celebrity cameos from the likes of Elton John as himself, Michael Barrymore as Mr Step and Stephen Fry as the judge.Overall, this is an excellent musical comedy that didn't deserve the Razzie it received. 10/10.

I'm not even sure if you can call SPICE WORLD a movie, per se. That's because instead of having actors and a plot, the film plays like a giant advertisement for this prefabricated "super group". In other words, the cynical folks who brought us this "film" were basically trying to squeeze every last drop from the franchise and sell more records. Fortunately for the world, the group was already on their way out and the film made much more of a fizzle than a sizzle at the box office (thank God).As with other vanity products, the actors really cannot act and have the charisma of cheese. While I know this may sound like sacrilege to some, this is a lot like Paul McCartney's vanity opus, GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADSTREET. Like this other film, lots of glitzy locales, special guest stars and noise were all used to try to hide the fact that the singers were not all that talented as actresses. Had all the glitz been removed, you would have been left with...well...nothing. So, instead there are a billion costume changes, crazy sets and pointless cameos--all to hide the utter vapid nature of the film. Overall, a total waste of time for anyone but a Spice Girl zombie-fan. I saw it because I am a masochist--otherwise, don't bother.

Never mind that there is no story to speak of that the script seems to have been written as the players were collated, and let's forget all about music films like "Imagine"; this is the late 90s, and The Spice Girls were probably the biggest band on the planet. In this film, they rally to keep the band together, play gigs, keep an intrusive film-crew away and their manager — played by Richard E. Grant — calm. By the way, you have to laugh at people like Bob Hoskins, Elvis Costello, Jools Holland and Stephen Fry turning up to have a go. The film is a collection of ideas, all tossed together to make money off the Spice-phenomenon, all the while turning out great pop music to the girl power-beat. Actually, it worked wonders in comparison with the pap of today, as far as groups like the atrocious Pussycat Dolls are concerned, who carry no discernible message other than flaunt your body to have your way, and don't think. Go spice!

A trippy psychedelic color-collage during the opening credits is one of the few highlights in this slow-as-molasses story about a group of pretty young girls making the singing circuit.It's quite obvious early on that the real star of the five-some is Emma Bunton (she's the cute blonde), though brunette Victoria Adams is a close second just because she's so hot.So off the Spice Girls go across England on that dumb bus and flights from Milan to London on an Alaskan Airlines jet. If that doesn't sound confusing enough, try Roger Moore's corpse-like presence holding a piglet which is more interesting than he is or the girls making their concert fans wait so they can deliver an Asian chick's baby. Choppy direction doesn't help; this movie would be better with less talk and more colorful pillow fights.Typically convoluted approach to contemporary pop-culture subject matter.