Spider-Man 2 Movie Review:


With great power comes great responsibility. Those are the words that constantly resonate in Peter Parker’s (Maguire) mind but being Spider-Man is dominating his life. He is constantly late for his job, J. Jonah Jameson (Simmons) won’t buy any other pictures from him other than ones of Spider-Man and he is falling behind in his studies. Worst of all he has no time for his best friends Harry Osborn (Franco) or Mary Jane (Dunst), which makes him wonder if it is all worth it. Meanwhile brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavius’s (Molina) latest experiment goes horribly wrong, resulting in four mechanical arms been grafted to back. The disaster turns him slightly mad and he starts to run amok in New York. Only Spider-Man can stop him but he is nowhere to be seen.

It is a very rare event in motion picture history when a sequel is better than the original. Prepare to witness such an event, as Spider-Man 2 is one of those rarities.

The first film was a great comic book movie in its own right but the sequel sets new standards for the genre. After the mammoth global success of the original, director Sam Raimi and his crew were basically given a blank cheque by the studio to create a follow-up that will blow the first one out of the water and boy have they done that very thing. The film builds skyscrapers on those solid foundations and the true essence of Stan Lee’s creation swings amazingly between them. The special effects have improved ten fold, the actors have grown into their characters and, most importantly, the film has an outstanding storyline.

While this might be a summer blockbuster filled with jaw dropping action sequences, Spider-Man 2 is very different from the throngs of event movies that have gone before it because between the edge of the seat roller coaster rides, there is character and plot development that really moves the franchise along. “With great power comes great responsibility” again are the words that echo through the movie but the sequel shows you the consequences of Peter’s gift. He might be saving people’s lives everyday and doing a lot of good for the city but his personal life is none existent. It shows that even heroes are flawed and can succumb to the same emotions as everyone else. This is the power of the Spider-Man mythos, as Peter Parker is the everyman, he is one of us and he shows what would happen to anyone if they were given this gift.

The fantastic script is brought to life by some brilliant performances. Tobey Maguire was the only real choice to play the role and he proves that fact in the sequel. He is a fine actor who brings a believability to the part that you would have gotten from many of the other pretty boy actors that were mentioned when the first film was casting. This time around the actor gets the chance to play with Peter’s inner demons. This is a character that is riddled with self-doubt, fear and guilt, making him all the more human in his frailties. He wasn’t born with these abilities, he isn’t a millionaire playboy with unlimited funds to pursue a crusade for vengeance, he is a normal College student trying to do what is right and make amends for his past mistakes and Tobey Maguire and the outstanding script capture this superbly.

Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson also gets the chance to grow in the sequel. She isn’t just the screaming piece of eye candy that the hero has to rescue all the time anyone but a character that is trying to move on with her life, even though she has the niggling feeling that Peter is distancing himself on purpose. The actress really sinks her teeth into the role and manages to create some real chemistry between Tobey Maguire and herself.

James Franco has a lot more to do as Harry Osborn this time round. The character’s obsession with Spider-Man is tipped over the edge when a business venture fails and everyone around him seems to be letting him down. Franco really gets to grips with the part as the writers have given the character a lot more depth as he struggles with his inner demons.

A superhero movie would be nothing without maniacal villain and in Doc Ock we have one of the best from the Spider-Man universe. Alfred Molina is exceptional as the tentacled madman. He really captures the essence of the character that is consumed by evil as one tiny miscalculation takes away everything he holds dear. Molina makes role truly menacing when it could have so easily been over the top and fallen into pantomime territory.

Add to this amazing support by Rosemary Harris as Aunt May and a scene stealing J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson and you have an ensemble cast that excels throughout.

Spider-Man 2 is one of the best sequels ever made. While it does have a few, tiny flaws, not enough Doc Ock and far too many people discover Peter’s secret, this is how a big budget movie should made, by people who have a passion for the material. This is a continuation of a story that allows the burgeoning franchise to grow and even sets up a few plotlines for the future instalments when Spider-Man next swings onto the silver screen.

With great power comes great responsibility. Sam Raimi and his cast and crew have taken this to heart and everyone else in the business should follow their example.

Star Rating = * * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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It is rare in the current age of film that a sequel to popcorn blockbuster lives up to the potential of its predecessor. Spider-Man 2 is one of those rare blockbusters that is more tuned and deeper than the original.

For comic book fans, this is one of the best of its genre, joining the ranks of the original Superman film, The Crow, and Tim Burton’s Batman. Director Sam Raimi once again brings his unique flare to the production and creates a new standard of flashy precise choices for the genre.

The film begins with a great opening title sequence that chronicles the first film through the artwork by comic book artist Alex Ross. After making sure the audience is up to date, Raimi eavesdrops back to Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), who is now struggling to balance his life as the super-hero webslinger Spider-Man and as a college student. After turning down her love for a life as Spider-Man, Peter is still competing for the heart of Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), who is now a model and actress. His relationship with his best friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco), is also in turmoil since Harry is still vowing for revenge against Spider-Man for the death of his father. Due to his lack of time, Peter also never sees his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and is having trouble maintaining his job at The Daily Bugle with cutthroat editor J.Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons). As the complexity of his two lives begin to unravel even more, Peter must make a decision as to whether rid the world of Spider-Man or amend the relationships with the people he cares most about. On Peter’s mind more than anyone is Mary Jane, whom has just got engaged to a young astronaut (Daniel Gillies) even though she still has feelings for Peter.

To make things more complicated a new nemesis for Spider-Man arrives in Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). After an experiment goes bad, the great physicist whom has found a way to control fusion is left as a homicidal maniac. His experimental tools were huge mechanical arms that are now used for his continuos rampages and more than anything are controlling the great Dr. Ock to evil. Dr. Ock now wants to rebuild his experiment, which could destroy New York City, and the only person with a viable chance at stopping him is of course Spider-Man.

Without giving away too much, there are brilliant parallels between Dr. Ock and Spider-Man, in which both are vowing for the love lost in their lives. Dr. Ock is indeed a juicier character than the original’s Green Goblin.

The screenplay by Alvin Sargent and the wizardry of Sam Raimi combine to deliver a sharp production with a ample amount of action, spectacle, comedy, drama, and more than anything pure entertainment. Spider-Man 2 is very reminiscent of the second installment of the Superman films, in which the hero begins to question his destiny and whether or not he should lead a normal life or maintain being a superhero. What really makes this film more superior than most popcorn comic book films is that it is more complex and character driven, even though it hits on all levels of the blockbuster genre.

Sargent gives more depth to each of the characters and all of their relationships.
Even though Peter and Mary Jane are the focus of the film, the supporting characters are all very well defined. Harry Osborn is more crucial to this installment and will be even more important in the next Spider-Man film. Aunt May has more scenes and J.Jonah Jameson is still his same self, but more distinguished. The best addition is of course Dr. Ock, who is a conceited genius, but also becomes a mentor to Peter about science and love. When he becomes the villain, he still has the inner demons that make him a better character than the typical genius villain that just looses their mind and wants to kill everyone.

The humor is amusing and not pushed too far over the top and for the most part the dialogue is solid for a film of this nature, even though it does become preachy at times. There are also winks at comic book fans about the future of some of the characters and the introduction of other vital ones, such as Peter’s professor Dr. Connors (Dylan Baker), who in the comic book becomes the villain “The Lizard.”

Raimi weaves his choices in and out of the film with his speedy camera work and quirky choices. A respectable B-movie director, Raimi is now as acceptable a blockbuster filmmaker as any in the industry. He is what this genre needed to survive; he loves comic books and knows exactly what needs to be delivered in a comic book blockbuster. The drama of this film is what is so surprising, not only will you be routing for Spider-Man, but also for Peter due to Raimi’s engulfing direction. The action sequences are well staged, especially the numerous battles between Dr. Ock and Spider-Man. There are only a few nic-picky choices in the film that Raimi and Sargent could have altered or tighten. One includes a moment were a train runs of track, just to set up a another obstacle for Spider-Man as well as Spider-Man taking off his mask a little too often. With being such a secretive super-hero in the comic and the first film, it seems that too many people see him without the mask in this film, which also could be argued to his confusion of who he is. There is also a dark and violent sequence in which Dr. Ock comes to life in a hospital that may be too intense for youngsters, even though the film is PG-13; this sequence pushes its limits. Nonetheless, Raimi delivers one of the better films of this nature. It is apparent that Raimi’s fingerprints are all over this blockbuster.

Tobey Maguire is stellar once again as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and this time around he is given a whole lot more to work with. Maguire nearly did not return for this sequel due to back injuries he suffered after filming Seabiscuit. There is an amusing moment in the film, were Maguire and Raimi make fun of all the hoopla surrounding his injuries. Kirsten Dunst does what is needed of her as Mary Jane, and of course by the end of the film she gets soaked in water again. James Franco is aggressively content as the troubled Harry Osborn and J.K. Simmons humorously steals many moments once again as the editor J. Jonah Jameson. Lastly, Alfred Molina is just a mesmerizing force as the tentacle-armed villain Dr. Ock.

Spider-Man 2 is one of those rarities that lives up to the hype and is in fact more focused, content, propelling, and fun than its predecessor. Director Sam Raimi delivers a huge blockbuster that is nothing short of fantastic.

Grade: B+

06/30/04
By Joseph Tucker

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Back in 2002, director Sam Raimi pushed the envelope with what a superhero film could be when he unleashed his mega-blockbuster “Spider-Man”. After the smoke cleared and I had a chance to see the film again another successful superhero franchise comparison emerged. And after seeing “Spider-Man 2” it is quite evident that this mega-franchise does emulate another hero’s adventures on the big screen.

“Spider-Man 2” opens with a montage to the first film and eventually drops the audience back into the life of struggling 20-something Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) who is having a rough time trying to balance work and his night patrols as Spider-Man.

Desperate to not fail one of his pivotal university courses, Peter takes up his old friend Harry Osborn’s (James Franco) offer to meet brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who is on the verge of a breakthrough in harnessing the power of fusion.

Octavius is charismatic, a loyal husband to his beautiful wife Rosalie (Donna Murphy) and devoted to his craft. Parker is envious in some respects as he has dinner with the Dr. Octavius and his wife.

After Peter suffers a glitch in his “spider-powers”, he has a second encounter with Octavius as he finally witnesses Octavius and the full-power of his experiment. The experiment is controlled by 4 metallic arms which help Octavius control the many calculations.

Like all superhero films, the scientist’s experiment goes horribly wrong and Octavius watches as his whole world comes apart thus giving birth to the sinister Doctor Octopus.

With his glitchy powers, his relationship with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) all but over and the rest of his life coming apart at the seams, does Peter want to maintain his superhero identity and eventually stop the evil Doc Ock?

As I watched Sam Raimi’s continuation of his superhero epic I couldn’t help but see that Raimi seems to be throwing back to the “Superman” franchise of the early 1980s. There are so many obvious comparisons but it was never fully fleshed out until I saw star Tobey Maguire wore a pair of glasses after one his “power-glitches”.

In both the sequels to “Superman” and “Spider-Man”, the hero relinquishes his responsibility of being a superhero for the woman he loves. Both have problems getting their powers back when they decide they were foolish. Both heroes also have troubles stopping a train. Then there is the obvious homage to the “Superman” films when Parker drops his glasses on the pavement and we see one of the lens break from the frames.

Even though Raimi has framed his franchise in the same way as “Superman” he still seems to have improved on the concept.

Raimi has injected a lot of humor, zaniness in Parker’s life and a wonderful dynamic between him and the people around him. Raimi knows how to get us involved in these people’s lives. The humor is done with such delicacy that it doesn’t poke fun at the character but instead enhances our relationship with this struggling hero. It is the brilliant aspect of this sequel.

I loved how the film didn’t forget the man behind the mask as we are introduced to yet another villain. The filmmakers remember that the film is called “Spider-Man” and not “Dr. Octopus”.

The performance from Tobey Maguire was utterly brilliant especially during the forever classic train-stopping sequence. Raimi allowed Tobey to be just a young man with extraordinary abilities and with that it became pure magic.

Probably the most noticeable improvement from this film to the last was that Raimi was able to maintain his tone throughout. That alone makes “Spider-Man 2” superior to its predecessor.

The flaw in this sequel is that the middle does tend to drag some as Raimi focuses more on the relationships between the characters than the action of being a superhero. The relationships are heartwarming, deep and interesting but dwelling so much on them takes away from the flow of the film. We are here to see the hero not the drama between.

“Spider-Man 2” is a giant leap forward for the franchise and the evolution of “Spider-Man” but I have to say I still think “X2: X-Men United” is still the best modern superhero film thus far. The reason being is that it maintained the humanity, passion, action and flow that makes superheroes and their world so much fun. (4 out of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

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