A film review by Craig J. Koban

SPIDER-MAN 2 jjjj

2004, PG, 125 mins.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire / Mary Jane Watson: Kirsten Dunst / Dr. Otto Octavius: Alfred Molina / Harry Osborn: James Franco / Betty Brant: Elizabeth Banks / Snooty Usher: Bruce Campbell / Aunt May: Rosemary Harris / J. Jonah Jameson: J.K. Simmons / Louise: Vanessa Ferlito

Directed by Sam Raimi /  Written by Michael Chabon, Miles Millar, Alfred Gough and Alvin Sargent / Based on the comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

 

Well, true believers, here’s a whopper for you!  SPIDER-MAN 2 is finally upon the comic geekdom and the general viewing audience and - guess what? - it's not only substantially better than its predecessor, but it’s the best and most satisfying film of the summer so far.

To quote Stan Lee: Excelsior! 

Spider-Man was always my second favorite super hero growing up (a close second behind Batman), but the one thing that made him a true standout was just how real he felt a person, despite his odd and abnormal super powers.  Sure, he may have been bit by a radioactive spider and gained arachnid powers (pretty silly stuff, if you ask me), but what creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko did with their creation was make both him and his alter ego – Peter Parker – likeable, light-hearted, funny, troubled, introspective, confused, impulsive, and filled with self-doubt about…well…everything.  In other words, they made him instantly relatable to the readers, and how could young readers not relate to a teenage superhero? 

Sure, Batman was real too and was a human that relied on brains and brawn and not super powers.  Alas, people could relate more to the real troubles of Peter Parker.  Readers not only empathized with Spider-man, they could see themselves being him because he shared some of the same problems we have.  The first Spider-man film sort of got this right, but SPIDER-MAN 2 hits a grand slam home run.   

The sequel takes place two years after the first film, where poor old Peter (Tobey Maguire) still pines over the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). He loves her to death, but feels that he can never be with her for fear of her life constantly being in danger because of his alter ego.  To make matters worse, being a super-hero is constantly interfering with his life.  A very funny opening scene has Peter trying to decide whether delivering a pizza for his boss in 10 minutes to save his job or to stop some criminals.  Let’s just say…he loses his job.  To further make matters worse, his late night crime fighting leaves him tired and late for University all of the time; he is shunned by his professors and lives in a fleabag apartment because he's broke.  Funny, Batman and Superman never, ever worried about these things. 

Meanwhile, Pete’s best friend Harry (son of Norman Osborne, aka The Green Goblin, whom was defeated and killed in the first film) still searches for a way to seek revenge on Spidey (he still is unaware of his secret identity).  He now heads Oscorp and has under his payroll the brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavious (Alfred Molina).  Octvious has an ingenious new invention regarding fusion and energy, but in a demonstration gone horribly wrong, he has a series of mechanical tentacles hardwired to his body and spine and goes insane (does a scientist ever not go insane after something like this?).  Dr. Octopus is born, and becomes a new thorn is Spider-Man’s side. 

Things even go further askew for poor Peter.  He soon discovers that Mary Jane is seeing another man (Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson’s son, no less) and that she is losing faith in his friendship.  Peter's Aunt May’s house is up for foreclosure.  Worst of all, Peter's powers are actually starting to fade.  I defy anyone to find me another super hero as close to nervous breakdown and anxiety as Spider-Man.  Not only that, but when he washes his Spider-Man outfit at a local laundry matt, he forgets to separate it from his whites!  Hell, Peter even starts to think if being Spider-Man is worth it anymore. 

It is for all of these reasons that SPIDER-MAN 2 works so famously.  It's kind of everything that the first film wanted to aspire to, but unfortunately did not altogether achieve successfully.  The first film suffered (obviously) from being heavily expository and seemed more interested in special effects, action, and the colorful heroes and villains.  In the sequel, much more thankful emphasis and attention is given to the human characters behind the masks, and largely the first hour focuses on Peter, Mary Jane, and the people around them.  Much more dramatic weight is given to the story and characters, and they are much more fleshed out this time around and given real weight. 

Tobey Maguire does an absolutely thankless job in the duel role and takes great pains to make us believe that there is actually a tortured and troubled person behind all of this comic chaos.  Kirsten Dunst is also given more to do here; she's  less the damsel in distress here and more a fully realized character that has real warmth and humility (she has a pitch perfect scene at the end of the film in Peter’s apartment).  Even Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) is also more of a character and less of a caricature that she was in the first film.  Some of her more tender scenes with Peter, reflecting on her dead husband, are the most touching scenes in the film. 

SPIDER-MAN 2 is also a huge success in the laughs department; it has a dry sense of humor humor that permeates throughout the story.  J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) once again provides some of the film’s biggest laughs  (“My wife lost my check book…time to celebrate!”) and the film just grows funnier with each of his scenes.  There are also equally funny scenes, especially a hilarious moment where Spider-Man is forced to take an elevator because his powers have failed (talk about socially awkward!) .  Another inspired moment includes a musical montage where Peter Parker parades around (after having seemingly given up being Spider-Man and trying to live a normal life) with "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" playing in the background.  One scene in particular made me laugh hard, as it poked a not-too-subtle reference at Tobey Maguire’s actual real-life back injury (that nearly prevented him from doing the film). 

The film also does not disappoint on the level of action and special effects.  A scene early in the film with Dr. Octopus in a hospital will have several EVIL DEAD fans jump up and cheer with approval.  Many of the action set pieces are equally inspired, such as a climatic fight between Dr. Octopus and Spider-Man on an elevated train (which concludes in a moment that will surprise all viewers).  The special effects are also a huge improvement this time around, as Spider-Man and company seem to have more weight and dimension and feel less like computer graphics.  It’s amazing what a great job director Sam Rami did with integrating the CGI effects so seamlessly into the live action.  I was very impressed with Dr. Octopus and the work done here.  He is so much more of a threat than The Green Goblin, and feels more real and sinister. 

SPIDER-MAN 2 is the real deal.  It’s the best sequel since THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and is so perfect in so many ways, both large and small.  It’s really a poignantly told love story with richly detailed characters that just happen to be radioactively powered super-heroes.  The first Spider-Man got what made his world tick half right, but Rami and company completely mastered his universe with this one.  They realized that the heart of this character is to invest heart into the character and screenplay, and to make him fully real - a young man filled with doubts about love, himself, and his place in the world.  They added the much-needed component of drama that made the early Stan Lee stories so enticing.  I think that the reason people loved the comics so much was not to see Spider-Man duke it out with a crazy bad guy, but rather to see all of the real-life obstacles that often impeded his ability to deal with both the bad guy and life in general.  That is why SPIDER-MAN 2 is so unique and special, and it’s a rare summer blockbuster that invests more time in the people in its universe and less in action and special effects. 

 
 

 

CrAiGeR's other

Reviews:

 

Spider-Man 3 (2007)  jj1/2

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN  (2012)  jjj1/2

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2  (2014)  jj1/2

 

And, for what it's worth, his ranking of the SPIDER-MAN films:

 

1.  SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) jjjj

2.  THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012) jjj1/2

3.  SPIDER-MAN (2002) jjj

4.  THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2  (2014)  jj1/2

5.  SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007) jj1/2

 

 
     
 

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