Rating:   out of five
The Cast
Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire
Otto Octavius/Dr.Octopus: Alfred Molina
Mary Jane Watson: Kirsten Dunst
Harry Osborn: James Franco
May Parker: Rosemary Harris
J. Jonah Jameson: J.K. Simmons
Sony Pictures Classics presents a film directed by Sam Raimi. Produced by Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin. Written by Alvin Sargent - from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar (the two writers/executive producers of Smallville...how cool is that?) and Michael Chabon, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Running time: 125 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for stylized action violence and language).
Written By: Kelvin Hui
“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can, spins a web any size catches thieves just like flies, look out! Here comes the Spider-Man!” The webslinger is finally back for his second outing in a motion picture after two long years and boy does he ever make the best of it! I have been waiting for this film since the minute the original finished, which is one of my all-time favourites coming in second right behind The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was the most highly anticipated movie for me; I couldn't sleep at night or even in class because I was waiting for it (now that's what I call obsession). The final gritty battle between Spidey and the Green Goblin in addition to the heartbreaking scene between Peter and Mary Jane will live with me forever. It was simply one of the best cinematic experiences that I have ever had; being able to watch my hero on the silver screen for the first time was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. Being able to see it with members of my family including my mother, sister Kimberly, cousins Joshua and Katrina, and my best friend Benjamin, made it all the more wonderful of a day. I have loved everything that the he has been apart of including the 1960’s cartoon, 1990’s animated show, and now the film series. I first watched the new chapter with my sister and Benjamin once again but I just finished viewing it for a second time with my mother because she wanted to see it. I have only watched one other movie twice in the theatre (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King…sigh, the superhero loses to the hobbits again) so you can only imagine the good things that I have to say about it!
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) faces new challenges and struggles with "the gift and the curse," desperately trying to balance his dual identities as the web-slinging superhero and a college student trying to hold down a job. Tormented by his secrets, he finds that his relationships with the individuals that he holds most dear are in danger of unraveling. His life-long yearning for M.J (Kirsten Dunst) becomes even stronger as he fights the impulse to reveal his secret and declare his love. His friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is strained by the young man’s bitterness over his father's death and growing vendetta against Spider-Man. Even Peter's beloved Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), who has fallen on hard times after the death of Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), begins to have doubts about her nephew. His life is about to become even more complicated as he encounters a new villain, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who is turned into a monster when a science experiment goes horribly awry. Our hero must use all the powers at his disposal to stop this diabolical madman in his octagonal tracks but will he be able to?
It was quite the coincidence that the day after I watched Spider-Man 2, I went to New York City for a little trip with my family and it reminded me so much of the superhero which was nice since I truly believe that he is now my favourite. This new installment is the mother of all sequels and of course I had high expectations but I now know that there was no need to worry because it surpasses them all. There are so many positive things about the film including the story, memorable music, a great sense of humour, incredibly intense action sequences, more advanced special effects, excellent cast of actors/actresses, and director whom once again does a fantastic job. When it comes to how they chose to tell the story, let me simply state that I have never seen a follow-up (or prequel for that matter) that ties in so much with the original. Many of the scenes in this new motion picture are very similar to several that played out in Spider-Man. Most movies simply reference the previous chapter in a series but that is not the case here. It consistently goes back to the first one to bring out the motives of the characters. From the opening frames of very neat artwork, which are both a reminder to the audience of what has transpired and homage to the comic books, it truly makes the entire franchise the continuing story of Peter Parker. I like the fact that they are trying to tell one large story that connects so much between the episodes instead of disregarding what has happened already. This also means that most of the cast who appeared in the first installment has a larger role than his or her first efforts such as J. Jonah Jameson. None of the main characters including Aunt May, Harry, and Mary Jane has any reduced screen time either, which is a nice difference from most successors.
(Aww...that is so sweet! Peter and Mary Jane have a heart to heart conversation...tell her that you're Spider-Man you fool!)
Once again, there was a solid musical score, which was assisted by a couple of well-chosen songs that were placed perfectly in the scene. For example, “Hold On” by Jet is a very nice tune so using it during the scene where Peter is preparing for and then on his way to the play was smart since it helped make everything flow smoothly. Also, the effective use of “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” during his first days of not being his alter ego anymore was hilarious, cute, and well done. Speaking of humour, this film has a great one even though it is more dramatic, serious, and emotional than the previous chapter. It has many funny moments including any time when J.K Simmons is on the screen especially near the end where he salutes the superhero’s costume, which is pasted to the wall. It has many inside jokes as well including ones about Dr. Strange (A Marvel Comics character) and even the star himself, Tobey Maguire. It happens when Peter screams “I’m Back! I’m Back!” when he jumps off a building preparing to be Spider-Man again, but while in the air he comes up short and takes a 60-odd-story plunge. He wrenches his back in the fall and it was so funny to watch him get up exclaiming “My Back! My Back!” since it’s been well publicized that the actor had seriously injured it. Yet he can still make a joke about it and laugh a little bit at himself, which I think is great because people can appreciate that.
I expected this sequel to be better in the usual areas such as action sequences since they had twice the amount of money (more than $200 million) to work with than they had with the original. All I can say is that some of these parts are absolutely mind-blowing, they are simply so thrilling that I was in awe of the great moments that are given to the audience. I couldn’t even bring myself to fully watch the scene when the tentacles murder a room full of surgeons when they try to saw them off the scientist’s body. It is one of the most intense and terrifying scenes that I have ever seen in a movie that’s not even in the genre of horror. Also, seeing Spidey and Doc Ock fall off a building together and continue to fight with no sound heard except the impact of their punches, groans, and the air sliding past their bodies was simply awesome. The entire train sequence was also incredible but there are two specific instances that come to my mind. The first is when the wall-crawler falls off the locomotive and onto the street where he has to use his webbing to avoid traffic before pulling himself into the air. Secondly, when our hero tries to stop the train from going off the railroad tracks by shooting his webs at the surrounding buildings and holding on to them for dear life was breathtaking. I thought that my brain was going to explode from this scene! All of the battles between the protagonist and villain are larger, frenzied, and most importantly very entertaining.
One of the other things that I’m sure people expect to be better is the special effects and this is true once again. I thought that the computer-generated imagery in the first one was already so stunning to look at but they’ve improved on it now that they have more advanced technology. For Spider-Man, you can notice that they have cleaner CGI this time as he swings from one skyscraper to another. He has more weight and dimension to his movements as well, which makes him more realistic. The triumph in the film though is the work on Doctor Octopus’ four robotic tentacles, which move with an uncanny life, reacting and responding as if they were truly alive, thinking for themselves. Most of the cast returns including all of the main players, which means that this installment also has all of the actors/actresses that made the original great. I am so happy that Tobey Maguire was cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man because he is more than perfect for the role. I truly do not believe that any other actor could capture the spirit of the story like he does which really is about a boy becoming a man who continues to learn and struggle with how to deal with the responsibilities that are he has. With his soulful blue eyes, he plays the character in such a way that the audience can truly sympathize and feel for him. Not only does he look exactly like the character but he once again built himself up to fit into the Spidey-suit which looks very good on him. The funny thing is that Maguire still looks very small underneath his clothes even though he’s so muscular…which is exactly like me…why are you laughing?!
(I only have one thing to say to Tobey Maguire...you are my hero...just look at those muscles people!)
Another character that was cast more than perfectly was J. Jonah Jameson who is played by J.K. Simmons, he is very humorously over the top with his voice and actions but he gets the part exactly right. Once again they made a surprising choice with British actor Alfred Molina but he is good as the stern, slightly egotistical scientist Otto Octavius (what a great name) but he truly shines as the antagonist. I must mention that thus far, the franchise has produced some seriously evil villains and Doc Ock is one of the most frightening that I have ever seen in my life. I don’t remember being afraid of him when I was watching the cartoons! They went with a different move having only one villain instead of two or even three which is smart because then they could focus on his character more. Kirsten Dunst is back as M.J playing her role very well as both a glamorous actress/model and a plain Jane! Do you get it!? Plain Jane?! Her name is Mary Jane?! Oh boy…come on people you have to acknowledge that’s a humourous coincidence! To be serious though, she is a good actress and she has that girl next-door quality which is important for her character because even if she’s successful, she will always be down to earth. Once again Rosemary Harris provides a good performance as the innocent Aunt May, being wise and inspirational to her nephew. Finally, James Franco has a different role to portray this time as he is growing more obsessed with Spider-Man but he handles the transition well by being more serious and tormented.
It was nice to see that both Peter and his alter ego have other possible love interests in Miss Betty Brant (Elizabeth Banks, who worked with Maguire on Seabiscuit as well) and Ursula Ditkovich (Mageina Tovah). Other nice touches include a fellow Columbia University student smiling at Peter and girls wanting to be taken away by our hero, which were both cute. In the end though, Mary Jane is still the only woman for him. I love the continuation of their relationship, it is all very sweet, romantic, and heartbreaking that it’s so filled with angst because of his secrets. Also, it was very neat that we received some cameos from Stan Lee, Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), Uncle Ben, and Dr. Curt Connors (Dylan Baker) who was mentioned in the first film. There were so many rumours that Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat, Eddie Brock who is also known as Venom, and Kletus “Carnage” Kasady would all make cameos in this movie to set up for larger roles in the third chapter. It’s a shame that none of them did because it would have been cool to see although it was probably better this way in the end since it would have been too much.
Director Sam Raimi once again does a great job by giving us a more psychologically complex and satisfying story of a deeper exploration of Peter Parker as a human being, which truly is the main point of the tale. He also sets up possibilities in the second film very nicely not only leaving it wide open for continuation but actually giving us hints as to what may come. I believe that the reason why the Spider-Man franchise has been so successful thus far is because both films have been able to have such a perfect blend of all of the genres that make them great. One second you’re immersed in serious drama, laughing at the next scene, then holding on to your seats as Spider-Man battles the evil Dr. Octopus on a moving subway. I love the fact that there are large action sequences and there are also such quiet moments between Peter and Aunt May where they have a heart to heart conversation. It’s a seamless transition that speaks volumes about how much was invested to make this film work, everyone involved brought their best to the picture and it shows onscreen.
(Spidey vs. Doc Ock: One of the very best action/fight sequences that has ever been put onto film in cinema history.)
Spider-Man 2 is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most highly anticipated films of all time and it is the movie event of the summer! It is exactly what a superhero film should be; it even surpasses its predecessor in some ways such as action sequences and special effects. In my mind though, it could never be better as an overall movie simply because the first one is so good. The fact is that it’s the second part hence there is no surprise that it will do very well at the box office and there’s less anticipation because we’ve seen Spidey in the theatre once before. Whereas the original surprised everyone with how great it was and successful it became, I truly did not believe that it was going to become such a marvel around the world. Sequels truly do not get any better than this though and the story feels so right that not only fans will surely love it but the general audience as well. The franchise gives films in general a good name and it is the best motion picture of the year thus far! I must say that I have been so happy that the Spider-Man movies are coming out now, I love watching them while I’m still young because my imagination can run along with it more easily. I am also very happy with the movie scene recently. In the past five years there has been the Star Wars prequels, Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Harry Potter franchise! I really do not believe that it gets any better than all of these films having release dates that are quite close to one another. Two of the best cinematic experiences, Spider-Man and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, that I have ever had has happened in the past three years!
I am also definitely looking forward to Spider-Man 3, which has a tentative release date of May 4th, 2007 which is precisely five years after the original opened. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Sam Raimi are all on board for the next one which ensures that it has what it needs to be amazing. Rumours have already begun that Felicia Hardy will be in it, apparently along with the Green Goblin and Lizard although I personally would like to see Venom/Carnage. It’ll be interesting to see which villains and other characters appear although I’m positive that whomever they choose, everyone will do a fantastic job. If this future movie is as good or even better than the two that have been already made then that would be a very fitting end to the motion picture series. Yes, I do hope that there will only be three because then it would be such a great trilogy, it could be said in the same sentence as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (original/prequel). Whatever happens though, I will always love Spider-Man because he is more than just a character to me. Peter Parker truly is a role model that people can look up to and learn something valuable from which means so much more to me than anything else that can ever be said of the hero. This is the reason why he has been so popular for the past forty-five years, ever since he made his debut in the comic books. With the immense recognition of the films, I am thankful that he will continue to be a part of my life for many years to come!
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