SpiderMan 2 Review

by Andy Keast (arthistoryguy AT aol DOT com)
July 7th, 2004

Spider-Man 2 (2004): ***1/2 out of ****

Directed by Sam Raimi. Screenplay by Alvin Sargent, based on the comic book by
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco,
Rosemary Harris, Alfred Molina and J.K Simmons.

by Andy Keast

In 2004, Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2" and Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy" together
mark a perfection of comic-book style in the movies. In my review for "Hellboy," I wrote that "…it's story arc is perfect for a comic book universe, and ridiculous for this one." The same applies here. Both movies have heroes one can more or less relate to, because of their conflicted natures
and powers which, in a strange way, humanize them.

The opening credits cover the events of the first film, in a handsome montage done by artist Alex Ross, and part two finds Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) at Columbia University, where he is failing physics. Still the likeable dork, his
love for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) remains unrequited, and has been fired from his pizza delivery job (though the movie reveals him to be surprisingly efficient in a time crunch). Maguire plays Peter not as an invincible ball of confidence (though there are scenes that suggest otherwise) but an insecure kid with a variety of personal problems. He's given a chance to salvage his physics grade by interviewing Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina),
who is immersed in a bizarre experiment involving fusion. Octavius has built a
contraption that attaches itself to his spine, with serpentine tentacles that allow his dexterous capabilities to be limited only by his imagination.
In the last five years, sequels have actually improved on their predecessors, due to the sensibilities of writers and directors brought on board. Michael Chabon, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his love letter to the golden age of comics, *The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,* is credited for co-authoring the screen story of "Spider-Man 2." The script by Alvin Sargent is tighter thematically and plotwise, and knows what it wants to do with each scene. The first film fell prey to the same fate of the first "Batman," "Blade," and "X-Men" films relative to their successors: all were enjoyable enough for what they were, but one could still see the gears turning, and could
tell that it was difficult for the filmmakers to gauge what they had. In the case of the original "Spider-Man," parts of it felt slapdash, and those sweeping special effects shots appeared elastic and contrasted badly with live action. The sequel irons out the stops to create a seamless integration of live-action, stunts and CGI. It's difficult to differentiate what's real and what's fabricated. There's a breathtaking sequence beginning in a bank and ending along the walls of a clock tower that's so well done, I applauded it.
Tone is such strange thing: J.K Simmons' animated role in the Coens' "The Ladykillers" was forced and quickly grew tiresome, though as boss of the Daily Bugle Jameson, he's right at home, his vocal style distilled directly from Hawks' "His Girl Friday." The burly Alfred Molina, one of the most good-natured personalities in the movies, here uses his gentle persona to make Dr. Octopus seem all the more menacing and dangerous (and has come full circle from doing battle with spiders in his first major movie, "Raiders of the Lost Ark").

It's almost jarring to see characters this earnest, the way they engage in conversations about death and guilt. Like "Superman" or "Dick Tracy," it's a throwback to the golden age. World War II birthed the heroes of optimism: Superman, Batman and the Green Lantern. The generation enflamed by Vietnam offered a darker, more existential view of the world with characters such as the Punisher and the Dark Knight. If you understand the gap between the two, and why the former is not platitudinal or naïve, but fantastic in a literal sense and even inspiring, you qualify for this film.

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