Movie Review: Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2

I never read the comic books, and I rarely watched the cartoon, but I loved the first Spider-Man movie. In fact, I loved the first movie enough that I was worried about a sequel that I was sure couldn't possibly live up to the standard set by the original. I have rarely been more pleased to be so wrong.

Spider-Man 2 picks up two years after the end of Spider-Man (although there are some initial flashbacks - don't miss the opening credits! - that provide a helpful reminder as to just where we are in the storyline). Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is trying to do it all and, because his attention is so divided, is failing at much of it. His minimum wage job suffers because he places crime-fighting ahead of work; his schooling suffers because he's both sidetracked and exhausted from his job and his "extracurricular" activities as Spider-Man. Perhaps most painful of all is the fact that Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), the woman he loves to distraction, has moved on to other men after Peter tells her they can't be together (though, of course, he doesn't tell her he's only trying to protect her from Spider-Man's enemies).

Eventually, the stress and frustration is just too much for Peter to handle, and he decides that he no longer wants the responsibilities he never asked for in the first place. "I'm Spider-Man no more," he says, and throws his costume in the trash. With more time to concentrate on other things, Peter once again tries to woo Mary Jane even as he works to catch up in school. A major project for him involves a paper on the famous physicist, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Because his best friend is the wealthy Harry Osborn (James Franco) who is funding Octavius' current project, Peter gets an introduction to the scientist. The two hit it off, and it looks like Peter not only has the makings of an excellent school paper but a terrific new mentor as well. But then an experiment goes terribly wrong, and Dr. Octavius becomes a monster the tabloids call "Doc Ock." Only Spider-Man can save the city from Doc Ock's dangerous mission, but Spider-Man is also facing great danger and betrayal from an unexpected direction.

Spider-Man 2 is helmed by the same man who directed the first feature, Sam Raimi. His considerable expertise helped to make the first film as good as it was; his experience on the first film undoubtedly contributed to the quality of this follow-up. The actors once again take on their roles as if they were custom made just for them. You can feel Maguire's stoic suffering; you want to reach out to his anguished Aunt May (Rosemary Harris). Osborn's thirst for revenge for the death of his father is palpable (though Franco is probably the weakest performer in the cast, he's more than adequate in the role) even as Doc Ock's conflicting nature is apparent solely through the expression Molina brings to the role. J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jamison, editor of the newspaper for which Peter freelances) is terrific, though you'll want to smack him for being such an oaf.

The script is quite good - it's funny, sentimental, sad, and tense by turns. The sets and costuming are excellent. And this time around, the special effects are quite literally flawless. It's a testament to the actors that they're not overwhelmed by such amazing effects, but instead the technical and the human elements of this movie seem to complement each other perfectly, while each is made even better because of the high quality of the other.

I rarely see a movie more than once in the theatre. If I like it that much, I'll buy it later on DVD. I'll tell you now, though, that I fully intend to sit through another theatrical session with Spider-Man 2. It is, in every sense of the word, one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

POLITICAL NOTES: Obviously, the heroics of Spider-Man 2 provide moral and ethical lessons. But the overweening political implication in the movie is found in the person of the tabloid editor, J. Jonah Jamison. With the stroke of a pen and the vivid wording of a headline, he dramatically alters public perception. The truth is immaterial; instead, it's Jamison's take on which part of the truth, however fractured, will create the greatest sensation. Sadly, his antics are more redolent of today's mainstream media than of the so-called supermarket tabloids, and it's a real shame that this is so.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Spider-Man 2 is rated PG-13 for "stylized action violence." The storyline is also just a little complex for the littlest ones. On the other hand, any child old enough to understand the difference between a story and reality (meaning Michael Moore will need to sit this one out) shouldn't have a problem seeing and enjoying this movie. I was desperately worried when a family with four young children chose to sit very near me when I saw the film; as it turns out, my concerns were baseless. Even the three year-old was utterly engrossed. For the record, so was I.