 Peter
Parker [Maguire] faces performance anxiety, M.J. is fed up, and there
seems to be no solution in sight. At least until Peter is introduced to
his own identity crisis as he abandons his hero stature in order to get
it on with M.J. [Dunst]. All while crime continues to rise with a mad,
eight limbed, scientist on the loose.
Spider-Man
2, directed by the returning Sam Raimi, has a lot to live up to as
it follows a wonderful original film along with tons of hype. And, as
all have hoped, the film does for the Spider-Man series what
X2: X-Men United did for the X-Men series, raises the
bar so much further for comic-based films and action films in general.
Spider-Man 2- The Story
We
are re-introduced to Peter Parker as he continues to fight crime in New
York City. However, Peter's largest problem in Spider-Man 2 is
not the villains but himself, or his identity. Peter Parker continuously
faces performance issues such as web-slinging and wall-climbing; issues
that get him needlessly hurt. Confronting this problem, Peter goes to
his physician to figure out what is wrong. He soon discovers that the
solution lies within himself as he must choose who he is, Spider-Man or
Peter Parker.
Even
though this idea seemed to reflect a lot of the central Batman
issues [Bruce Wayne is Batman and must act to be Bruce Wayne, another
case of a super hero identity crisis], Raimi gets the situation to come
through even better in Peter's case as he is a young man faced with a
betrayed best friend, a fed up love, poverty, and a depressed Aunt May.
The idea of identity adds tons of dimension to this film as Peter must
discover who he truly is and face the consequences of his decisions.
Spider-Man 3- The Film
Spider-Man
2 seemed to have a strange off pace beginning as it attempted to
re-introduce the idea of its hero to the audience. This pace finally shrugs
off after about fifteen minutes into the film. After this time the movie
takes off and never seems to look back. Not only is it a great film in
general, but it also offers some of the best moments of action, emotion,
and comedy, enabling it to be remembered as a truly rare Summer film.
Just
by watching the film it is apparent that Sam Raimi attempted to have more
fun while also appeasing all fans, and I do mean all. A person of any
sex or age should be able to see this film and enjoy it. Raimi gives each
element [comedy, action, romance] of the film its own time to stand out
and make itself known. You will see more tears in this film [a well executed
attempt to show the heart involved in the Spidie story] along with much
more brutal action.
In
the case of Spider-Man 2, the 'G' in CGI should stand for graphic.
For being a PG-13 rated film, Spider-Man 2 offers computer-generated
scenes that are extremely graphic [except for the lack of actual blood]
and dark. The action sequences also move much quicker with faster moves
and attacks. Raimi repeatedly uses the power of CGI to power a larger
portion of this movie than the original Spider-Man.
As
noted in the previously released trailers, the entire cast is back including
Dafoe. All of the cast continue to do a wonderful job as they excel their
performances from the original. On that note, I found two characters to
stand out above all; Doc Octavius played by Alfred Molina and Harry Osborn
played by James Franco. Molina does a wonderful job playing the charismatic
scientist gone mad as he attempts to do whatever it takes to finish his
experiment for the 'betterment' of mankind. Franco, who I believed to
be only a side character in the original film, now offers some of the
deepest moments of the film. Blinded by the success of Oscorp, Osborn
[Franco] begins the film as a young high-roller with not a care in the
world [except, of course, a never ending desire for revenge on Spider-Man]
as he works in the higher levels of his late father's company. However,
when business turns to the gutter we are introduced to a new Harry Osborn
who releases all of his problems onto Peter including the loss of M.J.
and the death of his father. The rivalry between these best friends was
a great addition to Spider-Man 2 and a perfect seg-way for Spider-Man
3.
Multi-Dimensional
I
love it when action/comic book movies are able to give viewers a comic
style script while also proving that comics can be just as deep as any
other story. I thought this was very apparent in Spider-Man as
Peter must face his 'responsibility' that came with his newfound powers.
In Spider-Man 2, Peter faces a continuous barrage of real life matters
including family, friends, love, money, and life. All of which are affected
by him being Spider-Man. Many of the viewers will be able to relate to
Peter as he is not a true Super-Hero but rather a Hero that must deal
with the same problems that we all encounter in every-day life.
Final
Judgement: Sam Raimi shows that even the best of films can have
even better sequels. You will enjoy this film for its energy and heart
with a cast and script that enables it to pull any person along for the
ride. A
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