"Spider Man 2"
The web-swinging super hero is back but his alter ego,
Peter Parker, is not in the best of shape, financially
or, more im****tant, emotionally. He is consumed by his
guilt for causing his beloved Uncle Ben's (Cliff
Robertson) death then covering up the fact from his
aging Aunt May (Rosemary Harris). He is unrequited in
his love for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst),
fearing, if he declared his true feelings, she would
be harmed because of him. He is also broke, can't keep
a job and is failing in school. Peter's problems take
a back seat, though, when his mentor, Dr. Otto
Octavius (Alfred Molina), loses control of a nuclear
fusion experiment and becomes the multi-tentacled Doc
Ock in "Spider Man 2."
Sam Raimi, always a favorite and a very talented film
director – he created a cult following with his "Evil
Dead" trilogy; showed a mirthful liking for westerns
with "The Quick and the Dead"; and delved into things
on the dark side with "A Simple Plan." He entered the
big league when "Spider Man" took in over $400 million
domestically in its theatrical release, paving the way
for the sequel. The first, while a technical wonder,
pandered to those uninitiated with the Spider Man
franchise of comics and cartoons. It did lay the
groundwork, introducing the characters and leavened in
lots of web-swinging F/X. Unfortunately, the bad guy,
the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), was both silly and,
with his demented artificial laughter, annoying. But,
there was enough of the essence of the source material
to keep the fans appeased with the knowledge that
Raimi would do better the next time around.
Guess what? Sam Raimi has taken note of all the
comments and criticism made about "Spider Man" and
cleaned up the act. Little time is spent on setting up
the background, beyond the obligatory rehash of Uncle
Ben's demise. That was all done in the first film and
this allows the sequel to examine new
comic-book-turned-movie ground.
Peter is in the pits. He can't hold a job, can't pay
his bills, is constantly guilt-ridden and thinks,
daily, about his love for MJ. His problems start to
have a deep psychological effect on Parker and he
begins to lose his spider powers. All of this has to
be put aside, though, when Peter's friend Harry Osborn
(remember, he is the son of Norman Osborn, AKA the
Green Goblin, who blames his father's death on Spidey
and wants revenge), introduces him to Dr. Octavius, a
genius on the verge of demonstrating his invention, a
fusion device that can produce clean, safe, unlimited
energy. When the city's dignitaries attend the gala
demonstration, things go drastically wrong and the
doctor becomes the eight-limbed mutant, Doc Ock.
The film consists of a series of battles between
Spider-Man and Doc Ock, interspersed with revelations
that help develop the Peter Parker character and move
him on to the next in the lucrative franchise. While
there are expected and hoped for kickass special FX
(and I'll get to them shortly), the strength of
"Spider Man 2" lay with the actors, especially
sup****t, who give far more dimension than a film like
this has a right to. Tobey Maguire has been criticized
as too much of a geek in the first "Spider Man." (Go
figure. Parker is a geek in the comic books, too.)
But, his aw-shucks demeanor and vulnerable looks help
build the character of Peter Parker.
Kirsten Dunst is a pretty little object of attention
for Peter but found her to be a bit too shrill in her
confusion over Peter. Hers is not an easy role and the
actress is attractive and game for the physical
aspects of being MJ. Alfred Molina, an actor I have
respected for many years since "Letter to Brezhnev"
(1985), gives just the right spin on both sides of the
good doctor. He is a warm, loving genius that adores
his wife, Rosalie (Donna Murphy), until the horrible
accident that killed her and turned him into a
monster. Molina plays it straight with little touches
of humor to give Doc Ock dimension. Rosemary Harris
was solid in the first as Aunt May but, here, gives
even greater depth to her character, making the lady
real. James Franco is saddle with his grief/revenge
obsessed Harry who drinks too much and wants to
destroy the S man. J.K. Simmons blesses his tabloid
publisher character with a well-honed, fast-talking
perf that is the personification of J. Jonah Jameson.
Sam Raimi and company have spent a lot of time and
effort in cleaning up their act, F/X wise. The obvious
CGI of the first film has been improved to make the
web-swinger's action blend in with the city life. The
rubbery look of the CGI Spidey the first time around
has been improved to (almost) realistic quality. The
set battle pieces, between the arachnid and the
mollusk, are fast, fun and furious. The opponents are
equally matched with Spidey countering Doc Ock's power
and monstrous strength with speed and agility (and you
know good triumphs over evil).
A bevy of writers – Alfred Gough, Miles Millar,
Michael Chabon and Alvin Sargent – took part in
adapting the original comic book work by legend Stan
Lee and Steve Ditko. I normally don't care for scripts
by committee but it works here. They must have shared
the work with one writing the action, and others doing
the romance, revenge and sequel setup. Whatever the
method, they have a not overly bloated screenplay (it
could be shorter) that keeps thing moving.
Techs are a good melding of traditional F/X and stunts
in a seamless manner with the computer generated
action. Bill Pope lends his expert lens to the behind
the camera team. Special effects, by the expected huge
team directed by John Frazier, are top notch and
denote the money spent. Other techs match up well,
too.
I think Sam Raimi can loosen his tie and kick off his
shoes. He done good. I give "Spider Man 2" a B+.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
robin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1292826
X-RT-TitleID: 1133520
X-RT-SourceID: 386
X-RT-AuthorID: 1488
X-RT-RatingText: B+
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