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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X-RAMR-ID: 38211
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1295413
X-RT-TitleID: 1133520
X-RT-AuthorID: 9883
X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4
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