With great beginnings comes great sequels.
Spider-Man can do whatever a spider can. Spider-Man 2 can do
everything needed to make a great movie. The acting, directing, and
cinematography were superb. The storyline, plot, and dialogue were
excellent. The CGI, sound, and songs composed by Danny Elfman were
fantastic. All of these points made the end result downright
spectacular. Where to begin? It is almost hard to believe that a
summer movie, and a sequel at that, could be the best superhero movie
ever made, and one of the best movies I have ever seen.
The screenplay, written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael
Chabon, was adapted from an early comic in which Spidey's powers begin
to falter, and he decides to drop being Spider-Man to carry on with
his own life. The story takes place a year past the last film. Peter
is having trouble getting to class on time, keeping his job, and
paying his rent. He is spending so much time fighting crime that he
rarely has time to see his best friends anymore. Peter is struggling
to find who he is destined to be: Peter Parker, or Spider-Man. After
doubting himself as Parker, his powers begin to fail, causing his
webbing to clog, and his climbing abilities to stop working. So Peter
eventually decides to drop his crime-fighting alter ego, and have a
normal life. Soon he begins to realize that Spider-Man is needed in
the city, not only to stop crime, but to give hope to those who call
for it.
Our villain in the movie is Doctor Otto Octavius, or Doctor Octopus,
played by Alfred Molina. Octavius created a set of 4 mechanical arms,
which, according to Octavius, are so advanced that they could control
him without the proper equipment, in order to attempt to control
fusion. A special chip is needed to keep him in control instead of
the arms. During a freak accident with the fusion, his chip his
shattered without him knowing. As a result, he begins to establish an
unusual, maniacal behavior. When Octavius goes out of control, and
captures Parker's beloved Mary Jane, Peter finally decides to don the
Spider suit once again to stop Octavius and get Mary Jane back.
The performances by Alfred Molina, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James
Franco, Rosemary Harris, and J.K. Simmons were grand. Maguire
captures the exact essence, making you almost feel as if Maguire, too,
has a split life, the other being Peter Parker. What Ian McKellen did
for Gandalf's character in all three of "The Lord of the Rings"
movies can be felt for Maguire's performance. Molina, as always, did
an excellent job as Doc Ock. The story puts a new perspective on the
character which Molina carries out very soundly. Harris, who had a
bit of a smaller part this time around, had a great moment while
performing the "hero speech". Franco had a breakthrough performance
in this movie, with more confidence and more effort put into his role.
And of course, who can forget the hilarious J.K. Simmons, who played
the extremely funny J. Jonah Jameson. I was very pleased when I found
that he was given a bigger role in the movie, and he was an excellent
form of comic relief. Every scene with him in it had me rumbling with
laughter, and with the lines that he had, who wouldn't be?
The CGI in the movie was definitely improved on. Spider-Man looked a
lot more human while swinging around Manhattan than he did in the
first movie. And of course, who could forget about the wonderful
original score composed by Danny Elfman? Some of the best scenes in
the movie were only better as a result of the exciting melody
performed by an orchestra playing in the background.
But speaking of best scenes, I cannot finish this review without
giving mention, and hats off, to the Train scene. The brilliant CGI
is most apparent during this scene, while Doc Ock and Spidey duke it
out on top of a speeding, elevated train. However, this wasn't even
the best part of the scene. When Spider-Man is carried by the crowd
and laid down, with many speculating about his age, stating aloud
"He's just a kid!", it was enthralling. During this scene, it is
apparent that probably the biggest theme of the movie was Identity.
Throughout the entire movie, Peter is trying to find out what his
identity is meant to be. But in this scene, it shows that Parker and
Spider-Man are not different people. They are one person, whether
they sometimes try to lead different lives or not. And Parker needs
Spider-Man, as Spidey needs Parker. Spider-Man alone didn't defeat
Octavius. Together, they beat him.
Although, Peter is not the only one trying to find identity in the
movie. Harry is struggling between whether or not to live the life of
his father, and after finding who Spider-Man is, if it is right to
avenge his father's death. Mary Jane is attempting to go past Peter,
but realizes that she does indeed love him, and will risk any dangers
in order to be with him. Even Dr. Octavius struggles between his real
personality and the one given to him by the AI he has attached to
himself.
The movie was altogether very, VERY well done. I could
continue telling you all just how good it was, but I think you got my
point. Whether it was the great story, the terrific acting, the CGI,
or even the comic relief, Spider-Man 2 certainly deserves all the
praise it has been getting. It was, without a doubt, worth the wait,
the money, and the anxiety that it produced from me. And now I wish
dearly that I could swing around New York City, sprayed webs out of my
wrists and sticking to walls.
Grade - A
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X-RAMR-ID: 38250
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1297184
X-RT-TitleID: 1133520
X-RT-AuthorID: 10729
X-RT-RatingText: A
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