Spiderman2

Spider-Man 2

Dir. Sam Rami

Here’s the thing: I love the 2002 Spider-Man. I love it for a whole bunches of reasons. I love that they have a fairly goofy guy playing the hero, and making him come off as sexy while keeping the goofy. I love that there’s a lot of cheesy lines in the dialogue (which is true to the comic.) I love that it was a huge blockbuster with lots of special effects. I love how men and women both love the movie, up to and including the upside down kissing scene. How many times have you heard a guy admit to liking stuff like that? Admittedly, the men and woman were pleased with completely different things. (On one side you have “That’s a really hot kiss” and on the other “Look! Nipples! She must be really cold.”)    The point is I loved the first one. So now’s the time for part two, and how often does Hollywood do a sequel right? Just this side of never. But it’s summer time, the most legitimate time of the year for sequels, and here we have one of a movie that I hold close to my heart. I went into the theater with excitement, tainted with more than a little fear that they were going to Screw. This. Up.
        My disbelief was shattered, the heavens opened, and the sequel is completely awesome.
        I think it’s actually better than the first one.
        And I love the first one.

        Spider-Man 2 is about how crappy the life of a superhero is. Peter Parker is constantly being berated in his personal life for being undependable, late and lazy. It’s because as Spidey he is always on call, and always finding ways to help. The first problem is he can’t tell anyone why he’s always behind schedule. The second is that saving lives doesn’t come with a paycheck, and he lives in one of the most expensive cities in the world. He’s broke, can’t pay the rent, can’t help his aunt make her house payment, and everyone is yelling at him all the time. The story is showing his life as crappy, awful, and terrible. There is no nice part of his life, even his friends are distancing themselves from him -- Harry is constantly harping on Peter’s “friendship” with the man who killed his father, MJ is dating other men. As an extra-added bonus, his powers are becoming unreliable, just in time for the introduction of a new supervillian.

        So in the midst of this darkness, how did the writers and director manage to make this a funny movie? While it’s in no danger of being labeled a comedy, it’s got a ton of humor in it. The juxtaposition of the laughter and the stress is delightful. More than just that, the characters are wonderful. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are more charismatic than ever in their roles as Peter Parker (and Spidey) and Mary Jane. I never would have thought of Alfred Molina to play Doc Ock in a hundred years, but his performance was incredible. James Franco is fabulous as Harry, the man obsessing over his father’s death. The award for having the most fun with a character, though, is going to J.K. Simmons as Jonah Jameson, who chewed scenery like he hadn’t been fed for a year.

        In the end, this movie could tell more story, since it didn’t have to take the time to set up the characters, and the writers took advantage of that. They made it more complex, and in some ways more subtle. It’s still a summer action sequel, though, so subtlety may be in the mind of this beholder. It was just so completely cool; You simply must give it a try.

I rate it: Full Price

Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson
James Franco as Harry Osborn
Alfred Molna as Doctor Otto Octavius / Doc Ock

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