By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Alfred Molina | Donna Murphy | Dylan Baker | J.K. Simmons | James Franco | Kirsten Dunst | Rosemary Harris | Tobey Maguire
Country: united_states
Year: 2004
Running time: 127
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316654/combined
Bruce says: “Tobey Maguire is so likable it is difficult for me to be objective about his films. Ordinarily I would not rate derivative comic book action films very high on my list. But I find the Spider-Man films enjoyable to watch because they are infused with integrity and hopefulness, a classic triumph of good over evil. With so many grim films in the action and crime genres it feels good having something to cheer for as opposed to weighing the lesser of two evils. It’s strictly Maguire who gives Spider-Man his charisma.
“SPIDER-MAN 2 is a rare example of a sequel better than its predecessor, not that SPIDER-MAN was a bad film. The evil doer in SPIDER-MAN 2 is Alfred Molina who plays Dr. Otto Octavius, a professor and friend of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), aka Dr. Octopus when his invention to harness energy goes awry and the metal tentacles strapped to his back send destructive messages to his brain. ‘Dr. Ock,’ therefore, is not a case of inherent evil, which makes him more sympathetic and adds complexity to the story.
“This action film is filled with subplots. The strange turn taken by Dr. Octavius is not Peter Parker’s only problem. He is very much in love with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and cannot tell her why he is not more demonstrative with his affections and more attentive to her needs. Peter’s best friend (James Franco) is annoyed with Peter as well. He finds Peter increasingly unreliable and erratic. Peter’s Aunt May is also having problems mourning the death of her husband. Peter feels personally responsible.
“Some of these problems are resolved. One might say that by the film’s end the cat is out of the bag (or more appropriately, the arachnid is out of the closet). But much is left for later…SPIDER-MAN 3 has already been announced. How long Tobey can keep him going is anyone’s guess.
“Overall the acting is strong and the characters are more than two dimensional cartoons, a tribute to the writing as well. The continuity between the Spider-Mans is maintained largely due to Sam Raimi sticking with his series rather than passing the sequel off to a lesser talent. To be fair, the film drags a bit in the middle which has a lot to do with the pacing being off. Once it is back on track, it is pure fun. 4 cats”