Movie Review – Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2

Directed by Sam Raimi

Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirstin Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, Alfred Molina, and J.K. Simmons.

How do I love Spider-Man?  Let me count the ways!  I think I’ve told the tale countless times how the first words I typed into a search engine were “Spider-Man Movie.”  I was one of the first in line when the first film premiered at Silver City in West Edmonton Mall.  I even shocked the hell out of my friend by sneaking him in.  And here he thought I was this moral and pure guy.  So, thanks to me and thousands like me, a sequel was inevitable.  Wasn’t first in line this time, as I opted to wait until a good friend came back from China.  But, we were first in line on that day….

It’s been two years since we last saw Peter Parker, and he’s starting to crumble under the stress.  He can’t keep a job, his university grades are slipping, a distance is growing between him and Harry Osborn, the bank is foreclosing on Aunt May’s house, and no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t see Mary Jane Watson’s play.  And it’s all because his duties as Spider-Man keep getting in the way.  And now, his super powers are becoming unreliable!  But that’s not all.  Thanks to Harry’s help, Peter gets to be on hand when Dr. Otto Octavious tries out his latest fusion experiment.  But, there’s a lab accident, and it turns Dr. Octavious into Dr. Octopus!  Spider-Man tries, but the pressures of being both Peter Parker and Spider-Man start to become too great!  It’s not too long before Peter decides to hang it up and be Spider-Man no more.  Surely, the police can handle Dr. Octopus.  Can’t they?

This movie ROCKS!  It really is more of a character-driven film as we are presented with Peter Parker’s inner torment as he tries to resolve his dual life.  This is a film that’s really about the characters.  Although, the special effects do rock.  The battles between Spidey and Doc Ock do look less cartoony than similar effects driven films as of late.  I just thought that it was a great film, and it picked up from the last film quite nicely and…it rocks!  May 2007 is too far away.  Bring on the next film already!

4 Nibs