Spider-Man-2

Spider-Man 2

~It's tough being a superhero, but somebody's got to do it~

____

By Todd Karella
June 30, 2004

Peter Parker-Tobey Maguire

Spider-Man & Mary Jane- Kirsten Dunst

Spider-Man-Toby Maguire

After the first Spider-Man film broke box office records two years ago, it didn't take a genius to realize that the sequel would be even bigger.
Continuing where the first film left off, Director Sam

Raimi managed to bring back the original cast in order to recapture the magic of the first film.
It was reported in a Newsweek article that Tobey Maguire was only moments away from not returning as the famous web slinger.

There were communication problems between Raimi and Maguire's agent, and major concerns over his health and ability to perform the required stunts.
It wasn't until Raimi called Maguire himself ready to replace him that he was assured his leading man would return.
Picking up where the last film left off, Peter Parker (Maguire) finds

being a superhero isn't what it's cracked up to be.
   Not only does he still have to make a living, but his super powers can't help in his day-to-day life.
   The love of his life is moving on with another man, he gets fired as a pizza delivery boy, he can't pay his rent, his aunt is about to lose her home. This is one hero who just can't catch a break.
   While feeling sorry for himself, Peter Parker finds himself with even bigger problems. His heart just isn't in the crime-fighting business and it's causing him to lose his powers.
   And if that weren't enough, Spider-Man's got a new enemy, Doc Ock (Alfred Molina).
   During an experiment to invent a new type of fusion energy, Doctor Otto Octavius' experiment goes seriously wrong. Nothing

says safety more than trying to create nuclear fusion in your downtown apartment. It seems that those huge concrete walls and other safety equipment at nuclear power plants are just a suggestion and not really necessary.
   Not only does the accident bring about the death of the Doctor's wife, but it also fuses his body with four indestructible metal tentacles with minds of their own. Doctor Octopus is born.
   As Peter struggles with his identity crisis, his best friend Harry Osborne (James Franco) is still grief stricken over his father's death. A death he blames Spider-Man for.
   His hatred for the wall crawler is so great that he makes a deal with Doc Ock. Bring him Spider-Man and he will give him the elements necessary to complete his new scientific experiment.

Doc Ock-Alfred Molina

I'm taking my mask off for the whole city.

Since Peter is the only link to Spider-Man, Doc Ock kidnaps Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and threatens to kill her if the superhero does not give himself up.
That immediately brings Peter out of his mental stupor, and brings Spider-Man back to the world.

The fight scenes between Doc Ock and our hero are visually breath taking, done nearly to perfection.

While the special effects and the overall storyline are good, there are some problems with the film.
   Sam Raimi is famous for his B-Rated movies. With The Evil Dead series, and the television shows Hercules and Xena his directing has been exemplified by a large amount of cheesy production. Largely in the Spider-Man films he has avoided this.
   However, in the scene where Doc Ock's arms kill the Doctors working on him and the way every woman seems to scream at the top of their lungs at every opportunity, you can see the cheese factor starting to sneak in and does not bode well for future films.
   It also takes away from the story that Peter Parker keeps taking his mask off during the film. All of the major characters find out his secret identity and after the subway scene, everyone else in New York knows as well.
   The entire film he is worried that his enemies might know who he is and come after his loved ones, but he seems to forget about Superhero Rule 101: Don't take off your mask.
   Spider-Man 2 is slightly over two hours in length and needs to be tightened in the middle as Peter moped around feeling sorry for himself. In the theatre you could see people becoming restless and small children leaving their seats until the action resumed.
   And when it resumed, it more than made up for every slow moment in the film.