THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Sequels are well known for out performing the predecessor of the respected franchise. As The Dark Knight is looked at as the best superhero movie of the 2000s, Spider-Man 2 was right behind it.
PLOT
The story follows Peter Parker who struggles to balance his life: Being a college student, protecting New York as the superhero Spider-Man and being a photographer for the Daily Bugle, taking pictures of himself fighting crime. What makes his situation worse is that he is losing his powers and he has regret not being with Mary Jane Watson as she is now engaged to someone else, J Jonah Jameson III, son of Peter’s boss. Best friend Harry Osborn, now in charge of Oscorp Industries, is still wishing to kill Spider-Man to avenge his father Norman. Peter's idol, nuclear scientist Otto Octavius, has a public demonstration of a fusion power project but goes haywire in the end. As a result, his artificial tentacle arms take control of his conscious, and he plans to try again with the experiment, ignoring the danger it would have in the city. Peter eventually stops fighting crime and he leaves his suit in the garbage, hoping to get his life back on track. However, his powers do come back when Otto abducts MJ to lure Spider-Man. When he loses to him in a fight, Otto takes him to Harry in exchange of the use of tritium to complete his failed project. Harry does discover who Peter is when unmasking him, confused, thinking that his best friend killed his father, yet still tells him where Otto has MJ captive. He fights Octavius for the last time and his idol is convinced to do the right thing as he drowns his experiment, taking his own life to save the city. Peter is able to save MJ, who is now also aware of who he is, but still chooses not to be with her. She ditches her wedding to prove to him that she accepts who he is and is willing to take the risk being the girlfriend of a superhero. The film ends with her watching him take off to continue being the city's protector.
THOUGHTS
I was excited as any other fan when it came to this sequel, and I couldn’t be any more happy on how great this one turned out. Director Sam Raimi is able to redefine Spider-Man with this sequel and make it more epic one would expect. The returning cast improved significantly in comparison to their first outing. Tobey Maguire gives his best take on Peter Parker in this film compared to the whole trilogy, as he has regret with his own decisions and feels that he can’t do everything. That is honestly the most relatable thing about him here but it makes sense we as people think we can do everything but sometimes, we have to accept that it might not be true. Kirsten Dunst improves as well as MJ, who does succeed with her acting, but wishes deep down she was with Peter despite being engaged to someone else. Their relationship is such a great aspect in this movie as both characters have obstacles, and when they're out of the way, there is joy and relief that they finally take the risk of being together. The final frame that focuses on her speaks volumes. Once the dust settles and the emotions subside, life goes on. She is relieved to admit how she feels but right then and there, she accepts the danger she has put herself in. James Franco definitely tunes it up as Harry who is at his most conflicted at this point, spending the whole time wanting to kill Spider-Man but just can't when he discovers that it's his best friend. The scene of him discovering Norman's Goblin lair was a great build up of what would play out in Spider-Man 3. You can't go wrong with J.K. Simmons as he gives funnier scenes with J. Jonah Jameson. You're lying if you had a straight face seeing him laugh when Pete asked to be paid in advance. Last but not least, the addition of Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius aka Doctor Octopus was so great as he embodies the ideal villain who lost his way trying to do good. He is someone who mistakes his arrogance with compassion when working on the fusion reactor. He has a bigger impact that not many would think at first. His quote “Love should never be a secret. If you keep something as complicated as love stored up inside, it can make you sick” sticks a toll in the movie because it is what happens to Peter. Peter is losing his powers because he is not focused. He’s not focused in the first place because he’s never confessed his love for MJ. It’s honestly the best advice ever given to our protagonist because once he has a clear mind, his powers are back in full. While his accident made him lose himself, you have a sense of relief that Peter was able to guide him the way he did. And because of that, you feel bad that he doesn’t survive in the end. The tentacle arms are terrifying in the first viewing, especially when looking back at the hospital scene. It felt like it was pulled from a scene out of a freaking horror film. They’re even more terrifying when you remember there were practical versions of them on set. Danny Elfman provides a score that is as great as the predecessor. The visuals in this hold up the most compared to the trilogy which make the fight scenes deliver. From the bank fight to the train fight, you cannot take your eyes off what ensues between the hero and the villain. When Peter saves the train from crashing and saves everyone on board unmasked, and they all promise not to reveal his identity, it is a great scene because they respect that he was willing to sacrifice his life for them. I personally do not think this scene wouldn't work in other Spider-Man movies because as shown in other films, society evolves and it doesn't feel realistic in a generation where everyone has a phone would keep a promise like that. Knowing that, makes the movie perfectly dated. Even though this sequel is timeless, there were still stuff that bothered me after all this time. While it’s intense for Peter to race against time delivering pizza, why didn’t he deliver them all as Spider-Man from the beginning? If he’s that desperate to make ends meet, he should use what he knows from the get go, rather than waiting for the deadline to be near. It is pretty funny when only two kids notice Peter take a leap to avoid being hit by a car, but how the hell did the traffic stop after the cops passed him? This is New York we’re taking about. Spider-Man is doing the right thing pulling the plugs during the first failed reactor and I get that he didn’t expect Otto to stop him. But why didn’t he use his webs and pull them without announcing his actions? He’d be saving himself trouble from the doctor if he did things differently. I don’t think I made it clear enough that I hate continuity errors. I say that because I am cringing how the background actors stare at Peter’s silly walk. No matter where you’d live, this would not happen, no one’s gonna stare at you walking normally. I know Peter can’t stop the muggers from attacking the bystander because he lost his powers. But how come no one else passed by? This is New York, someone’s gonna notice. The scene would’ve been more realistic if someone did something after Peter left. I get the conflict between Harry and Peter is saved up to be concluded for Spider-Man 3, but why doesn’t Peter immediately tell Harry the truth of Norman? If he wants to have a healthy friendship and avoid anymore conflict, that should’ve happened. And lastly, how did Harry know where Otto was hiding? I personally do not think Otto would’ve tell him, which doesn't make it believable that Peter would find him. The second you ignore all of this, you’ll likely still be calling this sequel a masterpiece. Overall, this will go down as the best Spider-Man movie to be made as it able to depict realistic situations for the iconic superhero. If you love what Sam Raimi did in his first outing of the character, then this sequel will leave you satisfied.
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