Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and Alfered Molina

"I’m Spider-Man no more". Spider-Man 2 is Sam Raimi’s second take on the amazing wall-crawler, who we last saw rescuing his love Mary Jane Watson (Dunst) from the clutches of the maniacal Green Goblin. Two years have gone by and Peter Parker (Maguire) is now living in a run-down one room apartment, trying to make ends meet taking pictures for The Daily Bugle and also , as we see in the beginning of the film, delivering pizzas. I wasn’t sure how this would work but it was actually quite entertaining. Raimi starts out by showing the audience what a miserable hard luck life our hero lives. He just misses delivering his pizzas in the allotted time because he takes time out as Spidey to rescue two children "playing in the streets". Peter is  "fired" from the Bugle, behind on his rent and  chastised by his college professor Dr Curt Connors (aka The Lizard) for being late and slack with his studies.. He then wrecks his moped (a misguided salute to Peter's motorcycle in the comics) trying to get to Mary Jane's play. Even his birthday party is tainted when his best friend; the brooding Harry Osborn (Franco) pesters him for the identitiy of "The Bug". Harry is still stewing over the fact he believes Spider-Man killed his father, and this only gets worse as the film progresses. Additionally, he discovers  his Aunt May is about to have her house foreclosed on, and Peter realizes she blames herself for the death of his Uncle Ben. Worst of all, he learns the girl he has loved all of his life Mary Jane Watson (Dunst) is engaged to a heroic astronaut. Early on, we get it, Peter’s life sucks.

Harry introduces Peter to his idol, Dr Otto Octavius (Molina) who picks up on  Peter's genius and confides in him about his goals. When an experiment to harness solar energy as a power resource goes terribly wrong, Octavius is joined to his four metal appendages and becomes Doctor Octopus, or as Jameson dubs him..."Doc Ock".  Octavius turns "evil" really quick, and its due mainly to the destruction of an inhibitor chip designed to keep the tentacle’s artificial intelligence from taking over his psyche and calling the shots. His only motivation as a villain appears to be the desire to continue his experiment, in spite of its potential destructive nature. Not the best motivation for a traditional hardcore villain. The experiment ultimately results in the death of his wife. (I wasn’t a big fan of Ock having a wife, and her death is never utilized to  full potential in the film). Admittedly, he does look a lot cooler than The Green Goblin who, in fairness, was saddled with a ridiculous mask and suit. Still, Doc Ock never comes off quite as menacing as the Goblin , played by Willem Dafoe. Molina seems way too likeable even as a villain. But the scene where Ock’s tentacles unleash murderous carnage on a hospital operating room is brilliantly done and will be appreciated by Raimi fans.

In a plot device that will no doubt draw comparisons to another famous super-hero sequel, (Superman II) Spider-Man turns his back on his responsibility as a hero, all for a desire to be with the girl of his dreams. (Fans in the know are quick to point out the story was done a long time before Supes II in the Spider-Man comics.) In this case it’s a psychosomatic power loss  that is the root of the problem, and it seems to only go away when he is forced to save the woman he loves. Midway in the film is a quirky homage to Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, in a scene that has Peter relishing his new role of not being responsible for the whole world, to  "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." Other peculiar scenes that help the film drag in the middle are one with Peter having cake with his odd, but cute neighbor and another where Peter goes for a checkup. These could have been replaced with more action or more development of other supporting cast members.There is a touching scene with Pete and Uncle Ben (played again by Cliff Robertson) in which Peter decides to give up being Spider-Man , an homage to the classic Amazing Spider-Man comic # 50 by Stan Lee. But in that issue it was a decision to give it up , having nothing to do with losing powers. Look for several nods to classic Spidey stories and covers.

In a somewhat surprising move Peter reveals to his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) that its he that is responsible for Uncle Ben’s death. This leads to more drama and an insinuation that she may know the truth (join the club) after Spidey saves her from Doc Ock in a scene in which the supposedly frail old woman is tossed around like a friggin’ Frisbee and dropped from great heights, with nary a heart attack. There is one sappy speech that May gives Peter about heroes, (part of the now familiar "lull in the middle"), that is bearable upon one viewing, but multiple viewing may necessitate a fast forward through this scene. However, another scene where a selfless May gives Peter, what seems like her last $20.00 for his birthday is a tear-jerker and more than makes up for it.

A sub-plot to the film that amounts almost to a second villain is Harry Osborn’s desire to bring down Spider-Man.  After  funding Octavius’ experiment that goes haywire, he settles in 100 % on his obsession to get Spidey. Through out the film, Harry grows darker and darker, clearly on target , as comic fans know to becoming The Green Goblin II. Also included is Harry's abuse of alcohol through out the film, echoing the controversial (at the time) drug problem his character had in the comics. There was one line that bothered me: "he humiliated me by touching me", but Franco’s descent is one of the best parts of the film, and it ends with a bang  in a huge nod to the fans when he confronts his father’s "ghost" (Willam Dafoe) and discovers his secret room of goblin "toys". This absolutely made the film for me.

Overall, this is a much better written film than the first, but not necessarily a better movie. Renowned "script doctor" Alvin Sargent was brought in for scriptwriting duties and supervision. (A draft by Spider-Man's David Koepp was rumored to be "unusable".)  There is much more humor in this one.The CGI and effects are not drastically better, but somewhat improved. Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane does an adequate job, but is the weakest link in the cast. I still think she was a poor casting choice.  JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson is even better than the first and steals every scene he is in. He made me forget about ever imagining R Lee Emery in the role. He is JJJ. And Elizabeth Banks is simply delicious as Betty Brant. Her character should have been used more, perhaps as another love interest to Peter, while Mary Jane played "on the moon". I also would liked to have seen more development in the character of Dr Connors, prepping him for a his villainous destiny. Molina is fabulous as Doc Ock; physically looking the part and  he comes off oozing charisma with a cool rage underneath.. And I'm glad they referred to him as Doctor Octopus at least once. Sadly though,  he is underused, and often an after-thought to the soap operish comings and goings of Pete and Mary Jane. Though, stylish and intimidating, hardcore fans may be disappointed in the fact that Ock is portrayed as a sympathetic character, (I was) controlled by the tentacles and their "artificial intelligence". The battle scenes, most notably the train sequence, are visually stunning, though some will question how Ock is able to withstand direct punches to the face, when he has no real powers other than his tentacles. The final battle is a disappointment; not near as personal or brutal as the one with The Green Goblin.

I enjoyed Spider-Man II, but its far from a perfect film. The supposedly evil Doc Ock is a sympathetic figure who is only driven towards evil by his AI tentacles, and then redeems himself in the end by helping Spider-Man save the city by reversing his misguided experiment. (Again hard-core comic, especially Doc Ock fans, are likely to be disappointed). Spider-Man is unmasked several times in the movie, for dramatic effect, and to be quite honest, its overdone. (The scene where an unmasked Spider-Man is passed back among the passengers on the train in messianic pose will surely be debated by fans for years to come). By the end of the film it seems everyone and his brother and his dog knows who Spider-Man is. Why bother wearing a mask? Many will be pleased at the ending , especially after all the crap Raimi heaps on poor Parker at the beginning. The last scene ends on a major upper with Mary Jane uttering a classic-type line that will make you want to jump from your seat ready to fight. But where do we go from here? I really don't want to see four more movies about the adventures of Mr and Mrs Spider-Man. Satisfying though it may be to many, it seems a little too soon for a "payoff".Would have been fun to see another love interest for Peter to add some romantic tension. But... the film does close with a concerned, troubled looking Mary Jane gazing out the window, indicating hard times may lie ahead. It appears Harry has been set up for the next villain, though don’t expect Raimi to deliver the obvious… without a twist. The final scenes with Harry, including an awesome cameo by Dafoe are what give me hope for the next installment, as "The Goblin Legacy" continues. A confrontation between Spider-Man and his best friend and son of his arch-enemy looms. The sequel is set for May 2007, and three years is a lot of time to develop another villain and plenty of twists. But true Spidey fans will be waiting on the edge of their seats.

Verdict: 8 out of 10

Enjoyment: 10 out o f 10

War Eagle

 webmaster@goblinjournals.com