| Spider-Man 2 (2004) | |
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Rating: 7.5/10 (707,530 votes) Director: Sam Raimi Writer: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Alfred Gough Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina Runtime: 127 min Rated: PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Released: 30 Jun 2004 |
| Plot: Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a former brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius. | |
Raimi’s second outing for the webbed wonder is the latest review from the archives…
Bitten by a genetically altered spider, Peter Parker, yadda yadda yadda. I’m not going to go into the details of the last film here. If you don’t know the story by now, where have you been for the past few years?
Spider-Man 2 picks up the story two years after the events of the first. Peter is still struggling to find a way to balance his real life with his web-slinging. Mary Jane has her face on billboards and is an aspiring actress. Aunt May still blames herself for the loss of Uncle Ben. Harry still hates Spider-Man. However, it seems something is wrong with Peter. His powers keep failing him, whilst at the same time his personal life seems to be falling apart. In order to try to find himself again, he decides to give up being Spider-Man.
At the same time, Dr Otto Octavius has finished developing a fusion power source, which will provide unlimited energy for the world. When demonstrating the procedure to the press and scientific community, an unexpected surge causes a backlash of power which grafts the good doctor’s mechanical appendages to his body and nerve centre. The resulting effect is that he no longer controls the arms, they control him, and thus Doctor Octopus is born. Will Peter realise his destiny and save the world from the madman’s schemes?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how the plot will develop, especially as the story is lifted from the comics. However, that isn’t important here, as the whole film is as much of a fun-packed roller-coaster ride as the first, only better! The cast are now comfortable in their roles, and the new additions are excellent. From the cameo of Dr Connors (known as The Lizard in the comics), to NASA hero John Jameson, all the new characters offer a tease of what may come next. However, hats off to Alfred Molina who, in the role of Doc Ock, becomes more than just another villain, capturing the humanity of a good man who has just lost his way. Yes, he is very brutal, and deadly, but Molina plays him with more layers, and he becomes more than a pantomime villain. Throw in a few cameos from Bruce Campbell, and Stan Lee, and the formula from the first that worked so well has been perfected.
Fans of Sam Raimi’s usual visual flair, who may have been a bit upset that the first film lacked some of his usual dynamics, will be in heaven during the scenes of Doc Ock awakening in the hospital. The framing, angles, zooms, and lensing come right out of Evil Dead 2, and you half expect to see an eyeball fly into someone’s screaming mouth. On top of this there is the “tentacle-cam” shots, which are very reminiscent of the “dead-cam”. If he didn’t leave his mark on the first film, he’s certainly engraved it all over this one! In addition there are many framed shots which are directly lifted from panels of the comics, which the fanboys out there are going to love.
The effects have improved a great deal since the first film. There are still moments when the CGI looks a tad weak, but on the whole they work much better. Last time each CGI shot stood out from the rest of the film like a sore thumb, this time they flow well, giving the action more momentum. The action scenes are full of energy and passion, especially the confrontation on the train between Spidey and Ock. When the superb music score is layered on top (retaining elements of the score from the first), you have the ultimate thrill ride of a film.
The film is more of the same, but done to a better degree. Much like X-Men was only a set-up for X2, here the second film is the main course after a delicious starter. Now, all I need is dessert!
