Like another favorite director of mine, Sam Raimi knows that if you're going to tell a story, you have to tell it right. There's no point in cramming it full of special effects that mean nothing if there are no characters to back it up. Roger Ebert called Spider-Man "the best superhero movie since the modern genre was launched." While I can't have claimed to have seen every single superhero movie ever made, I can say that I have seen a good share. I know what a bad superhero movie is, and I thought I knew what a good one was. Until Spider-Man 2 came along that is. No other superhero movie, save "Hulk", has such a confidence in it's characters, that it is willing to go several scenes with no action at all. But unlike Hulk, these characters are interesting. And when the action comes, man does it come. I've always said that Doctor Octopus was Spidey's greatest enemy, and this movie all but proves it.
The movie starts off just like a comic book, with artists paintings of scenes from the first game. The final image is Peter Parker turning his back on Mary Jane, vowing to never be with her, for fear that Spider-Man's enemies will get to her again. Of course, he is still madly in love her, which serves as the focal point of the story. Harry, son of the deceased Norman Osborne, still blames Spider-Man for the death of his father, which causes a rift between himself and Peter, since Peter takes his pictures of him. What drama it would be if Harry realized that they were the same person. Aunt May still misses Uncle Ben, and she faces foreclosure on her home. Peter is exhausted from being the weblsinger, he's fired from his pizza delivery job, he's failing his classes Columbia University and he's late on his rent. A number of terrible things happen to Peter, which causes him to temporarily lose his powers from time to time.
We watch the entire movie as Peter is tortured again and again, to the point where he throws down his costume and vows to be Spider-Man no more. At the same time, Dr. Otto Octavius has had four tentacles fused onto his body through an experiment gone wrong, which killed his wife. These tentacles have an intelligence of their own, and convince Octavius to continue his research, despite the fact that it's extremely dangerous. Enter Dr. Octopus.
The action this time around is much clearer ripped straight from Spider-Man. Spidey and Ock fight on the face of a building, tumbling down it exchanging blows all the while. The most ambitious action scene has the two fighting atop a speeding El-train. It is pure comic book here, as the two engage in all sorts of ferocious and acrobatic moves, especially Spidey, who shows what he's really made of. I don't see Wolverine stopping a speeding train about to plummet into the Manhattan Harbor.
Now that Raimi is comfortable with his characters, he can show his true colors. Doc Ock is vicous in all the Evil Dead glory you can imagine, and the cheesy one-liners are out in full force, which remains true to the comic book. The acting is phenomenal, with every single actor bring their character to life and taking them larger than life as they should be. Tobey Maguire is wonderful as Peter Parker, and is more comfortable as Spider-Man. His one-liners are said much more cheerfuly this time, which makes you think that Spider-Man and Peter Parker really are different people. Kirsten Dunst is lovely as Mary Jane Watson, who brings a sad eyed, but determined character to life. James Franco is excellent as the troubled Harry Osbourne, who slips deeper and deeper into obsession with Spider-Man as the movie progresses. Alfred Molina is very good as Doc Ock, and eclipses Willem Dafoe's good, but cheesy, portrayal of the Green Goblin. JK Simmons returns as the hilarious J. Jonah Jameson, who once again steals just about all of the scenes he's in.
Spider-Man 2 is a sweet tale of romance, and a troubled man coming into his own. I will warn you, that this movie has a cliffhanger of an ending, and the next Spidey won't be out for at least 2-3 years. Of course, you can see the ending coming from the end of the first movie, but that's beside the point. Spider-Man 2 is indeed the greatest superhero film ever, and an all around excellent film.
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