Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)

unbelievable.the first spider man movie was awesome,but this movie was
even better.better special effects,better story,better villain.i didn't
think there was any way the first one could be topped.in this one we
have Doc Ock as the main villain,an inspired choice.the fight scenes
this time around are absolutely mind blowing.there is an interesting
and surprising subplot,which i won't reveal here .i gave the the first
movie 5/5,so i have to give this one a 5+/5 and i can't wait for the
third installment.

Not often does a sequel surpass the original, but Spider-Man 2 does. Really, this is the best movie of 2004 and if the Academy had any sense, it would be a Best Picture nominee. Unfortunately, it is too popular a movie to win awards. However, the character development is the major piece of the plot and the action just enhances it.

Peter Parker struggles with being a regular person and a superhero. His life is in shambles and his sometime employer, J. Jonah Jameson, continues to portray Spider-Man as evil. In order to make ends meet, Peter must help him do this despite the fact Peter is Spider-Man. His personal life is in the dumper too - MJ's marrying someone else, Aunt Mae is being foreclosed on, he can't pay the rent. However, the public loves and needs Spidey.

Watching Peter struggle with all of this, lose his confidence, give up Spider-Man and try and be normal shows how great a performance Tobey Maguire puts on. Critics loved the movie, moviegoers thronged to it, now the Academy should give it and its actors the awards it deserves.

The twists and turns of this movie lead to many surprises and revelations. Bring on Spider-Man 3!

In this second installment in the Spider-Man franchise, Peter Parker has his back against the wall as he tries to juggle life as a student, being best friends with Mary Jane Watson, carrying the guilt of his uncle's death, freelancing for the Daily Bugle, delivering pizza, and, of course, being ever on-call as your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.

No matter how hard he tries, Peter just can't seem to balance everything at once and the constant sacrifices he makes in his personal life so he can help others wears him down . . . down . . . down . . . until he can't take it anymore and his spider-powers begin to change.

Then vanish.

The timing couldn't have been worse, either, because Dr. Otto Octavius's energy device backfired and has fused four robotic arms to his body, their AI worming its way into his brain, controlling him. All they care about is fulfilling their purpose and they don't care who they have to hurt to recreate the device they were made for.

Dr. Octopus's (Doc Ock) rampage through New York is met with little resistance until our favorite web-slinger attempts to take him on.

This movie thrills the inner fanboy much more than its predecessor and officially is my favorite so far in the Spider-Man series. This flick carries near start-to-finish classic superhero goodness: stellar aerial battles, eye-popping web-slinging, dual identity troubles, nerd-can't/won't-get-the-girl issues, a hardcore villain bent on his mark, trials, sacrifice--all crammed into a little over two-hour movie. But the pacing works and doesn't feel over cluttered at all.

You feel for Peter Parker every minute of this film, both when he's at the top of his game and when he's at the bottom, and when he loses his spider-powers, your heart sinks and you cry out, "No! Not Peter! His powers are part of who he is. How can you take them away?"

Tobey Maguire was extremely believable in this film and brought a real depth to Parker that--though was present in the first one--really shone through in this one. And Alfred Molina as Doc Ock? Such duality. When you first meet Otto Octavius, he genuinely seems like a nice guy, an almost fatherly figure in a way, but when he loses his project and those he cares about, things switch and he barely resembles the man he once was. Yet deep within, you see him struggling against the mechanical arms that have taken over his body and mind.

J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson was hilarious as always, and Kirsten Dunst as MJ--there was more maturity in the character this time around and though she still acted kind of "high school-ish," you also saw someone struggling with who they were--more specifically, trying desperately to reach out to the man she's fallen for but who is pushing her away.

Spider-Man 2 thrilled me to pieces. I was there on opening night and I left the theatre all smiles and in a state of disbelief at how downright cool it was. I wasn't sure if it would top the first one because most sequels--till that point because the Superman movies and the previous set of Batman films were pretty much what we had to go on except for X2--usually don't nail it like the first one.

I was proven wrong.

This movie rocked so hard I went back a couple more times and bought it on DVD as soon as I could.

Check this flick out. You're in for an amazingly cool, web-slinging good time.

Recommended.

A.P. Fuchs
Canister X