In the summer of 2004, Spider Man made his second leap on the big screen. Critics and audiences alike have praised the film for its emotional depth, strong performances from Tobey Maguire and Alfred Molina, and its improved special effects and action sequences. Since it’s release, it has been considered to be one of the best superhero movies ever made, a rare sequel that is superior to the original. Let's examine the case of why that is!
The Film’s Emotional Core
Director Sam Rami has not made a mindless summer popcorn movies that panders to the audience. The heart of the movie is Peter Parker's dilemma and his decision to either live his life as an ordinary man, or fight crime as Spider Man.
We see Peter struggling with his ordinary life in the first half of the movie. He’s late for class, he gets fired from the pizzeria and goes back to the Daily Bugle, his rent is over due, and Mary Jane wants little to do with him after he misses her play. But when he chooses to live the rest of his life as Peter Parker, things seem to be going well for him, yet the city has been in decline since he stopped being Spider Man. After Mary Jane gets kidnapped by Doc Ock, Peter gets his powers back and decides to become Spider Man again and accepts it as his destiny.
It also handles his guilt over Uncle Ben’s death remarkably well. The scene where Peter tells Aunt May the truth of what happened that night is one of the most heartbreaking and honest scenes in the history of superhero movies. There’s a real heart to this film.
It also handles his guilt over Uncle Ben’s death remarkably well. The scene where Peter tells Aunt May the truth of what happened that night is one of the most heartbreaking and honest scenes in the history of superhero movies. There’s a real heart to this film..
The Film's Far Superior Villain
Among the movie's strengths is a superb performance from Alfred Molina as Doc Ock. After Willem Dafoe’s over the top performance as the Green Goblin, we have a villain who is more sympathetic and relatable.
As Otto Octavius, we see a benevolent man who wants to make scientific discoveries for the good of mankind, but after his experiment goes wrong, he worsens when he turns to a life of crime to do the experiment again. Rather than being the over the top villain he could have been, Molina carries the role with subtlety and nuance, especially when he talks to his robotic tentacles. This is a great performance that ranks among the great movie villains.
Improved Special Effects And Action Scenes
Looking back on the first movie, the special effects hadn't aged well and looked more like video game cutscenes, so there was room for improvement and it paid off tremendously. There isn't a wasted shot or a moment where it was obvious that they used CGI. It's like they took what didn't work in the first movie and worked around it by creating more inventive fight sequences.
The subway train sequence is a superb example. It’s well choreographed, tightly edited, and the CGI is more convincing this time. This ranks as among the greatest action sequences of all time.
The subway train sequence is a superb example. It’s well choreographed, tightly edited, and the CGI is more convincing this time. This ranks as among the greatest action sequences of all time.
Conclusion
Spider Man 2 is a rare example of how a sequel can improve over the original. It takes what works best with the original film and expands upon it with it's strong emotional core. It is truly one of the best superhero movies ever made!
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