Spider-Man 2 was one of the only summer movies that I was really waiting for and my expectations were high. I've tried to avoid getting too excited about films in the past few years, mostly because I usually end up disappointed, but I'm proud to report that SM 2 exceeded my expectations.
Not only does the film play with the very familiar Spider-Man history, winking at and nudging the fans of the classic comic while hinting at future events, it also speaks to those who know little about Spidey. At the same time this very "commercial" film also delivers some honest emotional moments.
In Spider-Man 2 Tobey Maquire's Peter Parker struggles to maintain a normal life while continually fighting crime. It's a thankless job, and as his personal life crumbles, it is hard to not sympathize with what he is going through and the decisions that he makes. And that is what has always been so great about the Lee/Ditko era comics that introduced the world to SM back in the '60s. Through it all Spider-Man was just an ordinary kid who while trying to do the right thing was dealing with everyday problems.
Spider-Man 2 beyond just being a continuation of the fist film, is a movie that can be viewed independently without prior knowledge of the film that spawned it. In a way, it's just like those great Lee/Ditko stories in that it gives those viewers who either haven't seen the first movie, or who may have forgotten plenty of reminders of what came before without boring those "in the know." The highly visual title sequence condenses the first movie into 2 minutes using nothing more than a series of powerful Alex Ross paintings to tell the story.
SM 2 also "raises" the proverbial bar if you will, a must with any sequel, and does more than just deliver bigger action sequences, better special effects and badder villians. It strives to connect with the audience in more of a way than the first film did by giving the viewer even more to invest in. Be it Peter's decision to not allow Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson to get close to him for fear that she could one day be a target of Spider-Man's enimies, or Harry Osborn's obbession to "kill" Spider-Man for what he did to his father, the movie delivers situations that require a pay-off that we all know will eventually come.
And as long as director Sam Raimi is at the helm and Tobey Maquire is behind the mask, I can't see the franchise getting tired anytime soon.
4 comments:
I can't say I share your enthusiasm for Spiderman 2.
What I saw was a rushed film that spent little time trying to entertain the audience and more time just trying to distract them. This would not have been so glaringly noticeable in an age where pointless exercises in special effects (Day After Tomorrow, Garfield) are the norm, but Spiderman 2 follows an impressive first film, and it was hard not to have high expectations.
Spiderman 2 spends a good deal of its running time serving up pointless montages and subplots. Spiderman can't do laundry, he has a lonely girl for a neighbor, Aunt Meg has trouble with finances, Spiderman is having problems in school, and Spiderman sometimes needs to take the elevator. None of these scenes was a major problem on its own, but add them up and you are left with a movie that is glaringly empty.
Cliff Robertson shows up once again, for the sole purpose of uttering the line "With great power comes great power comes great responsibility." Raimi, it seems, believes the success of the first film was due to the ad nausea repetition of that line, rather than great storytelling.
The first Spiderman ended with Harry Osborn poised to become the Green Goblin and Mary Jane just realizing Peter's secret identity. Spiderman 2 seems to reset both of these things, giving the characters this whole new film to realize what they already seemingly knew. In a sense, both the audience and the characters and the audience are stuck in time, as a fun and fast paced story goes nowhere.
Top off all this with an ending that follows every superhero cliché from the past 15 years of crime fighting movies, and you are left with a movie that officered little suspense, no surprise and simply a rehash of what had been delivered in the first film. I am confounded by the overwhelming positive reviews this film has gotten, but, Spiderman 2 is like a cheeseburger and Spiderman was filet minion.
Everybody enjoys a cheeseburger. I just won't believe it's a steak no matter what anyone says.
Wow, look at us. We're a couple of Ebert and Roepers. Interseting points, but I still have to stand by my review. At least we can both agree that cheese burgers are great.
On anohter note, not sure if it ran before the film when you saw it, but one of the trailers I caught was Blade Trinity (stupid title) and it looked really good. Too bad we have to wait until December.
Very excited about the Blade trailer and Catwoman looked much better in this trailer than the last trailer.
Spider-Man 2 was amazing, simply amazing. And Catwoman still looks like the biggest abortion of all time.
Post a Comment