Spider-Man 2

It only happens very rarely that a sequel surpasses the original (Terminator 2, Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back) and after the relative disappointment that was the original my expectations for the second film in the series had decreased. When I finally did sit down in the cinema to see this film I was a bit anxious. But my anxiety was quickly put to rest because Spider-Man 2 took the premises from the first film and improved upon them all. The first Spider-Man film a well meaning picture but quite as good as it could have been the second film is a good film for both hardcore fans like myself and the broader audience.

First off, the acting in the second film has improved tremendously. Tobey Maguire feels more right in the second film. I found him quite shallow in the first film but in the second one he seems to have developed more depth. More nuances have found their way into his acting in the second film making the character more believable and less of a square. Kirsten Dunst is never a good actress but I found her a little less annoying in this film than in the first and therefore I felt I could tolerate her presence. James Franco is decent but still has a problem with portraying nuances which basically means that in order for his performance to work he has exaggerate every emotion his character feels. As it is with most superhero movies the villain is the most interesting character and Sam Raimi couldn't have picked a better actor than Alfred Molina to play Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock. I'm a big fan of Willem Dafoe but I didn't like his performance in the first Spider-Man film very much and therefore I was delighted when Alfred Molina turned out to be a far better villain than Willem was. His performance was both menacing and nuanced and even though the character isn't always directly in control of his actions (making him somewhat misinterpreted) Molina's performance makes the character highly credible and undoubtedly the most interesting character in the film.

The effects have improved which is logical considering that it has been 2 years since the first film hit the cinemas. Also I found that Doc Ock was much better suited for flashy moves and cool fights than Green Goblin ever was so in that aspect the film is far superior to the first film as well. Especially the train fight will, I think, go into history as one of the best hero/villain showdowns in history if not the best. The computer effects have become slightly more subtle making the film seem more polished. There were still a few unfortunate scenes were the CGI was pretty obvious but overall the effects have improved dramatically and received a well earned Oscar.

The musical score continues in the same epic fashion from the first and Danny Elfman does an exceptional job as usual. The score is both thrilling and epic but it is also subtle when it has to be and that aspect of the score works wonderfully as well. Elfman has some experience in super hero scoring (having done both Batman and Hulk aside from Spider-Man) and it shows as the score is very appropriate and fitting. Two thumbs up on the music.

In terms of story telling the second film is also far better than the first. I found the first film to be very unoriginal in terms of its story. Anyone who has just an ounce of knowledge into the myth of Spider-Man knows the story beforehand and thus the film becomes very predictable and boring quite frankly. The second film did not have this problem. It was a breath of fresh air. The story seems to flow more from the heart this time around. Raimi proved in the first film that he could take a situation from the comics and translate it reasonably to the screen. In the second film he proves that he can make a highly original story as well and make it entertaining. It should also be added that Spider-Man 2 has a lot more of the humor like the kind that appears in the comics. J.K. Simmons who was one of the elements in the first film returns in his role and he is absolutely hilarious. He truly embodies the spirit of J. Jonah Jameson. There is also a very funny elevator scene which should be mentioned.

Some people complained that Raimi has turned mainstream with the Spider-Man films. That is a load of rubbish and Raimi proves it by adding some elements from his cult films, the Evil Dead series. He even lets Bruce Campbell tell Spider-Man off as if to symbolize that he hasn't forgotten where he came from.

All in all Spider-Man 2 surpasses the first film in the franchise in almost every way imaginable Spider-Man 2 is twice as engaging, entertaining and heartfelt than the first film in the series.

9/10

This is a movie that surpasses the original one on many different levels! It has a better villain, a better story and, most of all, a better message. The movie is about Peter Parker who loses faith in what he does, so he loses his powers. Tobey Maguire is magnificent in this movie and he plays so well off of all the other actors in the movie. Alfred Molina is great as the villain and, as always, J.K. Simmons steal every single scene in which he is present. This is really one of the best superhero movies that has ever been made.

Spider-Man was almost the perfect comic book movie and perhaps released at the best time. When audiences get bored with what genres normally cook up (mostly horror) we the viewers always look for the next best thing. For a while, horror movies were all the fad, but these movies can become boring extremely fast and Hollywood must find something completely opposite from horror to try and keep our attention. So, what might be completely opposite from horror? Well first, lets make a list of what is opposite from horror. Happy is one, action is another; good guys always winning might be another. So, what might be a good opposite for horror is a comic book movie. Now, a lot of money comes from what Hollywood had to offer for comic book movies. Some are failures (Electra) and others are hits. For the most part, most of them are hits. Spider-Man 2 is one of them. We begin with Peter Parker continuing his job as Spider-Man, but all is not well. Peter's friend, Harry Osborn, hates Spider-Man and wants him dead. Because of Peter's relation with taking photographs of Spider-Man, Harry has problems with Peter that only continue to grow worse as the movie goes on. The main villain of this movie is Dr. Otto Octavius who later becomes Dr. Ock. In a freak accident, he is connected to his invention of arms that are suppose to help him with an even bigger invention. His wife is killed in the process and the arms attached to him seem to have complete control of what he does. Deeply grieved, Dr. Ock runs away and hides, but not for long. He comes to terms with what he has become and starts his life as super villain. As usual, it is up to Spider-Man to save the day, but something is not right. Spider-Man seems to be losing his powers and has no control of what is happening to him. It is true that this film is better than the first entry, but only by a little bit. It seems though, that scene were Peter saves the people a train was little over it when everyone on the train discovers he is Spider-Man. Overall: A-

-Ben Russell

I was a kid when I watched this in cinema back in 2004 I just want to say after all these years after a few version of Spider-Mans and all the MCU movie. This one is hands down the best Superhero movie. It has everything done within 2 hours. Perfectly caught up what it left of from the previous Spider-Man and Toby Maguire will always be my Spider-Man.

7.3/10? Seriously? Most mediocre MCU films get a better rating than that. This movie is up there with The Dark Knight as one of the best superhero movies. This movie was loved when it came out, now it's cool to hate on the trilogy. Spider-Man 2 improved on all aspects of Spider-Man 1. Peter is struggling to be Spider-Man, and the movie illustrates that very well. The action is better than lots of movies today, most notably the train fight scene. Danny Elfman provides an unforgettable soundtrack. This movie and the trilogy shouldn't be overlooked as some cheesy 2000s movies, because they paved the way for the MCU as we know it today.