It is extremely rare when a sequel is
not only as good as its predecessor, but actually better. When it
comes to these kinds of movies, most people would probably say
'Terminator 2', 'Aliens', or 'The Godfather Part II', and in terms of
comic book movies, the obvious answer would be Spider-Man 2. While
its predecessor can be regarded as one of the landmark movies of the
superhero genre, Spider-Man 2 sets the standard for how great a comic
book movie can really be. Pretty much every problem that the first
movie had is fixed here, and the story delves deeper into the
conflicts that the main character faces both physically and
emotionally. Add in a great cast and a even greater villain and you
have one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Two years after the events of the first
film, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has struggled to balance life as
both himself and as the webslinger crime-fighter Spider-Man. Unable
to handle both identities, he has distanced himself from everyone he
cares about. The love of his life, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), is
about to marry an astronaut, and his friend Harry (James Franco)
holds a personal vendetta against Spider-Man who he believes murdered
his father. As Peter's life starts to become more stressful, his
powers start to become unreliable, and he considers a life away from
being Spider-Man. Meanwhile, renowned scientist Dr. Otto Octavius
(Alfred Molina), after a failed experiment which results in the death
of his wife, turns to a life of crime, endangering the whole world in
the process.
Where Spider-Man succeeding in telling
an origin story, Spider-Man 2 succeeds in diving even deeper into the
character of Peter Parker and the many problems he has dealing with
his two identities as he tries to balance everything in his life. He
is losing the people he cares for because of his responsibilities to
both them and to New York as Spider-Man and because he can't handle
both lives at the same time, he even gives up being Spider-Man at one
point to live his own life. The writers not only did an amazing job
with Spider-Man but also with the film's villain, Doc Ock. Instead of
making him a guy who just became evil for the fun of it, the writers
made him a character we can sympathize with, having turned evil
because of the terrible things that happened to him.
Any problem that the first film had (or
in this case, now has) is non-existent here. The effects are very
much improved on and the dialogue isn't as cheesy as it was before.
This time, Raimi perfectly blends humor with drama compared to the
first film where looking at it now, some of it is really hard to take
seriously because of the dialogue. Maguire yet again does a fantastic
job as Peter Parker and the returning cast of Dunst, Franco, and
Rosemary Harris do great as well. Franco is also given a much more
substantial role this time as Harry, now burdened by the legacy his
father left for him and also angry at Spider-Man for taking his
father away from him, even though he didn't. Alfred Molina is also
brilliant as Octavius, giving much depth to the role like any great
villain.
The first Spider-Man movie may still be
a great movie, but Spider-Man 2 is nothing less than brilliant. Every
problem that the first film had is fixed and the writers did an
amazing job at delving into the many conflicts of Peter Parker. The
character of Dr. Octavius is also one of the best villains ever in a
comic book movie, which is also thanks in part to the writing. Like
with any good sequel, the stakes are raised even higher than they
were before and the film does not disappoint in any way. Very rarely
has a comic book movie gone this far in developing its characters and
Spider-Man 2 stands strong as one of the best comic book movies ever
made. Heck, I'd go as far and say one of the best movies ever.
Rating: 5/5!
Next up: Spider-Man 3, which obviously
is a different story compared to the first two films
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