After 2002's amazing Spiderman
the prospect of a sequel that's just as good, if not better, seemed impossible. Yet Spiderman 2 achieves the feat.
The film finds Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) running himself ragged as he tries in vain to balance work, school, personal relationships and -oh, yeah -being Spiderman. He's failing classes, getting fired and losing touch with the people most important to him: his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Additionally, his friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) is upset with him for withholding the identity of Spiderman, whom Osborn believes killed his father.
Peter is also losing his powers; his web-shooters often malfunction, and he has trouble scaling walls. He soon sees this as a blessing -if he wasn't Spiderman, he could get good grades, pay rent and win Mary Jane's heart without endangering her. He decides to quit.
Meanwhile, Peter's hero, scientist Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), is about to make a breakthrough in physics for Oscorp, Harry's company. But when his experiment goes awry and nearly destroys New York City, he ends up with four mechanical arms attached to his back, his wife dead and his career ruined.
Doc Ock breaks out of the hospital and begins rebuilding his failed project, wreaking havoc on the city in the process. After guiltily enjoying his days without great power and responsibility, Peter is reluctantly drawn back into the role of superhero to combat a villain that only he can defeat.
A combination of action and comedy carries the film. The stunts are just as thrilling as before, especially a battle between Spiderman and Doctor Octopus on, in and around a speeding train. And the gags are just as amusing, starting right away as Peter tries to deliver pizzas and be a friendly neighborhood spiderman.
Also bolstering the film is a superior villain. Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin provided laughs by absurdity, but failed to intrigue or intimidate. This film's bad guy, Doc Ock, is a complex fellow torn between achieving his dreams and doing what is right, and he provides a great eight-legged foil for Spidey.
Previous characters also show more depth. Aunt May and Mary Jane, who were rather one-dimensional in the first film, struggle with inner conflicts here, and Harry continues to follow his father's footsteps in every way.
Though it has competition from its predecessor and the original Batman Spiderman 2 is among the best superhero movies ever made. That 2007's third installment could measure up seems impossible. Let's hope that sentiment is proven wrong again.
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Chris DeVille
