Spider-Man 2
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Michael Chabon, Alvin Sargent
Starring: Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina

The general rule of thumb is that sequels are never as good as their predecessors.Superhero movies seem to have a different dynamic however; maybe it’s because comic books are composed ofcontinuous and overlapping storylines, but their sequels have the potential to be even better becausethey aren’t obligated to waste time introducing characters and establishing background, plus the actorshave had time to get comfortable with their roles.

With regards to the first Spider-Man movie, I didn’t connect with it as enthusastically as I hadexpected to. I could never quite figure out what kept me from appreciating itmore than I would any other typical summer blockbuster (especially with a director like Sam Raimiat the helm), but I was hoping that Spider-Man 2 wouldimprove on it in all the right places. Could it really end up being, as Ebert claims, “the bestcomic book movie ever made”?

One thing that Spider-Man 2 had going for it was that it featured a much cooler villain inDoctor Octopus. Although Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin was well-acted and a classic comic book baddie,his so-called powers were underwhelming, his motivations were weak,and let’s face it, his outfit was pretty silly. Doc Ock’sawesome mechanical tentacles and bad-ass attitude should have given this movie franchisea much-needed shot in the arm.

The truth is, Doc Ock is a little disappointing, and it’s not because he doesn’t look cool or doesn’thave some kick ass fights with Spidey, but just because he’s nothing more than a sideplot here.Octavius isn’t actually evil in this movie, it’s the tentacles’A.I. that make him do evil things, and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, he onlywants to finish his scientific research (which may or may not accidentally destroy half ofManhattan in the process).Instead, the movie seemed intent on emphasizing Harry Osborn and his ownprogression towards becoming an enemy of Spider-Man, which sets things up for Spider-Man 3but offers very little threat or conflict in this movie.Despite Alfred Molina’s best efforts,Doctor Octopus ends up being just another throwaway villain, and he seemed to get even less developmentthan the Green Goblin did.

But so what if Spider-Man’s enemies are fluff? I suppose you can’t faultthe movie for being true to its roots, and Spider-Man 2 (much like Spider-Man) is mainly concerned withSpider-Man himself anyways. This is one of the movie’s main strengths. Much more screen time is givento Peter Parker and his various real-life problems, and fittingly so since this is one of the thingsthat always made the Spider-Man comic book unique.From his problems paying the rent and trying to hold downa job, to his love for Mary Jane and inability to tell her how he feels, to his struggle to keep up hisgrades in school,to his guilt from indirectly causing his Uncle’s death, to Aunt May’s impending foreclosure on hermortgage, to his best friend Harry Osborn’s hatred for Spider-Man… phew, it really is a tangledweb he weaves.Some people may be surprised at how little action there is in this movie as a result of the focuson all these different issues. Fortunately, I think it makes for a more compelling movie to explorethe various aspects of a superhero who is actually human.

The thing is, writers Michael Chabon (who wrote Wonder Boys, also starring Toby Maguire) andAlvin Sargent (What About Bob?) almost overdo it at times. I mean, when Peter Parker has a bad day,he has a REALLY bad day. In some ways this brings the film down a notch, as not only doesit seem very staged after a while, but it also makes Peter Parker seem a little less heroic.We may be rooting for Spider-Man, but there’s something abouthis constant self-pity and inability to take control of his life that makes us care less about him.Some of his troubles just went beyond reason too… for example, if both Peter and Aunt May can’t paytheir bills, why can’t Peter move back home?

Fortunately, it is this healthy dose of reality that also saves Spider-Man 2 frombecoming too overdramatic. The movie has a great sense of down-to-earth humourmaking it one of the funniest blockbuster movies I’ve seen in a long time — and not in a”so bad it’s good” kind of way.J.K. Simmons is once again a highlight with his high-strung performance as cigar-chewing newspapereditor J. Jonah Jameson,and Tobey Maguire’s own comedic timing is stellar too. In one amusing scene Spider-Man temporarily loses his powerson a rooftop and finds himself forced to share the building’s elevator along with a curious civilian.Spider-Man 2 is chock full of classic moments andmemorable one-liners, and the light-heartedness is what will really win you over.

Some may complain that the movie is too “PG-13″, and I agree to an extent but it’s not because of thecomedy and it’s not because the movie is aimed at kids. The main issue is that there’s not enoughreal danger for Spider-Man (or anyone else for that matter) — simply ripping his spandex doesn’tautomatically put us on the edge of our seat. There is a really cool scene where Doc Ock’stentacles go on a killing rampage while he’s in a hospital and it feels like something straight outof Raimi’s Evil Dead movies. It would have been nice to have more like it.The climactic train fight is also worth the price of admission. Some of the action scenessuffer from conspicuous computer effects, but Raimi’s kinetic direction is perfect for such anquick and agile superhero and makes the movie a lot of fun to watch. Perhaps the best directed sequencein the movie is the one where Doc Ock throws a car througha window at Peter and Mary Jane in the coffee shop.It’s too bad the surprise was spoiled by being featured in a trailer because it is ingenious.

In short, Spider-Man 2 does indeed deliver on the promise of being better than the first.It did not “knock my socks off” so to speak,but you really can’t ask for much more in terms of pure popcorn entertainment.If I was a big fan of the comic book, I would probably have loved this movie even more.I can’t help but think though, that perhaps the inevitable Spider-Man 3 is actually the one to wait for.Harry Osborn may be the first Spider-Man villain to actually have some depth to him, and whoknows what the introduction of John Jameson may bring?Maybe it’s too much to expect a Spider-Man movie to rise above its somewhat corny comic book roots,but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop hoping. — Sean