Review

Review Date: 4-July-04
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Peter Parker's life sucks.

Two years after a genetically altered spider changed the course of his future by giving him great power and great responsibility, Peter is flunking out of college, getting fired from minimum-wage jobs, living in a rathole (a rathole he can't afford), and watching helplessly as his beloved aunt loses the home she shared with her much mourned husband. (Yes, that would be the husband whose death still weighs heavily on Peter's conscience and whose lessons chafe him within.) The guy can't sleep at night, can't get an iota of respect, can't forget his old neighbor Mary Jane Watson (yes, that would be the girl whose heart he had to refuse even though he craves it more than air) --- hell, he can't even get the laundry right, since that damn Spider-Man suit dyes his underwear pink and baby blue. Put simply, Peter Parker is a loser and a disappointment to those he loves, those he wants to impress, and himself. As the posters proclaim, his story concerns sacrifice and choice, and "Spider-Man 2" makes it palpably clear that neither one is easy.

Not that it's any comfort, but the hero isn't alone in his suffering; every character in the film has difficult choices to make and torturous crosses to bear. In addition to Peter's beleaguered aunt (Rosemary Harris), there's his former schoolmate Harry Osborn (James Franco, unfortunately becoming more dull with every scene), who's obsessed with killing Spider-Man and filling his father's shoes; Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), whose career has taken off but whose love life is a mess; and newcomer Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina, charismatic as always), a brilliant scientist who suffers a horrible loss and, like both Peter and his nemesis in the first film, is taken over by powers that threaten to engulf him. It's pretty much a hearty helping of pain all around, with very little mitigation even at the end --- not your average action flick and certainly not a movie designed to send you back into the heat with a smile on your face and a bellyful of faux-buttered, mindless entertainment.

And yet for all it made me squirm, frown, and contemplate the merits of suicide, "Spider-Man 2" touched me more than many "serious" films that set out to deliver a message about humanity (e.g., "The Terminal"). Because of the overall bleakness of the picture, the small but crucial instances of compassion and connection carry a lot of weight, in particular a moment between Peter and his landlord's daughter (also lonely, also miserable) and a momentous scene in which the superhero comes face-to-face with his public. In addition, the same evidence of craftsmanship that marked "Spider-Man" elevates the sequel to something more than a glorified soap opera with impressive fight scenes. Credit goes first and foremost to the gifted Tobey Maguire, who, as Peter, can break your heart with just a look (and whose cherubic boyishness is ripening into mature handsomeness). While he dazzles in the foreground, the smart and distinctive style of Sam Raimi is constantly felt behind the camera. Apparently the success of the original earned him greater freedom of expression this time, and it shows.

With three story writers and a screenwriter, the plot of "Spider-Man 2" isn't as tight as it might be; for example, it's not clear whether love, anger, or acceptance of self-denying responsibility finally sways Peter's mind after days of waffling between his options for identity. (And what on earth is up with Doc Ock's hands?) But the movie is one hell of a ride (hell being the operative word here), and unlike a lot of films and a lot of sequels in particular, it's a meaty piece of work that snatches you up and doesn't let you down.

Copyright © 2004 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.