‘Spider-Man 2’ Is A Simply Super Summer Film

When a sequel to Spider-Man, 2002’s top-grossing blockbuster hit, was announced, the original title was to be The Amazing Spider-Man. Now, after breaking numerous box office records since its June 30 opening, and as it continues to ring up hefty ticket sales, Spider-Man 2, as it was ultimately (and unimaginatively) named, is undoubtedly inspiring cries of “that amazing Spider-Man!” from everyone at Columbia Pictures.

But the praise doesn’t end with those whose coffers are being filled by the highly profitable film. Plainly put, Spider-Man 2 is just about everything a viewer could want from a summer flick because, above all else, it’s simply a very good film.

Tobey Maguire returns as Peter Parker, the burdened everyman behind the mask of the web-slinging hero in this tale set two years after the first movie. Peter, now a college student, still pines for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), who is making her Broadway stage debut in The Importance of Being Earnest (hmmm...any subtext there, I wonder?).

However, fearing that his super-heroic escapades might one day endanger Mary Jane, Peter has resolved to never reveal his deep feelings for her. Instead, he suppresses his love for her and continues to fight the good fight as Spider-Man, only to find that “do-gooding” doesn’t exactly pay the rent, nor does it help him keep his daily commitments, like delivering pizzas on time (a very funny opening sequence) or keeping up on his class work.

Soon Peter finds himself on the verge of failing one of his beloved science classes. His only hope is to crank out a top-notch paper on an esteemed scientist named Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina).

Octavius, an ambitious physicist who hopes to benefit the world with his groundbreaking nuclear fusion efforts, falls prey to an experiment gone awry (are they any other kind in superhero stories?). The accident fuses four wiry, mechanical arms to his body and the deadly appendages gain control of his sanity and turn him into the monstrous Doctor Octopus (a/k/a “Doc Ock”), sending him rampaging through New York City. The only person who can stop him is Spider-Man, and Peter, who has been struggling with his powers (they keep going out on him at inopportune times), isn’t sure he wants to be in the superhero game anymore.

Spider-Man 2, which features a screenplay by Oscar-winning writer Alvin Sargent, boasts some impressive visual effects (Spidey’s high-flying, web-swinging antics are even more dazzling this time around) and some exciting action sequences – one of which is a marvelously staged battle between Spider-Man and Doc Ock amid the New York City skyscrapers with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) caught in the middle – but this sequel isn’t about bombast or outdoing the original by sheer volume or noise, its focus is on deepening the characters, and this makes everything in the film that much richer, especially the performances.

Maguire is excellent as the put-upon hero, and though I’ll not enter into the debate of whether or not Spider-Man 2 is the best comic-book movie ever, I think it’s fair to say that Maguire is mounting for himself a pretty impressive case as the most well-rounded screen portrayal of any superhero we’ve seen.

His efforts are bolstered by the work of his fellow castmates including Dunst (with whom he shares an electric chemistry), and especially Molina, who scores by giving more than the usual megalomaniacal performance as the villain.

The solid screenplay gives the actors the freedom to explore their characters as human beings, not as mere caricatures, and it also lets director Sam Raimi, returning from the first go-around, be even more assured of himself, his actors and his material, and thus he takes risks that we might not otherwise see in this type of crowd-pleasing movie. It’s funny, it’s surprising, it’s exciting, but most importantly, it’s engaging and heartfelt.

Spider-Man 2 is rated PG-13 for some intense, stylized action violence. I have no reservations in recommending this summer treat.