Spider-Man 2   
 

Spider-Man/Peter Parker: Tobey Maguire

Mary Jane Watson: Kirsten Dunst

Harry Osborn: James Franco

Otto Octavius/Doc Ock: Alfred Molina

May Parker: Rosemary Harris

J. Jonah Jameson: J.K. Simmons

 

Directed by Sam Raimi

 

Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Screen Story by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Michael Chabon

Screenplay by Alvin Sargent
Spider-Man has always been my superhero of choice.  I'll take the product of a freakish spider bite any day over the indestructible alien force of Superman and the tortured soul of Batman.  That being said, I thought the first Spider-Man was good, but a little uneven.  The special effects were unconvincing and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin was over-the-top, and not in a good way.  Director Sam Raimi has corrected those minimal flaws, which results in the best comic book superhero movie I have ever seen.  

When it comes to adapting comic books into movies, most directors choose style over substance.  The result is often a hodgepodge of stunning visuals and a weak story that quickly devolves into non-stop frenetic action sequences with no point.  That's not the case here.  

Spider-Man 2 is about Peter Parker's struggles to come to terms with his new status.  The ability to lead a normal life becomes more difficult, and he feels he must push away from the people he loves in order to keep them safe.  This is apparent in the way he keeps his distance from Mary Jane, despite the fact that he thrives on his love for her.  

The plot of Spider-Man 2 involves Dr. Otto Octavius, who is developing a new means of controlling fusion in a way to create a powerful energy source.  In his demonstration, however, something goes terribly wrong and four mechanical arms become attached to his back and are able to take over his mind, changing him into an evil force.  Obviously, Spider-Man must stop Doc Ock, as he comes to be known, from wreaking havoc on the city and the world.  

The beauty of the film lies in the fact that this is merely one of the many subplots that makes up the story.  Raimi and the many screenwriters do not allow the villain to become the focal point, which became the downfall of the Batman series.  Peter Parker is the star here.  His friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is racked with tension due to Harry's unrelenting disdain for Spider-Man, his father's killer.  His relationship with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) is similarly troubled thanks to the guilt he feels for his uncle's death.  And, of course, there is Mary Jane, the love of his life who he constantly pushes away, only because he believes that is the best thing for her. 

These are all issues that Parker must deal with as he enters the role of superhero to the people, and Raimi effectively interweaves all these things into the film.  The result is a stirring and evocative look at a complex and fascinating character.  The cast is excellent here, as well.  Tobey Maguire is one of the best young actors around, and he brings that needed vulnerability to the role.  Kirsten Dunst is equally good as Mary Jane and Alfred Molina has a nice turn as Doc Ock.  He's a better and more believable comic book villain than Dafoe's Green Goblin, who mainly just flew around on his glider while laughing maniacally.  

Spider-Man 2 is a visual feast with vastly improved special effects.  It no longer looks like a computer image flying through computer-generated buildings.  Those clunky effects scenes from the first film that only served to interrupt the flow of the movie have, thankfully, been replaced by more convincing visuals that are seamlessly worked into the narrative rather than becoming the main point.  

It appears that the opportunity to tell a story involving the characters rather than just introducing them has freed up the people involved here.  The outcome is an amazingly entertaining film and an improvement over the first in the series.