Spider-Man or Peter Parker? Beloved superhero or geeky kid without a job? We all face difficult decisions, but Spidey takes the cake with this one. Go see this kick-ass summertime thriller to watch him struggle. The super outcome? Not so itsy bitsy.
Tobey Maguire depicts the complementary Peter Parker and “masked menace” perfectly. For a little while there, we feel so badly for all the repercussions Parker is facing for his secret identity that we’re actually glad when we see the red-and-black suit hanging out of a garbage can in an alleyway. Poor Pete has lost both his jobs, is barely staying in college, is on bad terms with his best bud Harry Osborn (James Franco), and still can’t seem to obtain his beloved Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst).
Harry introduces Pete to his idol, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who turns out to be a miscalculating science freak that plans on destroying the city of New York. “Who would’ve guessed someone named Dr. Octavius would end up with eight limbs?” Well, “Doc Oc,” as he is dubbed, turns out to be Spider-Man’s latest villain, and nothing short of captivating in all his horrid evilness that we just love to see in an antagonist.
Between cringing when Spider-Man’s web-shooting powers occasionally fail, leaving him plummeting hundreds of feet in midair to the city street below; pondering how he’ll ever get his Spidey suit back; and being mesmerized by the mysterious romance between Parker and Mary Jane, Spider-Man 2 is both intellectually and aesthetically entertaining even during lengthy action bits. The CGI is back better than ever-get ready to experience the full extent of the power of a spider web, to hang from the tallest building in New York City, and to defeat the most wanted criminal on top of, on the sides of, in front of, and inside a dangerously speedy train. Spider-Man 2 delivers.
Maguire‘s character is portrayed as “just a kid,” much to the amazement of the few onlookers who witness a rare moment of the hero minus mask. Spider-Man 2 provides a heartwarming message about the true heroicness of helping people without any sort of recognition. It is a rare event in which a sequel overshadows its predecessor, and Spider-Man 2 is a phenomenon in that it is an extremity of this case. Enjoy the bold storyline, the eye-opening graphics, the unpeeling of layers of increasingly interesting characters, a solid love story, Spider-Man’s knack for saving lives, and, heck, good popcorn. Spider-Man 2 is the ultimate summer movie package. What else is there to say? Go see your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man today. I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
