Spider-man 2


Well, since my last two reviews have been about superhero movies and had made points about the genre as a whole, why not round it out with what is to my knowledge the best superhero film of all time? Spider-man 2, and by extension, the other two films in Sam Raimi's trilogy, are movies every kid of my generation grew up with. They played on TV non-stop back in the mid-to-late 2000s. That, in turn, means I was unable to go in blind when rewatching it for this review, but that made it even better for me. The fact that I was able to not just enjoy, but respect it, even after my taste has been refined and my standards have been raised, means it stood the test of time and can be written down as a bona fide childhood classic, like Kim Possible, and not just an old flash in the pan, like Bakugan.

To be clear, my description of Tim Burton's Batman still applies here. This is a live-action cartoon. Not strictly a kids' movie - I'd put it in the same bag as Fantastic Mr. Fox in that regard - but the visuals are stylized, the writing is camp and the drama is exaggerated, like you'd expect from Sam Raimi. Though in the context of superhero movies, Spider-man 2 is exactly known for its drama, it is not realistic drama. It is bombastic, comic book melodrama. And I don't mean that as an insult, since it pulls off that style well. It focuses on Peter Parker, having been Spider-man for 2 years, and the tolls that double life has taken on him. We're quickly introduced to a Peter Parker who struggles to keep a job, fails to make appointments, flubs at college, and disappoints his friends. It never ends up too depressing, partly because a lot of it is presented through campy jokes (a la those self-deprecating british comedies), partly because it knows when to stop, but it succeeds at fleshing out Peter as a character with real problems, real values, and real thoughts and feelings. The other characters are more or less the same, but none of them hit quite as hard as Peter, not just because he's the main character, but because he was given the best actor. Tobey Maguire's slightly goofy poker face fits his character perfectly. He gets down that ''communicating without communicating'' shtick in a similar vein to Buster Keaton or Armin.
Many people's point of praise for Spidey 2 is Doctor Octopus, portrayed by Alfred Molina. I did like him, but I liked him as a part of a greater whole, rather than a standalone character. He was intimidating, his action scenes were epic, Molina acted well, but he doesn't have that show-stealing quality that Jack Nicholson's Joker has. But I'm not gonna complain, he was good either way.

In my Batman review I said that superheroes are better fit for directors not aiming for visual realism, and Spidey 2 proves my point even further. Anyone who has seen the amazing Evil Dead 2 will recognize Sam Raimi's trademarks, from his colour scheme, to his classic horror-inspired camera angles, and his fast zoom-ins and zoom-outs. Granted, it needed to be tweaked a little when switching from one genre to another, but it succeeded at maintaining its identity while also creating a different mood. Raimi also did well to remember that, while Evil Dead 2 was meant to be tense from start to finish, Spider-man had to tone itself down for the more relaxed, dialogue-driven scenes. As such, the truly flashy shots are saved only for the climactic scenes, and they do not disappoint. That bit with the car crashing into the bar was one of the coolest, most intense set pieces I've ever seen in an action film. The fight scenes do sometimes feel like flashy interludes, but they're spaced out well enough, fun to watch, and don't overstay their welcome.

I know I do this too much, but I find it hard not to bring up my long-standing obsession with the 2000s into this review, since Spidey 2 embodies what I love about the decade better than any other film I know (yes, even Kontroll). This was a decade just before we all became spineless people-pleasers, when even a big-budget mainstream movie meant to be for everybody could still be full of personality and didn't have to live in fear of the audience dicking around on their phones. 3 or 4 not withstanding, not even the ''serious'' movies I've seen from this decade had the courage to just do their own thing. They were either desperate to please, like Birdman, or desperate to offend, like Serbian FIlm or The Student. Both are equally bad in my book. An artist's creation shouldn't be dictated by pressure from the outside world. You don't need to justify yourself to anybody. Good art - all good art, be it high or low - will have that sense of ''**** you, I just like it''. And it is that exact sense that draws me to the pop culture of the 2000s; in among other things, Powerman 5000 in music, Splinter Cell in games, South Park in television, and Spidey 2 in movies.