With a brain in its head and style on its side, this is one hell of a ride

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2012)

Spider-Man 2 is an adrenaline-packed cinematic delight. A purely functioning superhero film, serving as a sequel to a film that was surprisingly capable after spending a fourth of a century in development hell. Not only is this one of the best sequels I have yet to see, but one of the strongest superhero epics of the decade.
What little Raimi and the writers neglected in the original Spider-Man film is injected into this sequel with full-force intelligence, depth, and attitude. Certain action scenes are so artfully designed and professionally crafted, it appears they could serve as the long-awaited climax in any film of the genre. Scenes themselves play like epics within an epic and some, like the infamous train sequence, are so breakneck and excessive they could use an intermission.
But Spider-Man 2 doesn't have time for preposterous breaks or intermissions. They would disrupt the flow of poetry the film so effortlessly excels at, and for that matter, it is too busy furthering Peter Parker's entertaining story and fueling its action scenes with the coherency and structure they need. The film takes place two years after the events of the first film. We see Parker is still doing vigilante justice around the city of New York, yet we see he is breathlessly struggling to juggle his alter-ego's duties, his schoolwork, his freelance photography job, and his own free time. Because of this, he has long been distant from the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco).
Now that Harry is the leader of Oscorp, he has been funding research for the nuclear scientist, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Octavius's goal is to perfect fusion power, and he creates and operates a harness equipped with several long, windy robotic arms that seem to take on a mind of their own. Unfortunately, due to a series of disasters, the arms are now sewn to his spinal-cord and have corrupted his mind and are now influencing his decisions and actions. Dr. Octavius, who will later be known as "Doc Ock," serves as the main villain in the story, as one can expect.
Parker not only must try and defeat Doc Ock, but must figure out how to get his spidey-legs working again after numerous web malfunctions, and has just learned that Mary Jane is engaged to an acclaimed astronaut. And don't even get him started about how he must continue to comfort his Aunt May, who is still grieving over the loss of her husband and Peter's uncle, as well as telling her the real truth about his death.
Speaking as a sizable fan of the original Spider-Man, the one part I mentioned in my review was that Raimi showed Parker's newly-discovered powers to be all fun and games with no consequences or brewing agony. It was a chockablock of excitement for him, and never once did the story showcase how these powers would've inevitably burdened Parker with a barrage of responsibility and tribulations. It almost seems Raimi and the writers left that part out on purpose, so they could center the sequel primarily around the agony of being a superhero. If that was their plan, their have succeeded, because not only is this one of the most riveting and entertaining superhero films, it is also one of the deepest.
Tobey Maguire, returning as Parker, bleeds charm and confidence in the role of a character that just has the charm part down. With the new Amazing Spider-Man film just released about two weeks ago, boasting the relatively new star Andrew Garfield in the central role, I can't help but remind readers who I believe is the real Peter Parker. Maguire's Parker has mastered the role of a shy nerd who lacks any and all confidence. Garfield's character was still in that nerd-position, but he was far more secure in his witticisms and his confidence. To me, Peter Parker is and always will be a nerd. Regardless of how tight and brazen his costume is.
When it came down to the villain of the original Spider-Man, unlike many people, I was satisfied that it was the Green Goblin. If anything, Willem Dafoe portrayed the character in a lot more of an eerie light than I assume many others actors would've. Doc Ock is a more impressive villain in every sense. Quite possibly one of the most enticing to watch on screen. The Goblin, no matter which way you examine him, is a rather stock villain. Ock's robotic arms make for a never-ending line of possibilities and events, and the action sequences involving him are stylish and crafty, perfectly complimenting the film itself as a whole.
Spider-Man 2 is a shivering example at what makes a great superhero film. It shows us what most of us want, which is explicitly entertaining action scenes, and the something extra I hope most of us crave, which is the humanity and exploration of the character. To show Parker's powers as a burden to him was a brilliant move on screenwriter Alvin Sargent's part (who would later go on to write the third part of this franchise and be one of the three to construct the new one) and Sam Raimi's. With a brain in its head and style on its side, this is one hell of a ride.
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, and Donna Murphy. Directed by: Sam Raimi.