Spider-Man rocks!

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2008)

Spider-Man 2 is one of the best super hero movies ever. Peter Parker is still dealing with the dichotomy with being a super-hero. He loves and hates it at the same time. On the one hand, he realizes "with great power comes great responsibility," but he still wants his own life. It seems that every promise made to others he cares about is broken because of his self-imposed "responsibility." He cannot hold a job because he felt compelled to stop a robbery. He misses Mary Jane's play for a similar occasion. Adding insult to injury, is the fact that his powers are misfiring. He keeps losing his mastery of equilibrium, he cannot stick to walls, and he cannot sling his web. Frustrated, he packs up being Spider-Man. But is it for the best? At the same time, Doctor Octavius is trying to show Peter Parker the mastery of fusion power. It could solve the world's energy problem, mostly by copying the power of the sun. His robotic arms used to control the experiment fuse with his spinal cord and brain functions, giving the scientist a split personality. Now, he is controlled by the artificial intelligence of his robotic arms. Doc Ock needs a special element to continued his experiments. Only a vindictive Harry Osborne has. Since he wants Spider-Man dead, Doc Ock has to kill Spidey to get his precious metal. At the outset, this movie does so well in giving us super-heroes who we care about. The characters and story do not take precedence over the special effects. Director Sam Raimi does well in making Mary Jane, Harry Osborne, Peter Parker, and even Aunt May believable as real people. This is probably the best strength. We identify with them because they have the same problems we do. Aunt May cannot meet mortgage requirements, Peter can't pay rent, Harry turns to alcohol after an abysmal failure, and Mary Jane is frustrated with Peter's lack of commitment. Probably the best scene that shows this believability is when Peter confides in Aunt May. In fact, I think Rosemary Harris does a fantastic job, giving this background character real strength. I also liked the way Doc Ock was given some depth and intrigue. As a villain, he is smart, powerful, and strong. Even more intriguing is how he meets his demise, which will surprise the audience. However, the action and special effects are the topping on the cake. The fight scenes between Spidey and Doc Ock are incredibly fantastic, giving such intricate detail that will even wow a CGI specialist. One of those involves Spidey trying to save Aunt May from Doc Ock atop a high building. A better scene involves the two opponents fighting atop a moving elevated train. In any case, Spider-Man 2 is the best of the series, and probably the best super-hero movie ever ... so far.