A great story with an even greater movie

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2005)

Blockbuster summer movies always carry with them a "harder they fall" risk. Fortunately, this movie avoids that trap, and is one of the most visually compelling action movies of all time. That it has a plot which could survive without the special effects only makes it that much more compelling.
The movie begins a few years after the last one ends, with Peter Parker, ever-troubled super-hero, unsuccessfully attempts to juggle his studies, some throwaway jobs, and his duties as a superhero. Spidey may be a superhero, but he's also human (one major appeal of Spiderman in general is the scientific basis for how the heroes and villains got their powers), and never is this more apparent as in the beginning of the movie, when his life comes apart at the wheels. Something has to give, so Peter decides to sell Spidey's costume to J. Jonah Jameson (the Spidey-hating, uber-thrifty editor of the Bugle)for some walkaround money. The custome becomes a trophy for Jameson, who gloats over running Spidey out of NYC in his paper. J.K. Simmons turns in the best performance of the movie if one considers just how well he brought the one-dimensional Jonah to life.
After Spidey (Toby MacGuire) quits, of course, a supervillain arrives on the scene to drag him out of retirement. "Doc Ock," as he is called, winds up with four metallic tentacles (arms) attached to his body that do his evil bidding after his experiment for "perpetual fusion" (read: cheap electricity) goes wrong and begins sucking the world into its reactor (the way the sun would). With no more funding from Harry Osborne to get the "Tridium" (what makes the reactor run), the Doc decides to do whatever it takes to continue his work: that means getting more Tridium from Harry, but to do this, Harry makes a deal that he will only trade it for Spiderman.
Spiderman presents himself for the battle, but his powers have been on the fritz, and begin letting him down in some painful ways (such as in midair, when his webbing no longer works). Peter Parker (Spidey's alter ego) even consults a doctor and frames the problem as a dream, and is told that Spidey's problem is more likely stress and exhaustion. This is underscored by his powers still partially working, and it is established that Spidey just needs to find his groove again. With Doc Ock wreaking havoc, and with MJ (Kirsten Dunst) moving on with her life, and with his financial difficulties, this is not going to be easy.
Peter tries to adjust to life as a normal civilian, but every time he witnesses a crime, he hears duty calling, and he can't break from the past. Compounding his difficulty is that while he was "on break" from being Spidey, Peter misled MJ into thinking he had changed, which only furthers the rift between the two (MJ is set to marry Jonah's hunky astronaut son). Needless to say, we get a climax, a native's-eye view of New Yorkers (including one very ungrateful man on a runaway subway car who derides Peter's attempt to stop it), and some very touching scenes involving Aunt Mae, who shows that when called upon, even she can fight the bad guys effectively.
This movie excels in the same way as the entire Spiderman series: Peter Parker is so much like most of us that we actually could see ourselves doing what he does, and he also shows that having Superpowers, while not entirely a curse, definitely do not solve one's life problems. In fact, the only time Parker is decisive and without doubt is when he is in costume, and the only uncertainty he feels about that is part of the larger issue of whether or not he is harming himself by saving the world. The moral dilemma is common among activists in that they routinely have to sacrifice personal gains for the greater good, leaving them with the feeling that when they were invited to life's party by God, they were handed a broom and told to clean up the mess created by everyone's fun.
Normally it would be a negative to say that the actors portrayed their characters as if they were from the comics, but since this movie is based on the comics, that is yet another plus. Dunst is particularly adept at bringing MJ to life in this way: she really acts as if she were hurtled into this universe from the pages of a cartoon.
One would have to have lived in NYC for a long time to appreciate the subtlety with which the city is brought to life. New Yorkers are portrayed in the movie as selfish and into themselves, but also able to rise to the occasion when required to, showing a level of humanity and compassion that can only be understood by natives. On the train, Peter loses his mask in the course of saving everyone, and it is clearly understood that despite the large size of the crowd who has now seen Spidey, that no one will ever breach his confidence. This is New York at its best. I also love the way the movie didn't rename New York, and instead embraced the city rather than alluding to it. Without this characteristic, the movie would have been far less entertaining. One minor part of the film served a double purpose, as it showcased a NYC street musician who happened to be playing the old Spidey theme from the TV cartoons on her violin.
Not only is this movie a "must see," but it is a must-see even in a group of a dozen other "must see" films. If there is anyone out there who doesn't like this movie, I'd be interested in hearing why. I can't think of a single reason why anyone would finish watching this movie and feel like the time and money spent were not worth it.