The PRICE of a Hero

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 2004)

Sacrifice. Peter Parker gave up much when he chose a life of responsibility as Spider-Man. His best friend now holds him in contempt because of his 'relationship' with Spider-Man (photographer). The girl he loves has moved on, and is marrying another man. His Aunt May is destitute, and forced into selling her home. Peter himself is completely stressed by his dual life; unable to keep a job or up with his studies.
Choice. Can life be better for Peter? Doesn't he deserve a life as Peter Parker? With his powers failing, can abandoning the role of Spider-Man make life better for Peter Parker? Indeed, it can. Refusing to shoulder the world's burdens anymore makes life better for him. However, it is far from perfect, as his Aunt still faces financial trouble, Mary Jane is still marrying another man, and even a trial by fire shows he still can't take on the world't burdens alone - or get perfect results.
Destiny. In the end, nobody can avoid their destiny. Peter eventually finds redemption as a hero, taking a terrible beating to save many innocents, who recognize the hero he is, even if he's just a kid. Harry Osborn finds himself confronted with demons too terrible to face as he begins his path toward a dark future. Mary Jane finds her destiny after a long trail of false paths.
In the end, secrets are revealed - and many characters proceed to make choices based on those secrets. Is Peter just Peter, his he Spider-Man, or can there possibly be a balance between his two lives? Is Harry Peter's friend or Spider-Man's enemy - and what mirror to the past clouds his future? What about Mary Jane - doesn't she deserve some kind of informed choice about her own destiny?
Oh, what about Doctor Octopus? A villain to be sure, but really only a vehicle to clarify the struggles of the main characters. The story is about the inner conflicts of the main characters, and while Octopus has his own demons to battle (and serves as an excellent person to foce the conflicts), his role is almost incidental other than that.
An extremely good sequel that develops the characters while providing entertainment - and setting up the next films in the series.