More Human than Spider. Troubled Peter Parker languishes through Spider Man II

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2005)

In the second installment of the adaption of the Marvel comic book hero's saga. Peter Parker ( Tobey Maguire ) is exhausted and disillusioned at the prospect of continuing his double life as his alter ego Spider Man. Beset with financial troubles and lovesick for his childhood sweetheart Mary Jane Watson, Portrayed modestly by beauty Kirsten Dunst. Fearing he can never be with Mary Jane and protect her from Spider Man's mortal enemies at the same time, He sets out to try and erase Spider Man from his consciousness. But there are plenty of pitfalls along the way. And the more Parker tries to keep things calm, the more catastrophes flare up. Most of them just aching for the return of the wall crawler. And when yet another mad scientist is hideously altered by a benign experiment gone awry, there is never any real doubt that Spidey will return. Otto Octavious or Doc Ock, one of Spider Man's main nemesis in the best selling comic book, is portrayed with maniacal intellect by Alfred Molina. A fine actor who has had excellent rolls in lots of top notch films including 'Boogie Nights' and 'Magnolia' but will probably always be remembered as 'Moody' in the docudrama 'Not without my daughter.' If I did have a problem with this film it would be with Mcquire. If you're going to remain true to the gist of the comic book, which I think this movie otherwise does an excellent job of. You'd have to also remain true to the Peter Parker character. Peter Parker was not a nerd. He was a shy young man who blossomed through the lessons he learned as the incredibly powerful Spider Man. Mcquire looks to me like a real nerd, and therefore he has no room or way to blossom. I think they could have fit someone hunkier with a set of horn rimmed glasses at the beginning and convinced me that they had bulked up through web slinging and grown up through crime fighting while still looking like a movie star. In Mcquire's defense, playing a super hero can be difficult, because it is so outrageous to think that someone could ever posses superpowers, left alone make anyone believe a real human being would choose these reactions to the world in their situation. And he is credible inside this theory. I'm not saying Tobey Mcquire is an incompetent actor, I'm saying he is wrong for this roll. He is simply too milk toast for my tastes. Especially when he's attempting to court the beautiful Dunst. Who's elegance leaves no doubt as to why Spidey would prefer to be human. There are lots of pluses though. Molina is a strong and convincing villain. And the special effects are an absolute wonder. The entire effects crew received an Academy Award for their efforts and it's easy to see why. The deadly artificial limbs sported by Doc Ock, are as convincing as they are terrifying. Whether he's walking down the street, climbing a wall or battling the wall crawler toe to toe, it is a breathtaking spectacle. I have never seen a film, including the amazing 'Star Wars' sequels, which could boast effects as realistic and stunning as these. For fans of this genre there is no drop off from Spider Man to Spider Man II. It is much more like another issue than it is a sequel and this is a credit to the brain trust behind this engine whether or not they meant to present it this way. They tease you with the human struggle, then knock your noggin off with thrilling action. This is a blockbuster worth every penny. Don't miss it. 8 out of a possible 10 T.H.