The Webslinger Returns

Rating: 7/10 (30 June 2004)

Tobey Maguire is back in action as Spiderman in the sequel to the original blockbuster hit. But this time he faces a new villain, Dr. Octopus. An experiment attempting to tap into the power of fusion energy goes awry. Dr. Otto Octavius is then transformed into a maniacal creature controlled via an input into his brain by the artificial intelligence of four mechanical arms welded onto him. It is unclear why the arms were needed for his fusion energy project though.
Multiple SPOILERS below.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker just can't seem to get a break. His alternate lifestyle as Spiderman is costing him his job, his grades, and most of all the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). She has given up waiting on Peter and plans to wed an officer.
At the same time and almost as some supernatural message, Spiderman begins to lose his "spidey powers". He no longer is able to sling webs, climb walls, have perfect vision, and superhuman strength. Peter Parker takes this as a sign that maybe he no longer is no longer supposed to be Spiderman. Maybe he has a choice to decide who he is to be.
With that thought in mind, Peter abandons his superhero lifestyle. His new carefree attitude has him leaving crime to the cops as Spiderman has quit the job. He intends to live a normal life and confess his love for Mary Jane.
But just as soon as he has altered his perspective on life, he receives some wise words from his Aunt May. She wonders where Spiderman has gone, as heroes give people hope and courage. They give the promise of a better tomorrow. In each of us is a hero who can do the right thing even if it means giving up our dreams. For Peter, this is a life of fighting crime and losing Mary Jane. He realizes protecting the city is more important.
Harry Osborn, whose father was killed by Spiderman in the original, has struck a bargain with Dr. Octopus by agreeing to give him a crucial element of the fusion project he is reconstructing in return for bringing Spiderman to him. The ensuing battle between Octopus and Spiderman is riddled with action. But what is most shocking is that our superhero is unmasked before and entire group of passengers on a train. His efforts at trying to save the train from peril and the physical stress he endures mark his care and concern for helping others. The passengers agree to keep his identity a secret as the admiration for Spiderman endures.
Taken captive and returned to Harry Osborne, Spiderman is unmasked just before a knife is about to be plunged into him. Harry is overcome by shock that the entire time it was his best friend that was his father's murderer. Spiderman escapes and quickly flees to save the city from the destructive energy of Dr. Octopus' fusion project.
Mary Jane remains hostage (again) as Spiderman battles with the mad scientist in a decrepit warehouse on the river. But Dr. Octopus' defeat is in Spiderman's reminder that intelligence is to be used for the good of mankind. The mechanical arms were controlling him for evil purposes. Intent on not dying a monster, Dr. Octavius destroys his fusion project, sinking it into the river.
Unmasked before Mary Jane for the first time stands Peter Parker as Spiderman. They confess their love for one another but Peter knows he cannot allow her to share a life with him where she would be put into danger. Their love can never be.
On her wedding day, Mary Jane looks into her heart for the truest answer of "I do." She finds that the answer is with Peter Parker. She jilts the officer she is supposed to marry and runs to Peter's slum apartment. There she tells him that she has a choice too. She is the one who can choose for herself a life of risk in order to be with him. It is her decision. Ironically she has already been abducted twice due to her friendship with Peter.
And so Hollywood has another happy ending. In the conclusion we are given a sneak peak into the birth of The Green Goblin as Harry Osborn finds a secret arsenal of his father's Hobgoblin weapons. While this is an unlikely event it is even more so that Harry would run his father's company with a board of directors involved. While this movie has just as much action as the original, the love story is not as memorable. What this sequel does and does well is to further develop Spiderman as a human being with all the same emotions, flaws, and conflicts that afflict us all. And his triumph over some and ability to weather other human aspects are what truly define him as a superhero.