Product: Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Rating: 4.0
Fan of the Comic Appreciates the Film
From a one-time owner of Spider-Man #6 on, and someone who is not a fan of bombastic Hollywood mega-films, this is high praise - it's good. The emotional life of the characters, which is what always distinguished Marvel's best work from other comics, is ripened (even over-ripened) for the film. It's done with love and care, and except for young Harry (callow actor instead of the performance of a callow character) it's very well cast. I kept hoping Donna Murphy would be regenerated too, she's much too interesting to die so quickly. The shifting camera expands on the original artwork of Steve Ditko who thought in odd camera angles. Rosemary Harris is eerily like the Ditko Aunt May, and like Alec Guiness in "Star Wars" it's her fate now to be remembered for this instead of a lifetime of great stage work. Hopefully well paid. In the comic there was usually some rather bitter comic moment to break the pathos and the opening section could use one, as Peter begins to take on Job or Christ dimensions of burden, but the tone is just right otherwise. There is a strange quality of several sequences filmed and played is if they were dreams (the child lifting Peter in the fire) without explanation, but the consistancy of it becomes the style. For an adult movie-goer, this genre from Hollywood is never going to be any better. Which is high praise and criticism at once. This fan suggests the Sandman would make for spectacular effects in another sequel; too bad Joseph Cotton isn't around to play him (Ditko's drawing resembled a squared off version of the 40s star).