Product: Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Rating: 4.0
How All Superhero Movies Should Be Made...
This movie blew my mind away. When I first heard that the villian was going to be Dr. Octopus, I was thoroughly disappointed, especially considering that many of the rumours involved Venom, Carnage, and some of Spider-Man's more colorful cast of villians. That being said, the way Dr. Octopus was portrayed was magnificient, especially the way with which Peter meets Dr. Octavius as a student at Columbia University. What drove this film (other than the terribly miscast Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson), was the notion that being a hero is as much a question of mental fortitude as it is a question of super-powers (although those help as well). Tobey Maguire makes the perfect Peter Parker, awkward yet affable. The opening scene where he tries to deliver pizzas before Sal's 30-minute guarantee expires, shows a full range of emotion - from excitement to pure disappointment at having lost yet another job. When Peter is released from his repsonsibilities as Spider-Man, a newfound joy enters his life and he is finally able to pursue without abandon both his studies and the girl next door - Mary Jane. I really can't say more positive things about this movie. I think I would have given it 4 stars if Kirsten Dunst was not in the movie, as well as if a better sense of Peter's homelife was provided. This sequel is leaps and bounds better than the original and something that you can lie back and enjoy on a weekday night after a long day of work.