Movie Review – Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The smash hit of 2002′s Spider-Man virtually guaranteed that Hollywood would give the fans a sequel. 2003′s record-breaking X2: X-Men United would only further fuel this thirst for another a sequel to Spider-Man.
Released on June 30, 2004, Spider-Man 2 thrilled the superhero audiences once again. Spider-Man was back, and this sequel was bigger and better than its prequel.
Once again directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man 2 brought back the cast of the first Spider-Man film. Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco all reprise their roles in the first movie. Spider-Man 2 also brings along Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus.
Set in New York City, Spider-Man 2 picks up where Spider-Man finished.
Peter Parker’s (Toby Maguire) life is harder than ever as he tries to juggle a part-time job and his college classes, all while saving people and stopping criminals while disguised as Spider-Man. In addition, Parker is trying to improve his relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Mary Jane finally got herself into acting, and she’s trying to get Peter to see her perform on stage.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
We see Peter Parker try to make it as a pizza deliveryman. His only problem is that while rushing to delivery the pizzas, people keep needing the help of Spider-Man. Parker is forced to don the costume and save people, all while racing the clock to make his delivery on time. He ultimately fails with the delivery and loses yet another job. Parker’s financial problems double at home as Aunt May is facing foreclosure from the bank.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
While Peter Parker struggles to make it on his own, his friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco), is now employed at Oscorp and head of its research division. He arranges for Peter to meet Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a brilliant nuclear scientist and one of Parker’s idols.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
One evening, Parker finally tries to make it to one of Mary Jane’s shows. Just as he’s about to arrive, criminals get in the way. Peter is forced to become Spider-Man to save a bunch of innocent people and stop the criminals. He succeeds, but it costs him too much time. After arriving at the theater, the doorman (another cameo by Bruce Campbell) refuses to allow Peter to enter the theater. The doors are closed, and nobody is allowed to enter after that point. On stage, Mary Jane notices the empty seat that Peter promised to occupy. Disheartened that he again failed to show, she accepts it that her longtime friend is too unreliable.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Dr. Otto Octavius later stages his demonstration of fusion power. Peter Parker is there, amongst a crowd of other people, as a photographer for the Daily Bugle. To help him with his nuclear fusion experiment, Dr. Octavius uses four robotic arms to assist him. The artifically-intelligent arms are attached to his spine. At first the fusion experiment is successful, but then things spiral out of control. Dr. Octavius refuses to stop it, believing that he can still control the experiment. Spider-Man tries to stop the experiment, but Dr. Octavius attacks him. Things ultimately go haywire and Dr. Octavius’s wife is killed. The robotic arms then become fused to Dr. Octavius’s back, and the sensor that protects his brain from the arms is destroyed. Dr. Octavius is taken to a hospital. While the doctors attempt to free him from the arms, the arms come alive and kill the doctors and nurses. Dr. Octavius then awakens and starts listening to the arms, giving in to their demands. He decides to proceed with a larger version of his fusion experiment no matter what it costs.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
After the failed experiment, Peter Parker tries to help Aunt May refinance her house. Things don’t go well at the bank. While they’re talking to a mortgage broker, the now partially insane Dr. Octavius (now known as Doctor Octopus) arrives and robs the bank. Spider-Man quickly arrives, and he and Doc Ock fight inside and outside the bank. Doctor Octopus uses Aunt May as a shield as he and Spider-Man fight along the walls of neighboring buildings. Spider-Man ultimately saves Aunt May, but it’s a struggle as Spidey’s powers are slowly failing. Yes, that’s a cameo by Spider-Man’s creator, Stan Lee, as a man who rescues a woman from falling debris.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
While photographing J. Jonah Jameson’s (J. K. Simmons) party, Peter Parker learns that Mary Jane has a new boyfriend — John Jameson, astronaut and son of Daily Bugle editor, J. Jonah Jameson. To make matters worse, Mary Jane accepts John’s marriage proposal at that party. Distraught, Peter Parker heads out into the city to clear his mind. While swinging around as Spider-Man, he realizes that his powers are weaker than ever. He seeks advice from a doctor, and the doctor recommends finding a way to take the stress out of his life. Parker follows the advice and gives up being Spider-Man. His personal life improves tremendously as he ignores the cries for help and the increasing crime rate.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
It’s while watching a man get mugged in an alley when Peter Parker realizes that the innocent people of the city still need his protection. One day he finds himself facing an apartment building on fire. There are cries for help, but the firefighters know that they won’t be able to get to the people in time. Peter Parker quickly enters the building and manages to save a child, but after back on the street, he hears the firefighters talking about how one of the victims didn’t make it out of there alive. Parker takes on the guilt knowing that he failed to save all the victims of the fire.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
During this time, Harry Osborn hires Doctor Octopus to bring him Spider-Man alive. He wants to finish him off and seek his revenge. As a reward, Harry promises to help him with the supplies for his nuclear fusion project. While trying to fix his relationship with Mary Jane, Doctor Octopus attacks Peter Parker and kidnaps Mary Jane. The attack on Mary Jane suddenly inspires Peter, and he sees that all of his powers are back. He becomes Spider-Man again and pursues Doctor Octopus. The two of them fight on an elevated train car. Doc Ock wrecks the controls, and it’s up to Spider-Man to find a way to stop the speeding train from crashing at the end of the tracks. Spider-Man does so, but it nearly kills him in the end.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
After stopping the train, Doctor Octopus appears again. He captures Spider-Man and takes him to Harry’s house. Harry draws a dagger, but before he kills Spider-Man, he removes his mask. Harry Osborn is shocked to see that it’s his friend, Peter Parker. Parker convinces him to let him go. Harry does, and Spider-Man is off to the abandoned warehouse on the river to rescue Mary Jane.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – (c) Columbia Pictures
At the abandoned warehouse, Dr. Octavius is set to conduct his nuclear fusion experiment once again, but on a much larger scale. Just as the experiment is beginning, Spider-Man arrives to save Mary Jane. He fights with Doctor Octopus as the fusion experiment grows, becoming increasingly unstable again. Spider-Man beats Doctor Octopus and ultimately saves Mary Jane from the fusion reaction. Dr. Octavius regains his mind and again thinks like his old brilliant self. Dr. Octavius uses his arms to collapse the building into the river, drowning the fusion reaction and sacrificing himself in the process.
While being rescued, Mary Jane sees Spider-Man unmasked and quickly learns why Peter Parker couldn’t be with her. Peter warns her that she can’t be with him because of his enemies. On the day of her wedding with John Jameson, Mary Jane leaves John and pledges her love to Peter Parker instead, knowing full well of the risks that await her. Meanwhile, Harry Osborn learns of his father’s identity as the Green Goblin. He’s left wondering about his father’s pleas to kill Peter Parker.
Spider-Man 2 is not just a great superhero movie, but a fantastic movie as a whole. The emotions alone with Peter Parker’s and Aunt May’s struggles will send you on a roller coaster ride. Just when things are at their absolute lowest, the movie valiantly lifts the characters and gives you a worthy ending to an already great movie.
Dr. Octavius makes a fantastic bad guy in Spider-Man 2. You actually feel for him with the loss of his wife, and again with being a victim to the robotic arms. But it’s the robotic arms that helps make Doctor Octopus such a cool bad guy. Here’s a person who is not only a brilliant nuclear engineer, but he can scale any structure and wreck an incredible amount of damage when fighting. He can’t spin a web, but with the arms he’s one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies.
Spider-Man 2 comes close to answering the question of what it’s really like to survive while being a superhero. Not only survive, but to be a self-sustaining college student as well. As we see through the challenges faced by Peter Parker, living the life of a masked hero isn’t as glamorous as it appears. Underneath the masked hero is an ordinary person struggling to live a regular life. It’s tough. Sooner or later the hero has to ask himself, is it worth it?
That’s part of the reason why Spider-Man 2 is such a great movie. It doesn’t just tell an interesting story. The movie goes further as Peter Parker’s character finds the inner strength to make the personal sacrifices to save those in need.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – movie trailer
If you love the superhero movies, Spider-Man 2 is a must see. If you love good movies in general, Spider-Man 2 is also a must see.
Dr. Otto Octavius – “Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts.”