Saturday, July 10, 2004

Spider-Man 2


Year: 2004
Dir: Sam Raimi
Screenplay: Alvin Sargent
Comic: Marvel

Stars: TOBEY MAGUIRE, Alfred Molina, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J K Simmons.

It’s been two years since Spider-Man scurried onto our screens and helped move the superhero genre up from mediocre to excellent. If you didn’t catch Spidey (Tobey Maguire) the first time around, or have simply forgotten what all the fuss was about, the clever opening credits deliver a comic strip ‘previously on’ device, bringing you straight up to speed.

Yes Spider-Man’s back. But this time, he’s got a lot on his mind. With trouble at work and on the college front not to mention his best friend Harry (James Franco) going all self-destructive on him the last thing he needs is another mad scientist, ready to blow up half of New York City. Unfortunately that’s exactly what he gets in the guise of ‘Doc Ock’… Alfred Molina, showing us he can do more than period drama.

If there was a problem with the last movie, perhaps the all -too-plastic Goblin or the in-your-face CGI, here is where the smooth directing skills of Sam Raimi make amends. What begins as predictable stuff soon turns into an excitingly well-crafted movie.

There is a lot of emphasis on Peter Parker’s internal struggle and its dialogue is heavy in parts, but that said, just as it gets a little too much, BAM! You’re thrown straight back into the action. From a runaway high-speed train, to pirouetting car crashes, there’s something for everyone. All this accompanied by popular music and a more than intentional nod to the TV series.

As a more authentic super hero, Spider-Man is the kind that can save New York City and still have time to wash his costume at the laundrette. And Peter Parker shows us that it’s cool to be uncool even when you have to use the elevator. Definitely worth waiting for!

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