March Marvel Madness: SPIDER-MAN 2

Greetings, True Believers! Welcome to March Marvel Madness! Every day this month, I'll be looking back on a theatrically-released movie based on the characters of Marvel Comics. It's all to commemorate the April 4th release of the next Marvel film adventure, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.


He's back!

Tobey Maguire returns as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He's also Peter Parker, and he's not having that swell a time. He's behind in school, can't hold down a job, is always late with rent, he's always worrying about his Aunt May, and he can't tell the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst returning), how he feels. As if things can't get any worse, his best friend, Harry (James Franco), has it out for his alter-ego. All of this effects his powers and wears on his soul, and Parker begins to wonder if being Spider-Man is worth it anymore. And on top of that, Peter's idol, Doctor Octavious (Alfred Molina), gets caught in a science experiment gone wrong, and emerges as New York's newest super-villian, Doctor Octopus.

Spider-Man 2 came out in the summer of 2004, and I- like everyone else- went nuts over it.  Seeing Doc Ock on the big screen was childhood wish-fulfillment realized, but Molina was also the perfect choice to play him. The returning cast all stepped up their game, the visual effects were astounding, and, man, did that last line have me cheering. Also, for me personally, it was great to see Sam Raimi make a Spider-Man film that looked more like one of his pictures. I was in agreement with the rest of the world that it was better than the first movie.

Ten years later, Spider-Man 2 still has me cheering. Much like the original film, it has remained timeless. It has every bit of the quality and heart, and is every bit a living, breathing comic book as the original. I still think this is one of the greatest Marvel movies, but for a different reason now. Looking at it today, this film really isn't a sequel at all. Whereas X2: X-Men United was a film that improved on its predecessor, Spider-Man 2 feels like the second half of one giant Spider-Man epic. I don't feel the need to rank one over the other.  Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 should really be taken in as a whole, and as such, remains one of Marvel's greatest cinematic accomplishments.

Spider-Man 2
5 out of 5 Cap shields