“He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.” Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to my reflections on “Spider-Man 2”.
With the success of the first movie, it was obvious that not only would we get a sequel, but other comic book adaptations as well. In 2003, we had three comic book movies. There was “Daredevil”, “X-Men 2”, and “Hulk”. “Daredevil” was mediocre in fans eyes, although I highly recommend the director’s cut. “X-Men 2” proved to be entertaining and enjoyable than the first. And “Hulk” let’s just say was underwhelming. In 2004, we had “The Punisher” released. I think that one is underrated.
Which leads me to “Spider-Man 2”. This one I have a lot of memories with. For one, this was one of the first movies that I saw on opening day. What I remember about that was going to see it with my sister, my friend, and his family. We went all out, by getting there early, and getting a good seat. In fact, it was more packed than the first one.
I also remember one specific moment in this theater. Sitting next to me was this lady and her son. If I had to guess, he was probably around seven or eight. I remember thinking, “Crap. He’s probably going to ask a bunch of questions and scream loud whenever Spider-Man is on screen”. To my amazement, he was quiet the entire time. He never moved, nor did he make a sound. He was that enthralled. To whoever that lady is, you raised your child right. I hope he rewards you in your old age.
The second reason that this one is more memorable to me is this was the first movie in which I saw multiple times in the theater. For three weeks in a row, I saw this movie with multiple people. The first time I already mentioned. The second time was with my cousins. The third time I saw the movie with my Dad. It was a nice little routine. If I could drive and had more money at the time, I probably would have seen it every week if I wanted to.
The third reason is that this one feels like more than just a comic book movie. “Spider-Man 2” feels like an actual film. After a while, you forget that you’re watching a guy spinning webs through New York City. It even touches people who aren’t superhero fans. My grandparents even told me they liked the movie because it was so much more, especially with the drama between Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry.
And while we are on the characters, let’s focus on the villain, Otto Octavius. Alfred Molina does a phenomenal job as this character. What I liked him was he was of those rare comic book villains who isn’t too flashy or too cheesy. It was a pleasant change of pace from ones we had gotten previously. All he wanted to do was conduct his experiment because he had nothing else to strive for.
The action sequences are much better this time around. Like the bank sequence including a hilarious cameo by Joel McHale. Or what about the hospital scene when the surgeons are trying to remove the tentacles from Octavius? But I can’t do a reflection without bringing up the train sequence. It is easily one of the best action sequences and it still holds up to this day thirteen years later. I can’t do the scene justice. Go and watch it.
Now if you look at lists of top superhero movies, you will find this usually in the top three or even at the top of the list. The late Roger Ebert, who didn’t really care for the first one too much, said that “Spider-Man 2” was the best superhero movie he had seen since the first “Superman”. That’s putting the movie with some good company. But is it the superhero movie?
There is a lot of factors that put it in it’s favor. For one, it does something that a sequel rarely does, and that is improve on the original. Second, the stakes are higher than ever, plus you are left wondering what is going to happen. And third, it doesn’t feel like it drags on. It is everything you could ask for in a movie.
If you have gotten this far and still haven’t seen this movie, then what are you doing? Go see “Spider-Man 2”. Or if you haven’t seen it in a long time, re watch it again. After all, this will be the last good one of these we will see for a while. But that’s another story.
With the success of the first movie, it was obvious that not only would we get a sequel, but other comic book adaptations as well. In 2003, we had three comic book movies. There was “Daredevil”, “X-Men 2”, and “Hulk”. “Daredevil” was mediocre in fans eyes, although I highly recommend the director’s cut. “X-Men 2” proved to be entertaining and enjoyable than the first. And “Hulk” let’s just say was underwhelming. In 2004, we had “The Punisher” released. I think that one is underrated.
Which leads me to “Spider-Man 2”. This one I have a lot of memories with. For one, this was one of the first movies that I saw on opening day. What I remember about that was going to see it with my sister, my friend, and his family. We went all out, by getting there early, and getting a good seat. In fact, it was more packed than the first one.
I also remember one specific moment in this theater. Sitting next to me was this lady and her son. If I had to guess, he was probably around seven or eight. I remember thinking, “Crap. He’s probably going to ask a bunch of questions and scream loud whenever Spider-Man is on screen”. To my amazement, he was quiet the entire time. He never moved, nor did he make a sound. He was that enthralled. To whoever that lady is, you raised your child right. I hope he rewards you in your old age.
The second reason that this one is more memorable to me is this was the first movie in which I saw multiple times in the theater. For three weeks in a row, I saw this movie with multiple people. The first time I already mentioned. The second time was with my cousins. The third time I saw the movie with my Dad. It was a nice little routine. If I could drive and had more money at the time, I probably would have seen it every week if I wanted to.
The third reason is that this one feels like more than just a comic book movie. “Spider-Man 2” feels like an actual film. After a while, you forget that you’re watching a guy spinning webs through New York City. It even touches people who aren’t superhero fans. My grandparents even told me they liked the movie because it was so much more, especially with the drama between Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry.
And while we are on the characters, let’s focus on the villain, Otto Octavius. Alfred Molina does a phenomenal job as this character. What I liked him was he was of those rare comic book villains who isn’t too flashy or too cheesy. It was a pleasant change of pace from ones we had gotten previously. All he wanted to do was conduct his experiment because he had nothing else to strive for.
The action sequences are much better this time around. Like the bank sequence including a hilarious cameo by Joel McHale. Or what about the hospital scene when the surgeons are trying to remove the tentacles from Octavius? But I can’t do a reflection without bringing up the train sequence. It is easily one of the best action sequences and it still holds up to this day thirteen years later. I can’t do the scene justice. Go and watch it.
Now if you look at lists of top superhero movies, you will find this usually in the top three or even at the top of the list. The late Roger Ebert, who didn’t really care for the first one too much, said that “Spider-Man 2” was the best superhero movie he had seen since the first “Superman”. That’s putting the movie with some good company. But is it the superhero movie?
There is a lot of factors that put it in it’s favor. For one, it does something that a sequel rarely does, and that is improve on the original. Second, the stakes are higher than ever, plus you are left wondering what is going to happen. And third, it doesn’t feel like it drags on. It is everything you could ask for in a movie.
If you have gotten this far and still haven’t seen this movie, then what are you doing? Go see “Spider-Man 2”. Or if you haven’t seen it in a long time, re watch it again. After all, this will be the last good one of these we will see for a while. But that’s another story.