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Movie Review - Spider-Man 2
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Sam Raimi |
| Starring: |
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, and Rosemary Harris |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for stylized action violence) |
| Length: |
127 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Comic Book |
| Website: |
Spider-Man 2 |
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PLOT
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Things aren't going so well for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. As Peter Parker (Maguire), he is
trying to hold down two jobs and go to school. But being Spider-Man keeps getting in his way. He is fired
from his job as a pizza delivery guy because he had to stop and help the cops catch a couple crooks on
his way to deliver some pizzas. He was late getting the pizzas delivered, and that meant the customer got
them free. He can't pay his rent. He's turning in assignments late and risking failing his classes. And
worst of all, it all seems to be affecting his Spidey powers.
But when his best friend, and secret love, Mary Jane Watson (Dunst), turns against him because he isn't
being a good friend to her, he decides he will be Spider-Man no more. Of course, that means a big bad guy
will cause trouble and force him to be Spider-Man again in order to save Mary Jane.
Meanwhile, his other best friend, Harry Osborne (Franco), is on the hunt for Spider-Man, determined to get
revenge on the man he believes killed his father. Harry is running Os-Corp now, and when a brilliant
scientist becomes the victim of an experiment gone wrong, Harry enlists the new villain to capture Spider-Man
and bring him to him - and as the movie unfolds, more action, drama, and hilarity than your Spidey-sense can
handle ensues!
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MS. CALI'S TAKE
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Preface: Miss Cali's boyfriend left on the morning of Wednesday, June 30, 2004,
to visit his family on the other side of the country for a week. These plans were made before Miss Cali
and the boy realized the release date for Spider-Man 2. Upon realization, Miss Cali made the boy promise
he would not go see the movie while he was home, but would wait and see it with her when he got back.
Then Miss Cali realized there would be a 12:01 AM showing the day the movie opened, and they could go see
it before he left. So Miss Cali stayed up HOURS past her bedtime to see this movie.
Johnny: See, Stephanie, I'm not the only one who thinks
some movies are just plain better when seen together!
Spider-Man 2 is a brilliant sequel to the first. Most reviewers are saying it's even better than the
first, with several saying it's the best superhero movie ever. So far, only I, and a DJ on one of LA's
biggest radio stations, disagree. (For the record, the best superhero movie ever is X-Men 2).
That's not to say that Spider-Man isn't every bit as good as the reviewers are saying, because it is. I
just happen to think the first one is better than they say. Spidey-2 has a great villain in the form of
Doctor Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus, or Doc Ock if you will). The effects are great in this one,
especially Doc Ock's artificial intelligence arms. The fight scenes are better than in the first one but
also a little more violent; nothing gory or bloody though.
The best thing about this movie is definitely Tobey Maguire. As Peter tries to decide what direction his
life should go in next, Maguire shows incredible vulnerability.
The story is well-written, incorporating some humor into the drama that is Peter Parker's life. One
memorable scene features a great musical montage as Peter tries to get his life back to normal. But can
he really ever be normal?
Followers of the comic book storylines will know what's going on as Harry struggles with his conflicting
feelings about Spider-Man and Peter Parker, but others might be surprised at the twist that comes near the
end. I was a bit disappointed that this movie did not deal with that as much, but the third movie is set
up very nicely.
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JOHNNY'S TWO CENTS
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"Spider-Man 2" is a great, fun movie. The special effects are some of the best I've seen. I was especially
glad to see that the effects of Spider-Man webbing his way around the city looked a lot less CGI-ish than in
the first. When the action is going, then this movie is hard to beat in terms of pure fun. I also liked the
bits of comic relief. The elevator scene with Spider-Man is great, but J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson steals
the show. I laughed at just about every one of his lines. He is perfectly cast. But I have a few complaints
that keep me from giving "Spider-Man 2" a perfect score:
- Kirsten Dunst can't act. Well, if she can, then she sure didn't show it in this movie. She showed NO EMOTION
whatsoever, and she and Tobey Maguire demonstrated NO CHEMISTRY at all. Whenever she'd spew out a "Go get 'em,
Tiger" line, my eyes started rolling like a slot machine. I honestly couldn't have cared less if they got
together.
- There are too many close-ups of Maguire and Dunst. Personally, I don't think Dunst (Skeletor, as I like to
call her) is attractive. You may call this shallow, but if they insist on showing extreme close-ups of actors,
then I'd like to not be repulsed.
- I thought Molina's PORTRAYAL of Dr. Octopus was very good, and I really like the character. Unfortunately,
every time I saw Molina with his shirt off I burst out laughing. Couldn't he have gotten in at least a little
shape? Seeing Dr. Octopus' man boobs flapping around isn't very intimidating. I laughed especially hard when he
was walking around in his wife beater and white pants. What was THAT?? Doc Ock was cooler than the Green Goblin,
but Willem Dafoe had a better look than Molina.
- James Franco (as Harry Osborne) was underused. He's the best actor in this movie, and you know what, he
actually SHOWED SOME EMOTION! Personally, I would've preferred Franco as Spider-Man (I know Stephanie agrees,
believe me), but I guess Peter Parker is supposed to be a bit of a dweeb, and well, Maguire definitely fits
that part. But Franco should've been given more to do. Hopefully he'll have a bigger role in the next one,
and I'll pray that Dunst gets lost in the shuffle.
Don't get me wrong; "Spider-Man 2" is a fast-paced, entertaining movie that I'd recommend to everybody. Not only
will I add it to my DVD collection one day, but I also wouldn't mind seeing it at the theater again. But let's
lighten up on the Maquire/Dunst close-ups, give Franco more to do, and please, somebody find Alfred Molina a
stinkin' shirt!
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Kate Hudson turned down the role of Mary Jane Watson for her role in "The Four Feathers." Too bad. I'd
take her over Dunst any day.
- Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, Chris Cooper, Sam Neill, and Christopher Walken reportedly were all possibilities
for the role of Dr. Octopus.
- John Jameson (the astronaut son of J. Jonah Jameson) is the Man-Wolf in the comics.
- Peter Parker's professor, Dr. Curt Connors, becomes the Lizard in the comics and is a possible villain for
Spider-Man 3.
Mark-Out Scene of the Movie: There are a lot of very cool fight/action scenes, but I'm
gonna have to go with the fight scene on top of the train and the subsequent results.
Mark-Out Remark: J. Jonah Jameson with, "Get me a violin." He says this to his
secretary in response to Peter Parker's whining about needing money. The delivery is perfect.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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There's a lot of fighting in the movie, but nothing gory or gruesome. I think Mama could handle this. I
wouldn't take very young children to see this, but kids over 8 or 9 probably would be fine with it. I
don't remember much bad language, and the romance is definitely G rated - nothing more than a few kisses
here and there.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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If you've seen the trailer, or read the reviews, and thought, "Man, I have to see that movie! It looks
AWESOME man!" then you will like this movie. If you see the trailer and think, "That looks stupid. Why
would I want to see that?" then you're just crazy and there's no help for you.
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THE GIST
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"Spider-Man 2" is a great superhero movie, and a great movie. While I don't agree with the reviewers
who say it's the best superhero movie of all time, or that it's better than the first, I still give
it a full 5 marks. This is one I will pay to see in the theater again - at least once more.
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