Spider-Man 2 – 2004 – Superhero, Action, Adventure
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Alvin Sargent
Main Players: Tobey Maguire; Kirsten Dunst; Alfred Molina; J.K. Simmons; James Franco; Rosemary Harris; Donna Murphy; Elizabeth Banks; Dylan Baker; Bill Nunn; Daniel Gillies; Willem Dafoe; Cliff Robertson; Bruce Campbell
After the success of the original, there was zero doubt, and away we go with a sequel. Opening with a slick recap of the first film via comic book-y credits, we are all refreshed on Peter et al.’s tale. Finally, we are set for new action in this superior Spider-Man sequel.
Peter (Maguire) laments about Mary Jane (Dunst) and not being able to be with her, all while delivering pizzas within 29 minutes, or they are free. Joe’s hot pizza delivery guarantee may be the end of Peter’s hot pie slangin’ career, if he can’t drop this order with 8 deep dishes. The heat is on.
As our hero hits the streets of New York, we already know that he’s as fucked as those pizza boxes. At least he saves some dipshit kids from becoming road paste. Okay, so we are all wondering the real questions here: Will pizza be delivered on time, and did the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles order them?! That would be a helluva team up.
Joe’s 29-minute guarantee is a promise, and Parker just couldn’t cut it. He is shitcanned. Ugh, we all wanted to know where the pizza thing was going. Next, Peter tries to slang J. Jonah Jameson (Simmons) some sensitive photos of the city, but nobody is home on that. So, Peter remains broke, distracted, and in college. MJ is outta reach. Pizza is cold. It’s the perfect sequel.
Spider-Man 2 continues Raimi’s tradition of humanizing all the characters, even the villain. This gives the story a nice touch of realism, no matter how outlandish things get. The great cast of the first is joined by some new supporters that fit in well.
The film’s villain is very good and provides another appealing point as he is given ample development, complexity and screen time. I quite like the overall story and comic book feel of the movie. In general, this adventure kicks ass and delivers the goods.
The only negatives I can think of are that it has a slightly bloated runtime and could have trimmed a bit of the side character humor hijinks potentially to keep it a bit leaner, but mostly it all works. There is also a Spider-Man 2.1 version that includes additional scenes and action.
“It’s all over town, Robbie. Gossip. Rumors. Panic in the streets. If we’re lucky.”
See This If You Liked:
Spider-Man; The Amazing Spider-Man; Spider-Man: Homecoming; Batman (1989); Batman Begins; Iron Man; Thor; Superman Returns; Superman: The Movie; Man of Steel; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990); Guardians of the Galaxy; X-Men; Shazam!; Blue Beetle; Kick-Ass
Score:
8.5