Watch Out! Here Comes the Spider-Man… Again!

Heather, Rob Polzin and I went to Spider-Man 2 last night. It was excellent. The now all-star original cast (signed for 3 years) returns with Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane (MJ) Watson and James Franco as Peter Parker’s best friend–Harry Osborn. But wait! Of course two of the most beloved characters who were perfectly cast in their roles return as well: Rosemary Harris as Aunt May and J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson.

However, most notable this round is Spider-Man’s new arch-villain, Dr. Otto Octavius a.k.a. Doc Ock played by the talented Alfred Molina. You Indiana Jones fans might remember his face from Raiders of the Lost Ark, “Throw me the whip… I throw you the idol.” He is smashing as the intelligent ‘doctor gone mad’. Oh! And maybe a little treat for you die-hard Star Trek fans–Donna Murphy plays Doc Ock’s wife, Rosalie Octavius.

I venture to say with such a cast, this film excels even further than the first.

What’s the premise? Spider-Man is giving up. His personal life is so affected by Peter Parker’s double life as Spider-Man, he managed to be fired, distance himself from his two closest friends and fail in school. A genius in fusion theory, Dr. Otto Octavius has been hired by Harry Osborne to revive and supercede his father’s legacy. All hell breaks loose when the experiment goes awry.

Peter formerly befriended by Octavius now must stop him. But this mean’s he will have to become Spider-Man again. Mary Jane is once again the catalyst for Spidey’s transformation. Yeah, it’s a bit formulaic and if you review the first one before seeing the second–you’ll draw many parallels. Harry Osborn, still blaming Spider-Man for the death of his father, works with the crazy genius to trap Spider-Man in a climax sure to thrill everyone from 5-100.

I was surprised many times by what transpired on the screen. Not only does Sam Raimi’s insight into the characters bring realism to a comic book hero, but the outrageous humor keeps the film well balanced—in particular a great elevator scene with Hal Sparks. In addition, the tensions between the lead characters kept me completely bolted to my seat.

The second Spider-Man installment is packed full of everything a Sam Raimi film requires: Cameos by Stan Lee, Ted Raimi, a great comedic actor (and also Sam’s brother), Bruce Campbell, Willem Dafoe, Sam Raimi’s Car and even another appearance by Sam’s favorite whiskey: Maker’s Mark. There is more screaming in this film then the previous. Keep an eye out in the operating room for an homage to Evil Dead–wobbly ground cameras and a chainsaw to boot. It has action, humor in spades and excellent special effects. I have no complaints whatsoever–I loved it. * * * * *