Spider-Man 2, Sam Raimis sophomore Spidey outing, is one of the best superhero films ever.
Contains spoilers forSpider-Man,Spider-Man 2andThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.
However, this writer would argue that weve already had a near-perfect Spidey film Sam RaimisSpider-Man 2.
But what is so special aboutSpider-Man 2?
Heres why it works for me…
Second-in-the-series superhero sequels are sometimes a stumbling block.
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Arguably, all those films have problems with their story.
RaimisSpider-Man 2doesnt employ this chucking-spaghetti-at-the-wall scripting tactic, though it knows exactly what it wants to say.
Therein lies the central strength to the film its confidence.
Granted, its a busy sentence, but its easy to make sense of.
Oh, and do some cute will-they-wont-they with Peter and Gwen.
Dont forget to tease the Sinister Six!
Compared to Webbs Spidey sequel, Raimis second effort is streamlined and simple, and thats why it works.
The whole film hinges around Peters inability to balance being Spider-Man with his normal life.
The opening scene isnt a battle with a potential villain, its about Peter trying to balance his life.
Even with web-swinging powers he cant get to work early enough to deliver a stack of pizzas on time.
He tries his hardest, but when he sees peoples lives endangered, he simply has to help them.
Nothing in the story feels like too far of a step from the central theme of Peter versus Spidey.
Actually, thats my next point…
A brief point here, but an important one Spider-Man 2has heart.
In watching it again to prepare for this article, I was moved emotionally on a few occasions.
Tobey Maguire and Cliff Robertson play this exchange incredibly well, in a terrific call-back to the first film.
After that, its also hugely resonant to see Peter happy.
Watching Peter adorably fall over duringRaindrops Keep Falling On My Headis a sweet but ultimately tragic moment.
The worst part, for me, is when Peter walks past a mugging.
He stops for a moment, and clearly weighs up his options, before walking off again.
He succeeds, only to find that someone was trapped on the fourth floor without his knowing.
If hed been on full superhero form, maybe he could have saved them, too.
Ive always loved this scene, because it plays with the idea that May clearly knows Peters secret identity.
Only a few scenes prior, Peter admitted to May that Uncle Bens death was his fault.
All these scenes serve one core purpose to examine the character of Peter.
Its an excellent arc for a superhero sequel, and its handled well despite its emotional heft.
This is thanks to some expert tone-juggling…
Spidey is meant to be funny.
Peters personal life is almost always tragic.
Theres a crazed killer on the loose with metal octopus tentacles.
Peters best friend wants to kill him.
One minute, Spidey is saving children and cracking wise.
The next, Peter is getting sacked.
Peter looks dejected at the bank, and then instantaneously rolls into a fun-filled fight scene in Spidey mode.
In this entire first act, the tone is flitting between Peters perspective and that of Spideys antics.
When hes Spidey, hes fun.
When hes Peter, hes miserable.
The tone jumps between polar-opposites, then, but it works.
It works because this contrast of tone soon catches up with both Peter and Spidey.
His organic webs stop coming at a vital point, and he falls hard onto a rooftop.
From here, tonally, the film gets darker as it goes on.
So what didSpider-Man 2do better?
Even the score is hesitant to let Peter become Spider-Man again.
Spider-Man 2feels like a film where everyone was on the same page.
And it only gets better from there.
The point-of-view killings from the appendages perspective are rendered marvellously well.
His initial attempt to use his heel to stop the train results in a sarcastic any other bright ideas?
from a surprisingly chipper passenger en route to near-certain death.
Pete then uses his webs to cling to the building, but pulls off a bunch of bricks instead.
Good luck to him.
It should be on the must-watch list for anyone directing a superhero movie.
