Spider-Man 2 (2004)

 

Sam Raimi really hit his stride with this one. The first outing of Spider-Man was already a fun and entertaining superhero story, but this one fleshes out the principal characters more and gets a great villain to boot. 

So yes, well done.

Peter Parker has now moved into the city, to a crummy apartment and is desperately trying to balance several things. He is still Spider-Man, but also needs a job and he needs to attend classes and study, and things are not going well. Being a superhero is taking its toll on him and his grades are falling, he loses the jobs he does because he is unreliable and things aren't going too swimmingly in the love department either. It's even gotten to the point where his powers are failing him. 

In order to boost his grades again, he manages to get an interview with brilliant scientist Otto Octavius, who instantly takes a liking to him.

Sidenote: is there ever a not-brilliant scientist in films? Asking for a friend who just accidentally lobotomized a hamster through a black hole.

Otto has developed a new form of fusion in order to solve the energycrisis, but during the demonstration, things go horribly wrong and his wife is killed. Even worse, the implements he used to control the heat have fused to his spine and brain and now the mechanical arms are taking over his psyche. They want Otto to try the experiment again, but to do this, he needs funds, so he robs banks. Next to that, Harry Osborn wants Octavius to bring him Spider-Man so he can avenge his father's death. 

Yes, a lot of stakes. And when Peter decides he doesn't want to be Spider-Man anymore, the plot thickens... 

As stated, this one is a couple of notches above the first one, mainly because we spend more time with our principal characters. Peter gets more fleshed out, as does Mary-Jane and aunt May. The focus is more on them as people, not just as tropes. This also makes you feel more for the characters. Raimi also gets to use more of his inventive camerawork and the film looks and feels as if the budget was larger, so everything looks more slick. Sure, some CG shots are still a bit iffy, but not s much as with the first one. 

What really makes this film stand out, is the villain and the action scenes. Alfred Molina is wonderful as Otto Octavius, a villain who is clearly conflicted and who is a lot less over the top than Dafoe as the Green Goblin. Nothing really wrong with that performance, but he did overdo it just a little. Molina keeps it (for the most part) more grounded and he just is such a likable actor to start with. 

Two scenes stick out because they are excellent. Everyone knows the train-sequence, which is truly a great example of how high-paced action should be done in a superhero film. But the one scene that sticks out more to me, as it has that Raimi-esque horrorvibe to it, is when doctors attempt to remove the mechanical arms from Otto in the hospital. The camerawork, lighting and scares are so reminiscent of 'Evil Dead', it's glorious. 

It is also surprisingly intense for a family-friendly superhero film. Well done, I say!

There is little doubt that this entry is by far the best of this trilogy and it is just a damn fine film, whichever way you cut it. So enjoy it!