nickscheetz Review of Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

The best Spider-Man movie before Spider-Man Homecoming hit the scene

[9/10 · 25 October 2017]

Ah yes, the best of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. What I like: The special effects have improved so much after 2 years, they're not perfect but the cg is way less rubbery and the action is more convincing, also the effects on Dr. Octopus's arms are cool to look at. All the cast members from the first movie do even better performances, especially J.K Simmons as Jameson because he's always hilarious in every scene he's in. Dr. Octopus's portrayal in this movie is one of the best comic book villain portrayal's in a movie there has ever been and Alfred Molina was a pitch perfect casting choice for the role. Because the movie centers around Peter Parker going through a phase of bad luck it's very easy to relate with him in what he's going through, he can't keep his job, his grades are failing, he's hardly making enough money, Harry blames Spider-Man for killing his father and thinks Peter is defending him even though he himself is Spider-Man, Mary Jane starts to hate him for not showing up for his 8 o'clock curtain and is getting married to Jameson's son who is an astronaut, there's even conflict set between him and Aunt May when he confesses to her that he was responsible for Uncle Ben's death, which pushes and pushes and pushes him to the point where he nearly quits being Spider-Man, but that's impossible to do because there will always be new villains to fight that he needs to protect the city from. The best scene in the movie is the fight between Spidey and Doc Ock on top of a train, the choreography, the constant motion, and the escalating danger, this is the Spider-Man trilogy at it's best point, I only wish it was saved for the end but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. What I don't like: 1. I think Mary Jane was being way too harsh on Peter for not showing up to her play, she is dealing with some emotional turmoil which we can understand, but that doesn't mean she has to say she hates his guts and make him feel guilty. 2. Doc Ock's arms having A.I does seem pretty silly to me, and also he claims that he made the arms so that he can control fusion reaction and everyone seems more impressed by the fusion reaction stuff than with the arms, shouldn't the arms also be a mind-blowing device? 3. There is nothing memorable about the astronaut Mary Jane was about to marry, you would think he would be a really important character with a large impact he could leave, but no, there's nothing about him that stands out or adds any important value to the plot. 5. The final and biggest problem with this and the other 2 movies, the romance is HORRIBLE, Mary Jane constantly being captured and rejecting Peter in these movies is so complicated that she at times seems more like a plot device than an actual character. So overall, regardless of all the complaints I have Spider-Man 2 is the best movie in the trilogy of Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man Homecoming may top both these and the Amazing Spider-Man movies Spider-Man is still a huge achievement not just for Spider-Man's legacy but for superhero movie legacies in general, so give this a watch and you'll be satisfied.