Movie Reviews
The new dilemma in �Spider-Man 2� is that of Doctor Otto Octavius, who is considered one of the world�s greatest scientists. He, along with Harry Osborne and and Oscorp, has found a way to make energy cheap for everyone using the precious tritium metal. When the experiment goes haywire (partly because of Spider-Man), Doc Ock (as the media deems him) decides to make it all again even bigger, even though it could result in the destruction of much of Manhattan. It�s a classic good vs. evil set up, but told with such good-natured energy and furious story-telling that it�s never unbalanced.
What Sam Raimi has done here is taken Stan Lee�s comic and turned it into a masterpiece. We get those awesome action scenes with the explosions and the destruction: the kind of the things that look great on film. But we also have just the right dosage of drama. What the original did was set up the basis for the ironies that take place in part two. The plot is actually quite sophisticated. As Spider-Man is responsible for the death of Harry Osborne�s father, Harry has sworn to avenge his death by killing Spider-Man. Only...he doesn�t know that Spider-Man is really his best friend, Peter Parker. It�s a story that is just as intriguing as the action.
I also enjoyed the more intimate relationship between Peter and Marry Jane Watson. It�s obvious he�s in love with her, but he can�t have her because he�s Spider-Man, and he can�t risk his enemies involving her. But because of this, he cannot even tell her he�s Spider-Man in the first place. A lot of frustration is followed up by complete satisfaction. This is how action movies were meant to be made.
Raimi has a distinct style to him. He likes wide gaping angles because it gives him the area to zoom in if he wants to (which he usually does). He also likes to exaggerate visuals. And he�s so good at doing that because he never goes too far.
As for the villain, well, he�s one of the best superhero villains ever put on film. Doc Ock is both threatening and hateful, but we understand it all. He didn�t always use to be like that, and that too we understand. He used to be a kind and extremely intelligent scientist that wanted to use that intelligence to better mankind. It takes the brute force and integrity of Spider-Man to realize the error of his ways. Although Doc Ock is sensitive, he�s got all those masochistic tendencies that make him even more villainous than the Green Goblin (who I didn�t like very much).
�Spider-Man 2� is the biggest surprise of the summer thus far. It is basically the best action film of the season as well, and I can�t believe it, but it�s one of the best films of the year. So can a superhero movie get four stars? This one can. ****