Special Edition

Spider-Man 2 is a superior film to the first. While it is rare for sequels to live up to expectations, there are rare moments in film history when the sequel may even surpass the first film’s quality. The Godfather Part II and Bride of Frankenstein are two well known examples. But for Every T2 there are usually 20 Jaws 3-D’s. Doc Ock was the perfect choice as the story’s villain; Alfred Molina was a wonderful selection to bring this fan favorite to life on the big screen. Peter Parker’s life is more multi-dimensional...here. It’s about time a superhero film showed us this kind of impact a hero’s choices make on his life. The f/x are nothing short of a miracle. I was a bit skeptical going into the theatre originally. It would have been too easy for Doc Ock to descend into camp or outright silliness. Of course, there are moments where the glimmer of camp shows its ugly head. I’m not sure what the bank was doing with all of those gold doubloons.

It was good to find Tobey Maguire back in action as Spidey. A fall during the filming of Seabiscuit caused severe enough back trauma that the film’s production was stalled as long as possible. It was so close that Kirsten Dunst’s real-life boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as an emergency replacement. Dunst is still the weak link in the cast. J.D. Simmons continues to nail J. Jonah Jameson perfectly. Sam Raimi manages to work in cameos from the deceased members of the first film, and let’s not forget another cameo by Raimi’s Evil Dead partner, Bruce Cambell. If you blink you’ll miss the traditional cameo by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee.