Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 just turned 17 years-old this week, and while it may not just be 20 years yet, it’s still amazing to know that it’s been that long since it’s release back in the summer of 2004. It’s also interesting to go back in time before the superhero genre really piqued into the mainstream movie going audience, because while you had Raimi’s first Spider-Man, X-Men and X-Men: United, the superhero genre wasn’t in the position that it’s currently placed in right now. I mean, for heavens sake, Iron Man or The Dark Knight were still years away from being released into the public. Sure, comic-book movies were popular, but it never really clicked with the public just yet. Fast forward 17 years, it’s 2020 and Spider-Man is, arguably, bigger than he’s ever been. Since Spider-Man’s introduction into the MCU, and thanks to Tom Holland, more and more people are eating Spider-Man up. Sony even decided to make their own animated version of Spider-Man with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and could make the solid argument that Spider-Verse might be the best Spider-Man movie we’ve gotten. Now, I know some people don’t want to hear it because one’s an animated movie and one’s live-action, but Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is still the best representation, realistic and authentic portrayal of Spider-Man that’s ever been put to screen. Spider-Man 2 is one of the most emotional, action-packed and layered comic-book movies in the history of the genre.
Spider-Man 2 picks up just a couple years after the events of the first Spider-Man, and from the beginning of the movie, Peter Parker’s life is starting to crumble. He can’t make it to class on time, he gets fired from work, his best friend (Harry Osborne) is angry the girl he loves (Mary Jane) doesn’t want to be with him, but worst of all, he’s loosing his focus to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He then meets a brilliant scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius, who’s on the verge of showcasing a nuclear fusion experiment that end up going horribly wrong, thus giving birth to the classic Spier-Man villain, Dr. Octopus. Spider-Man must then stop Dr. Octopus from reeking havick to civilians, while maintaining his personal life, which really becomes a struggle for him.
What Spider-Man 2 does better than any of the other movies in franchise is that it’s the most grounded and fully formed depiction of Spider-Man from a character perspective and a narrative perspective. That is to be said with due respect to the other great Spider-Man movies that have made since, but Spider-Man 2 manage to be a superhero movie that was a little bit ahead of it’s time. Raimi did a fantastic job with Spider-Man back in 2002, and while the first Spider-Man is more action heavy, Spider-Man 2 is surprisingly an effective drama, that happens to feature spectacular action set pieces.
Where Spider-Man 2 really succeeds is the execution of it’s emotional crux. Spider-Man 2, for all intents and purposes, is very depressing for a large portion of the movie. Watching Peter Parker fail at so many things was saddening and quite heartbreaking, but at the time, Sam Raimi’s approach to pummeling Peter Parker to the ground was something that made it more profoundly resonating. The idea that an average guy is struggling to do so many things at once, while being a superhero that’s trying to save the city is an aspect that none of the other Spider-Man movies tackled better than Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man 2 does feature terrific action, but at the heart of this movie is the emotional journey that’s being put on Peter Parker’s shoulders and Tobey Maguire has never given a better performance as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
Like every comic-book movie, there is action to be expected and Spider-Man 2 delivers some of the best of it’s kind. We can debate if the action still holds up in the first Spider-Man, but for a movie that’s nearly 20-years old, the special effects in Spider-Man 2 still look as wonderful and as colorful as they did back then. The bank heist scene that involves Spider-Man and Doc Ock duking it out on the side of a building is was great and intense, but the specific action sequence that is one of the most impressive and entertaining action sequences of all time is the train fight. The train fight in Spider-Man 2 is and still is an amazing achievement in the special effects industry because there had nothing like it before, both in the comic-book movie genre or action genre. It’s visceral, beautifully stylized and it really acts as the quintessential scene of the movie.
Darth Vader, Joker and Hans Gruber are some of Hollywood’s most successful and convincing villains ever put to screen. Alfred Molina’s performance as Doc Ock is one that should never be overlooked. The character brings a father/son mentor vibe with the relationship he shares with Peter that enhances their relationship in a powerful and scary way, so when Doc Ock is performing terrible actions, the motivations for the character are wonderfully understood. We love Heath Ledger’s Joker for the craziness and anarchy, but for the case of Molina’s Doc Ock, there was a stronger sympathetic angle to his character that Ledger’s Joker didn’t necessarily strive for.
Spider-Man 2 isn’t just the best Spider-Man movie it’s one of the best comic-book movies ever told. Most people of the current generation, or even beyond, will say that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie, and there’s a strong argument to suggest that verdict. With all that said, Spider-Verse borrows a lot of aspects from Spider-Man 2 because emotionally and narratively speaking, Spider-Man 2 is the stronger between the two. It improves upon it’s glorious special effects, the action serves more emotional weight, Danny Elfman’s score still becomes the most creative and effective piece of music ever written for the character and it features one of the on screen movie villains with Doc Ock. Spider-Verse is great, but Spider-Man is exceptional.
My grade for Spider-Man 2: A+
Zane's take at the Cinema's 