Spider-Man 2 (2004)

In some ways, Spider-Man 2 is more enjoyable than the first film, but it's also not quite as well put-together. It's also a lot funnier, which is a big plus for me, but if you like a more serious tone then you're probably not going to be as happy with this one.

Spider-Man complaining to a stranger about his pants.

The biggest problem though, is that this movie is kind of just a retread of the previous one. The characters start in different places, but basically go through the same arcs over again. Once again Peter must learn that "with great power comes great responsibility". We got that last time (and we'll get it again next time). These films really seem to think the only interesting Spider-Man story is "why would someone choose to be Spider-Man?" and they have only one answer to that. You know the line.

The best thing about this movie is Doc Ock. The visual effects still look surprisingly good, and Alfred Molina plays him perfectly. The only flaw (and it's a very small one) is that the thing about the arms having AI and there being a fragile, exposed "inhibitor chip" keeping it from taking over the wearer's brain. It's the same Jekyll and Hyde story as last time and it makes less sense. It was clearly established in the first movie why the experimental drug made Norman into the Goblin. It's much less clear in this movie how "these robot arms have artificial intelligence" translates into "they turn the wearer into a psycho loony".

If you can't get Elton John, I guess Alfred Molina will do.

JK Simmons's J Jonah Jameson continues to be excellent, and Peter's landlord is a great addition to the cast. Peter's poverty flat is also really well crafted. And there are some really excellent scenes, such as the one in which he fights Doc Ock on a train and then has to prevent it from derailing. And any time Doc Ock is walking around is a treat. The way Molina hangs from the robotic arms is extremely effective. At times he seems like he's too low-key to be this larger-than-life villain, but it works. When you see the way that he and the arms have become part of each other, it makes sense.

The landlord's daughter is also pretty good. Weird, but good.

Compared with the first, this movie also makes much better use of Aunt May. She gets some great lines (and scenes). I would have preferred it if they'd kept her a Daily Bugle reader who hates Spider-Man, and who (inexplicably) thinks her nephew is a frail weakling, because that's always funny to me, but I didn't mind this version of the character at all. And at least Peter is still a big dumb idiot. He:

• puts his Spidey-suit in with his regular laundry, ruining his white shirts.
• goes so extreme on not being Spider-Man that he avoids helping people in any context. Classic.
• runs off a roof when his powers aren't working - to try to get them working again.
• throws his glasses away as soon as his powers (and improved vision) come back, still not knowing why his powers went away or if it could happen again.

Aside from the plot being basically the same as the first movie, the only real problems are MJ, and Harry Osborn. I don't want to seem like I don't like Kirsten Dunst - check out On Becoming a God in Central Florida if you haven't seen it; it's really good - but she's not good in these movies. The character of MJ is not good in these movies. And casting aside, Harry has spent two movies doing fuck-all just so he could be here to set up a completely unnecessary hook for the third movie - which he also didn't need to be in.

He does a lot more "whatever a spider can" this time.

Over all, this movie is not quite as good as the first, but it is still worth watching and does improve on the first in some ways. Still giving it 6/7. It's a good movie.

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