Spider-Man 2
wide regarded as one of the slap-up and most influential funny script movies ever made , fray shoulders withSuperman : The MovieandThe Dark Knightamong the writing style ’s elite , Sam Raimi’sSpider - Man 2is the quintessential cinematic take on its iconic titular Marvel superhero . After setting the template for superhero origin movies with the first one , Raimi set the guide for superhero sequels with the 2d .
With the origin story out of the way , Raimi was able to dive right into the action in the sequel , telling the story of Spidey taking onone of his most iconic foes , Doctor Octopus , while grappling with his fading powers .
It Was Influenced By The Greatest Era Of Spider-Man Comics
When he was evolve his first sequel toSpider - Man , Sam Raimi was inhale by the big era of Spidey comics . His main source of inspiration wasThe Amazing Spider - ManNo . 50 , “ Spider - Man No More ! ” The shot of Peter leaving his costume in a trash can was directly taken from John Romita Sr . ’s iconic cover artistic creation .
Raimi was also heavily influence bySuperman II , one of the unspoiled superhero subsequence ever made , so narratively , he was in passably good hands .
Spidey Losing His Powers Escalated The Conflict
AfterSpider - Mantold the report of Peter Parker gaining his great power , Spider - Man 2escalated the conflict with the tale of Peter losing those powers .
This forced him to prove that what made him a superhero was more than just his superpower . It ’s an indispensable part of who he is .
Peter’s Double Life Is Suitably Hectic
While the MCU ’s recentSpider - Manmovies have detracted from the chaos of Peter ’s life by giving him financial security , good manners of Tony Stark , Spider - Man 2depicted Peter ’s double biography as suitably hectic . Really , Peter has a four-fold liveliness inSpider - Man 2 .
He work two jobs as a pizza delivery male child and a freelance lensman , struggle to get his college assignments done on prison term , and he ’s always there when Aunt May needs him , all while trying to hoodwink his responsibilities as New York ’s superpowered protector .
The Dramatic Scenes Emotionally Resonate
In most blockbuster , the dramatic scenes exist only to check off the box of what Hollywood ’s massively underestimated audience expects from a movie . The conflicts are usually generic and do n’t touch on anything remotely human .
Not only doSpider - piece 2 ’s dramatic setting have a true emotional sonority , but they all attend to to further Peter Parker ’s most crucial character arc : figuring out what it means to be Spider - Man , and how to live up to his responsibilities on a tenacious - terminus fundament .
Aunt May’s Speech About Heroism Is Beautiful
When Peter Parker is having an identity crisis and he ’s shy about continuing his double animation as a superhero , Aunt May delivers a well - timed language about heroism . She tells Peter , “ I believe there ’s a paladin in all of us , that maintain us honest , gives us strength , makes us noble , and finally allow us to die with superbia . ”
The delivery is attractively written , and touchingly render by Rosemary Harris , and it ’s exactly what Peter needs to hear to get his groove back .
The Tone Is Just Dark Enough
Like many subsequent superhero sequel , fromThe Dark KnighttoCaptain America : The Winter Soldier , Spider - Man 2has a darker tonicity than its predecessor .
But that timber never becomes too dark , likeMan of SteelorFant4stic . It circumvent along dreary themes , but never in a way that detracts from the moving-picture show ’s sensory faculty of playfulness or the generally lighthearted tone of the character himself .
It Expertly Balances Introspective Character Work With Explosive Set Pieces
One of the trickiest thing about make a superhero movie is including enough self-examining character piece of work to give the action some substance , but not letting that introspection take over the picture show so that it fails to deliver the trade good as an natural process - packed spectacle .
An example of action getting bogged down in introspection is Ang Lee’sHulk . An lesson of introspection being thrown out the windowpane in favor of bulwark - to - wall action is , well , most smash hit , so take your filling . Spider - Man 2nails its balance between the two in a manner that few big Hollywood pic do .
Peter Confronts His Mistakes
There ’s a heartbreaking prospect inSpider - Man 2 in which Peter comes clean to Aunt May about his role in Uncle Ben ’s death . She forgives him , but it ’s clearly very hard for her to do so . It ’s a really human moment , attractively acted by Tobey Maguire and Rosemary Harris .
As much fun as superhero action might be , scenes like this one — and especially this one — help to elevateSpider - humankind 2above the trappings of a big - budget blockbuster .
Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock Is The Perfect Comic Book Movie Villain
After kind of bungling the Green Goblin in his firstSpider - Manmovie , Sam Raimi stepped up to the crustal plate anddelivered the perfect comical Christian Bible movie villaininSpider - Man 2with a brilliantly revulsion - tinged take on Doctor Octopus .
Most of the character ’s effectivity can be attributed to Alfred Molina ’s performance . Molina deftly walk the blood between the nuances of Otto Octavius ’ intimate conflict and the snarling villainy of Doc Ock .
The Subway Scene Encapsulates Spidey’s Character
One of the climactic action scenes inSpider - Man 2sees Spidey fighting Doc Ock on a metro train . Doc Ock deactivate the train ’s ascendancy , sending it step on it toward an incomplete bridge where its passengers and crew members will for sure die . Spidey does everything in his tycoon to block off the train , losing his masquerade in the physical process , and within an in of his life , he just about manages to bring the train to a halt .
Then , he ’s carried back onto the train like a Christ figure and laid down on the trading floor , where the passenger realized that the masked vigilante keeping offense off the streets of New York is just a tyke . The scene encapsulates the character well than any other scene inSpidey ’s storied on - screen story .
NEXT : Sam Raimi ’s Spider - Man 4 : 5 Reasons It Could ’ve Been Great ( And 5 Reasons cancel It Was A Good Idea )
