Superb Spider-Man 2
Loving reacquainting myself with the Sam Raimi trilogy which is back on the big screen. Spider-Man 2 (2004) features great acting and story-telling, vivid cinematography and pacey editing, (thanks Bob Pope and Bob Murawski). Noticeably, along with Twisters and The Fall Guy, it is fun as well as thrilling.
Personally, I’ve always preferred the Andrew Garfield/Tom Holland versions — never quite gelling with Tobey Maguire’s gloomy Peter Parker/Spider-man or the way Kirsten Dunst’s M.J. was treated in the first movie. I didn’t like the way sexual threat was used in the first movie and how much she was objectified.
Whilst in true heroine (think King-Kong) fashion, she screams a lot, this is also a celebration of working-class graft and small-town suburbs vs inner city life. About the working-class struggle to make it, and their battles with authority, (such as the bank). It’s about school leavers (without the bank of Mum and Dad or any leverage) making their way in the world and succeeding. The only one who has any true leverage, Harry (James Franco), is miserable in his world of influence, privilege and wealth, and eaten up with rage and revenge following the death of his scientist father (Willem Dafoe), apparently at Spider-man’s hands. (Aka the Green Goblin). Strikingly, all of them have missing or absent parents and have graduated from the school of hard knocks. Notice too the boxy apartments they live in, Peter’s run down/basic room with shared facilities. M.J’s apartment might be more shabby chic — but even so, it’s not big. (The only one who has acres of space is Harry — with room for floor length paintings, mirrors and a safe!) In contrast with more recent Spider-men who have been aged down and are still at school, and living at home.
M.J. is succeeding at acting and being the face on the billboards, despite a sub-Dick Van Dyck accent in The Importance of Being Earnest. Peter Parker isn’t thriving, eaten up with grief at his Uncle Ben’s death, and torn behind duty and dreams, juggling Spider-man rescues with a part-time job and college studies. He also can’t tell M.J. or his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) how he really feels, or who he really is, because it would expose them to too many external threats. Nor is his multi-tasking working — he just seems unreliable everywhere. He’s tired , unfocused— and can never get the cocktail or the canape. Tellingly, in a tea-time meeting with scientist Dr Octavius (Alfred Molina) and his wife Rosie (Donna Murphy), suppressed love/emotions will make you sick — and it is, as Peter starts randomly losing his spider sense and powers.
J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) fires up the screen every time he’s on as the tyrannical and Spidey hating editor, backed terrifically by Bill Nunn and Elizabeth Banks as his put-upon editorial team. He also has a son, John Jameson, who’s an astronaut (Dan Gillies), and about to start dating M.J. leading to more Spidey emotional tussles and adulting choices. This movie is very much about growing about, making life-impacting decisions and deciding who you are, and who you’re going to be. John Jameson is a decent, supportive, loving guy and wants to commit to M.J. What choices will she make about her life?
Dr Octavius has developed a mechanical suit with octopus-like arms and a fusion device which will lead to green power and an efficient economy, funded by Harry Osborn’s company. Unfortunately, it’s unstable and in trying to stop it, his wife is tragically killed, for which he blames Spider-man. Exiting hospital in murderous rage, he begins to rebuild — and forces a deal on Harry — more fuel in exchange for the person of Spider-man. Which requires Dr Ock to get Spider-man.
Rather than everything leading to a big battle denouement, the choreography in this movie is exquisite, and the set-pieces of peril, perfection. The fights aren’t in the pulverizing and pulping MCU style, instead they’re shot to purpose and point, thrilling and funny at the same time. For example, Aunt May is struggling to pay her bills, a trip to the bank proves fruitless — (no free toaster for her). Only it is here that Dr Ock turns up to make himself rich — and finance his rebuilding scheme. He lobs cash bags around to squash Spider-man, and failing that, takes Aunt May as a hostage — who is saved, Mary Poppins-style, by a helpful statue’s helping hand and a trusty umbrella. (And eventually, by Spider-man).
Dr Ock locates Peter Parker by smashing his way, vehicle-first, through a cafe window, burying Peter and kidnapping M.J. (in a very King-Kong-esque move) as a means of forcing special delivery of Spider-man to Harry. Whilst Dr Ock’s escape from the hospital room is shot in Raimi trademark slasher style, noticeably it’s suggestion, extreme close-ups, and what we don’t see rather than what we do. Less really is more.
Battling Dr Ock leads to a slickly paced and presented fight around a moving metro train, with no means of stopping. Peter Parker has to reveal himself as Spider-man, as bloodied and slashed, he strives to protect others. It’s genuinely thrilling, even if woman is appointed in this movie to scream her lungs out. Our hearts are in our mouths as we watch Spider-man struggle to stop the train, fail and keep fighting as the end looms nearer…and nearer. Tenderly and compassionately treated by those on the train, it is unfortunate that Dr Ock then returns to capture his prize and get his gadget powering treasure.
James Franco has the weakest role here (as he doesn’t have a lot to do beyond being the loyal friend, then drinking too much, fueled by murderous anger and teary eyes, and frightened by Dr Ock). In getting what he wants, Harry then has a huge ethical dilemma — will he really kill his friend? Or will his friendship with M.J. override everything? (For she still needs rescuing).
M.J. finally shows her mettle with an impressive whistle to get Dr Ock’s attention as he starts the fusion process again. Fighting Spider-man, they both notice that the fusion process has become deeply unstable. (I don’t know how they did it here, but cars are being dragged along the streets). It will absorb everything — threatening the city — and the world. De-activated from his mechanical arms, Dr Ock regains his humanity — and heroically volunteers to sacrifice himself and drown the fusion. Spider-man saves M.J. from crushing — until she saves herself by last-minute positioning — and following Dr Ock’s example, he now sacrifices his feelings to allow M.J. to freely marry her astronaut. (Aunt May is right, there is a hero in everyone!)
The ending is wonderful — a bit of glorious romantic bombast. Plus Willem Dafoe makes a terrific last-minute appearance in the mirror, inspiring Harry to new and deadly choices. Very Hamlet.
Whilst the swinging through the streets may look fake, I wonder if this is the point. It mimics the look of the comic books, playing with height and scale, whilst being just real-enough to be believable. More impressive, is the crawling and falling up and down buildings — and the way sound and close-up camera shots are combined to create the fear and bewilderment of Dr Ock arriving — before he actually does.
I love too the variety of camera work. There’s a funny homage to Butch, Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, sunny camera work, the classic Bacharach Raindrops song and all, as Peter Parker decides to concentrate on not being Spider-man for a while. Raimi employs his slasher movie past, but also delivers some impressive action work as Peter and M.J. corkscrew out of the way of a car lobbed through the cafe window, fragments of glass slicing around them, and a tire almost following the contours of Parker’s face. At times it’s a bit Gothic, (think 1930’s vampire movies). But it all wonderfully comes together to create a thoroughly engaging story.
As well as the styles and cinematography, so much here is down to the cast. There are no supporting actors as even the smallest parts matter deeply — for example, Aasif Mandvi’s Mr Aziz, Peter’s exasperated but compassionate boss. (Another working-class guy trying to support other working-class guys, whilst not being ripped off by poor work ethics). Or Dr Curt Connors (Dylan Baker) who offers Peter some motivational advice — be present! Or Dr Davis (Gregg Edelman) treating Spider-man, without knowing that he’s treating Spider-man. Not to mention the Snooty Usher (Bruce Campbell) who is helpfully horrible for the moments he’s on screen. And the two small boys impressed by the powers of eating your greens!
There’s a timelessness too as no-one has a smart anything — people use physical pay phones, knock on doors to talk to each other, and cab or cycle around to see people. No screens!
The only off-note is Peter’s landlord, who quite rightly wants his rent, which Peter keeps defaulting on. And his put-upon daughter who seems to do nothing, but feed men! Whilst generically East European, he did seem to fall into negative Jewish stereotypes, although he was meant to be more of a traditional patriarch. Yet, he was not an unkind father as we see in his brief interaction with his silently observant daughter/chef/housekeeper when he misses Peter’s exiting the building — and his rent collection, yet again. I wish a bit more had been done with this character to move away from the ‘Fagin’ stereotype. However, creator Stan Lee is from a Romanian-Jewish background so the portrayal might have been meant to be more nuanced than it came across.
And do I still think Tobey Maguire gloomy? I’ve changed my mind. His Peter Parker is very, very ordinary — literally enduring hard knocks and following the John Travolta school of ‘stayin’ alive’. Unlike Andrew Garfield he doesn’t have a cool skateboard; instead he is working hard, paying his way through college, through life and wanting to support his Aunt May, but not able to. He’s an unlikely romantic hero or lead — but that’s the point. He has a nice comic touch — and terrific gurning as he tries to stop a moving train. His very fading into the background makes his transformation into sharp and snappy Spider-man all the more remarkable.
Overall, enjoy it! It’s fun, thrilling and makes you think about how you want to live, and the world you want to live in!
Enjoyed reading this article?! Support my writing and further cultural adventures at: https://ko-fi.com/susanadventuresinculture
