Spiderman 2: Reviewed!

2004 is definitely the year of the comics to movie adaptation. Sure, we had to endure the likes of The Punisher, but there was also the above average Hellboy, and now Sam Raimi shows us how it's really done with the awesome Spiderman 2.

Before anyone gets any hackles raised, there will be NO spoilers in this review. Okay?

While the first Spiderman was a mixed bag, everyone generally agreed that it was on the whole a rather good show. The sequel just goes to prove that with a good script and creative team, it's not too hard to make something that not only pays hommage to the long tradition that are the comics (and their fans) but also palatable to anyone whose only knowledge of the titular hero is limited to what they remember of the cartoons (and the Electric Company, of course). On both these counts, Spiderman 2 delivers.

There have been some reviewers on the net who take fault with the direction and plotline of the film. I have to disagree. Thanks to a masterful choice for a screenplay writer (Alvin Sargent), the inclusion of Michael Chabon in the screenwriting team and Sam Raimi's excellent juxtaposition of humour, action, drama and even horror, Spiderman 2 is everything a comic adaptation should be and I'm inclined to agree with Roger Ebert when he says that it's the best superhero movie made since Superman (and that particular movie is as old as I am!).

Of course, this review would be remiss if I neglected to mention the magic that the returning actors bring to the film. It's such a relief to see them all again (yes, even Tobey) and the intriguing thing is that they've all grown up. Even in the context of a film about a man with spider-like powers swinging high above the NY skyline, we believe in these characters because they are real. Spidey has immense problems with self image (like any other bloke), MJ seeks a stable love and like in real life there are never any absolutes. We have to find our own solutions in the shades of gray that permeate our lives. The inclusion of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock caused some people to worry (as did the choice of him for a villain, initially) but it is evidently a wonderfully gifted casting decision. Molina never lets his character get TOO over the top and as a result he too, is believable (as believable as a comic book villain gets, anyway). As usual, it wouldn't be a true Sam Raimi flick if he didn't include his two staples, brother Ted (who is Jonah Jameson's aide) and Bruce "The Chin" Campbell (this time appearing as a polite but irritating usher, come to think of it is there ANY Raimi flick that doesn't have the dude?).

Much has been said about the usage of CGI in comic adaptations (remember the rubber men fighting in Blade 2?) but in this case I'd say they nailed it on the head. Spiderman swings, swoops and dives in exactly the way we'd always imagined he would, Doc Ock proves to be more menacing than even I imagined and the battles are chunky, explosive and would look at home in the pages of any comic book. The special effects are there to help drive the story, they never intrude, and in the end it is a story well told.

I could go on and on about how Spiderman 2 is going to set the template for future adaptations, and how it has raised the bar higher for such films. Never again will we be content with mediocre, hurried cash-cow adaptations (who can say Catwoman?) and Hollywood will have to learn a thing or two from the guy who gave us The Evil Dead. For now, suffice to say that like any good superhero flick, the action is good, the actors yummy, and there's plenty of the magic to make anyone who even knows who Spiderman is jump for joy when they see this movie.

Hell, I almost cried (yes I am a wuss) at some scenes, but it's all good. If you ever only see one superhero flick this year, make it Spiderman 2. You won't regret it.

Ash.ox gives Spiderman 2 a 5 out of 5.