Spider-Man 2 is even better in comparison with Spider-Man 3, because that film deviated entirely from the nature of its main character.

There are two significant moments towards the end of Spider-Man 2 which attest to its now safe status as the best comic book film of all time. The first is a moving scene following the train fight between Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man, after Spider-Man stops the train, and wounded, is hoisted by the people in a group act similar to what happens in mosh pits during rock concerts. The other moment occurs during the scene where Mary Jane finally finds out who Spider-Man really is.

What makes those scenes significant is that they are the culmination of nearly four hours of what in retrospect seems like a tremendously difficult task on the part of the director and the cast, which is made even more incredible by its seeming easiness: the transformation of the comic book genre into a genuine endeavour worthy of the time, energy, and above all, imagination that is so well showcased in the film.

In case this seems like too much praise, consider what was needed in order to get to those two scenes. In the case of the train incident, it is really the first time that the hero's efforts are rewarded, not by newspaper headlines praising his deeds, or throngs of girls screaming his name, but by the willingness of those whom he saved to save him in return. The communication line between the hero and those whom he helps has been firmly established; there is an understanding there that each party must play its part, and that each one's effort is well appreciated. Spider-Man saves the passengers, and in turn, they promise not to reveal his identity. I have never seen such a powerful relationship between a hero and those he saves. What a remarkable character he must be to elicit such admiration from them!

If the train scene is the culmination of the hero's efforts, then the recognition scene at the dock is surely the culmination of the romance between Peter Parker and Mary Jane. Just like the title character, the film itself has to perform a potentially dangerous juggling act between the action (the hero's domain) and the romance/drama (the man's domain). It connects them seamlessly, and the film flows very well as a result of that. Thus, we have, while Doctor Octopus is in the background trying to redeem himself, Mary Jane, in one moment, gaining an understanding of all the pain and suffering that Peter endured. The two characters' expressions are of importance here; Dunst neatly captures the surprise, and the joy, that Mary Jane surely must have felt upon recognizing Peter Parker, and Maguire does a wonderful job in conveying the love he feels for her, knowing that she has finally come to realize why he did the things he did, and why he could not say the things he always wanted to say. In another movie, the "I love you" would have seemed cheesy and corny; here, it works well because it is real. Of significance are the fact that it is Mary Jane who says it first; this is Raimi saying "She knows already, we all know, lets move on", and the irony of Spider-Man having to (physically) carry a huge burden in order to save him, while another (emotional) burden has just been lifted off his shoulders. All this in a comic book film.

Had those two aspects of the film been its only themes, it would still have been a very good movie. What makes it an excellent film, however, is that it is able to stay on track with regards to its major themes, while providing plenty of smaller themes and running gags that add greatly to the overall quality of the film. Of particular importance are Aunt May's role, Harry's inner conflict, Molina's great villain, and some great humour courtesy J. K. Simmons (the newspaper editor), and Raimi as the director.

Aunt May's role has been greatly expanded in the film, and we can only be grateful for that. She is the ark that connects the second film to the first one. Haunted by the events that occurred in the first film (which is summarized in a set of wonderful drawings at the beginning), she nevertheless tries to endure the present, and in doing so, provides the film with a strong maternal voice. It is she, after all, whose speech (quite moving, and yet another example of irony in the film), is what gets Peter Parker back on track again.

Molina's Doctor Octopus makes for a great villain, partly because he is superficially much like Peter
Parker/Spider-Man. He too has a double identity, one side which calls on him to be a good person, and another, which is evil. Ang Lee tried to convey the same idea in The Hulk, but it is Raimi that really hits it home. What makes the villain work so well in Spider-Man 2 is an age-old principle that tends to be overlooked all too often: the villain is never perfectly evil, just as the hero is never perfectly good. In Spider-Man 2, Raimi takes the surprising step of portraying the villain as being overall more of a good character than a bad one. Credit goes to Molina on this count; the initial scenes with Peter Parker and him present him as a very charming character; even at his worst, he still remains likable as a result of that. This struggle between good and evil is a sign of things to come in Spider-Man 3. Already, Harry (very well played by Franco) is showing signs of the more sinister side taking over, and the third instalment in the franchise will see that come to fruition.


There is little to be said about the humour and the CGI. They are both obvious, and done very well. The greatest compliment I can give the CGI in the film is to say that I did not think of it while watching the action sequences. They were not a distraction, but integrated well with the rest of the scenes, allowing me to enjoy some of the best action sequences I have ever seen. With regards to the humour, there are two running jokes throughout that work very well. One involves the use of dramatic irony; we know something the characters don't, and it's just plain funny. Examples of that can be seen when Mary Jane is reciting lines from the play; those lines refer directly to Peter Parker's situation. It is quite funny to see his expression when Mary Jane utters those lines. Another running joke involves screaming girls. Raimi takes it to excess, to the point of ridicule, which I'm sure is intentional. Almost all of the girls that are being attacked or are in the way during the fighting scream their lungs out hysterically. It is tempting to think of King Kong when Mary Jane is taken by Doctor Octopus when he climbs the building. Additional touches of humour include a reference to Maguire's real-life back pains, and a small cameo by Stan Lee.


I went into the film with high expectations, and I left fully satisfied. No matter how much I try to convey the great feeling that the film gave me, I can never quite pin it down. Somehow, I had the same feeling during the film that I had when I read the comic books, and watched those serials of heroes in grave danger who somehow always saved the day. What Spider-Man 2 gave me is that precise feeling, but with an understanding and depth that made it as relevant to me now as those comics and serials where when I was young. I think that what makes this film such a stand-out, aside from all that has already been mention , is that it has a tremendous amount of respect for the material that it covers, and never wavers from its attempt to portray those characters as real human beings, with real feelings. That, above all, is its greatest achievement.


A

SM2>SM1>Amazing SM1>Amazing SM2

gonna rewatch 3 before I rank it, and I might just rewatch Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Best superhero film ever. Period.

A

After finally seeing TDK, this is the better superhero film, and still the best I've seen of the new comic book genre.
B+'ish?

Honestly, this movie is good enough that I can totally understand anyone preferring it over The Dark Knight -

LOL, 3 people at least, no more

I still have no idea why people think this film is so great.

I love The Dark Knight and all, but let's be real: it's not like there's nothing else that one could argue is the best superhero movie to date.

I'll give the Amazing SM films credit for having a better written love interest. .

Doc Ock is still the best spidey villian on the big screen, though I've always hated how he gave in

The best Spider-Man villain is, I suppose, Electro.

Not gonna lie, the battles against Electro looked good, though as overall character development, it was shit