Spider-Man 2 - Review

Last year at this time, I decided to go on a Batman spree and watch every film in the series (Except for Batman and Robin because I've heard some terrible things and quite frankly, I don't want to waste my time). It only seems fitting that I watch all of the Spider-Man films again. Spider-Man 2 for the longest time I believed to be the best superhero film ever made. While it doesn't hold up as it did back in 2004, that is bound to happen when you are a 9-year-old kid who watched this movie over and over again and also played through the video game adaptation over and over again. So it's almost impossible to distance myself from it and watch it objectively because this film is so close to me. Two things I noticed watching this entry many years later, especially after just finishing the first film a day earlier was the boost in comedy. In the first film, there wasn't really any laugh out loud moments or scenes thrown in there just for a gag. Seeing Spider-Man in an elevator with some random guy, seeing Peter Parker joke around with some kids about eating green vegetables, I don't know, I was laughing back then, but I'm not laughing now. However, I can't really blame the movie for it because look around you, every single Marvel movie feels it needs to be a comedy and needs to have the audience laughing on the floor. Spider-Man 2 was ahead of it's time for the amount of comedy it decided to throw in there. Sure, it's not hilarious by any means, but it doesn't destroy the movie either. Just something I noticed when watching it again. The second thing I noticed is that both this film and it's previous entry into the franchise are extremely similar. Struggling with his powers, the struggle with being in love with Mary Jane, a scientist associated with Oscorp goes insane, etc. Both have action sequences in burning buildings too. There really isn't much variety in terms of the story between the two films, except the message is a little different. Aunt May sums it up perfectly when she describes that "[she] believes there is a hero in all of us" and that "to do what's right, sometimes that means giving up what we want the most." Or something like that, I don't remember it word for word. But it's a good message and is one of the main reasons why I like these films so much. They are uplifting. Not to mention that the action scenes really improved here and are some of the best action scenes in any superhero movie I've ever seen. It still rivals some of the fight scenes in the newer Marvel films. That is all just eye candy for the bigger message about sacrifice and doing the right thing even though you may have to throw away something you love to do it. This film may not be perfect, like Kirsten Dunst's acting, some of the weird extras in the movie, and that astronaut guy that Mary Jane is dating is totally forgettable. John is his name? I don't remember and frankly, I don't care, but I still love this movie. Both Spider-Man 1 and 2 will forever hold a place in my heart as the films that inspired me to be a better person.

Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/MgGVM6HVjyU