Post by Javelina aka Wu Tugu on Jul 2, 2004 7:25:37 GMT -5
Spiderman 2- Javee's Review:
Alright, for all of you doubters of Superhero tales, here is a movie for you! Finally we see a superhero that acts his age, but that does it with the heart of a real hero, even when he is plain old Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) , a young boy turning man, who has accepted the mantle of Spiderman, initially with the intention of getting a girl, but later because of his higher sense of nobility.
He didn't purchase his way into the genre like Bruce Wayne did as Batman. He didn't inherit it as part of his genetic makeup and other-worldly powers as did Superman, an alien castaway from Krypton who finds himself in a land of weaklings. Instead, Peter Parker has his abilities "sprung" on him by a spider.
Everything else in his life tells him not to accept his new status. He is still a boy, challenged as are all young men by a new life of work, family responsibility, and the intense desire for love and fulfillment that every boy feels as he turns the corner from teenager to adult.
The poor kid has never really even dated a girl, and his heart and his mind are strung tighter than his Spidey web.
Should he accept the words of his beloved uncle, the only father he ever had?....and I paraphrase...
"Peter, with great powers come great responsibilities. We all make choices in life. It is up to you to choose to use your powers for good, and to make the sacrifices necessary to do something for the rest of mankind. You have been given a gift. Only you can decide what to do with it."
I have to admit that I even cried in this movie. A tear jerker, well... no. But never has a special effects blockbuster shown such depth in character development. Every character comes to life for the audience.
There is Peter's frail but strong-willed Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), a woman of meager means who finds herself alone and nearing the end of a long hard life, but still facing a new challenge at every turn.
There is Peter's heart-throb, Mary Jane, "M.J."(Kirsten Dunst), a vital and beautiful young woman who wishes Peter could be the man she feels in her heart that he is. Instead, she is constantly disappointed by Peter, who seems intent on stumbling through every part of their non-relationship, from his lack of amorous attention to his seeming irresponsibility and failure even as a friend. He is a man who is failing at life in general. How could she consider him as a possible future provider, either monetarily or emotionally?
There is Jonah Jamison (J.K. Simmons), the newspaper editor, so wrapped up in himself and his newspaper empire that he has no room for generosity or humanity. A Teddy Roosevelt, but without a heart.
There is " Doc Oc", Otto Octavius, (Alfred Molina). He is the perfect example of what Spiderman is not. A man who attains power, but who is such an "A" personality that he fails to consider the responsibility that power brings, and who is blind to the harm that he might cause to others by allowing his genius to create a monster from technology.
There is Peter's friend Harry Osborn (James Franco). Unknown to Harry, his father was the Goblin in the previous movie. A spoiled but succesful heir to his father's industrial empire, he is Peter's friend, but his consuming hatred for Spiderman, who he believes is responsible for his father's death, is eating away at his soul and leading him into the shadows of his father's footsteps.
Then there are the arms of Doc Oc. Yes, these metal tarantulations have their own minds, and they are the minds of machines awakening to self-knowledge, a little mini-version of the "Terminator" premise.
The character portrayals in Spiderman 2 are better than the special effects, and the special effects are flawless. If you never opened a comic book, but you enjoy special effects or even like love stories, you will not be disappointed. And if you were a Spiderman comic reader and fan, you will find yourself truly in Marvel-gone-Hollywood heaven.
The train scene is amazing. And the final scenes of Spiderman, spent but victorious, are truly moving. He is perched high on his throne of concrete, iron, and steel cable, loved and in love, but out of reach from the normal life of his fellow man........
Makes you wish you could pull out those old comics and dream again............'Nuff said?
Alright, for all of you doubters of Superhero tales, here is a movie for you! Finally we see a superhero that acts his age, but that does it with the heart of a real hero, even when he is plain old Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) , a young boy turning man, who has accepted the mantle of Spiderman, initially with the intention of getting a girl, but later because of his higher sense of nobility.
He didn't purchase his way into the genre like Bruce Wayne did as Batman. He didn't inherit it as part of his genetic makeup and other-worldly powers as did Superman, an alien castaway from Krypton who finds himself in a land of weaklings. Instead, Peter Parker has his abilities "sprung" on him by a spider.
Everything else in his life tells him not to accept his new status. He is still a boy, challenged as are all young men by a new life of work, family responsibility, and the intense desire for love and fulfillment that every boy feels as he turns the corner from teenager to adult.
The poor kid has never really even dated a girl, and his heart and his mind are strung tighter than his Spidey web.
Should he accept the words of his beloved uncle, the only father he ever had?....and I paraphrase...
"Peter, with great powers come great responsibilities. We all make choices in life. It is up to you to choose to use your powers for good, and to make the sacrifices necessary to do something for the rest of mankind. You have been given a gift. Only you can decide what to do with it."
I have to admit that I even cried in this movie. A tear jerker, well... no. But never has a special effects blockbuster shown such depth in character development. Every character comes to life for the audience.
There is Peter's frail but strong-willed Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), a woman of meager means who finds herself alone and nearing the end of a long hard life, but still facing a new challenge at every turn.
There is Peter's heart-throb, Mary Jane, "M.J."(Kirsten Dunst), a vital and beautiful young woman who wishes Peter could be the man she feels in her heart that he is. Instead, she is constantly disappointed by Peter, who seems intent on stumbling through every part of their non-relationship, from his lack of amorous attention to his seeming irresponsibility and failure even as a friend. He is a man who is failing at life in general. How could she consider him as a possible future provider, either monetarily or emotionally?
There is Jonah Jamison (J.K. Simmons), the newspaper editor, so wrapped up in himself and his newspaper empire that he has no room for generosity or humanity. A Teddy Roosevelt, but without a heart.
There is " Doc Oc", Otto Octavius, (Alfred Molina). He is the perfect example of what Spiderman is not. A man who attains power, but who is such an "A" personality that he fails to consider the responsibility that power brings, and who is blind to the harm that he might cause to others by allowing his genius to create a monster from technology.
There is Peter's friend Harry Osborn (James Franco). Unknown to Harry, his father was the Goblin in the previous movie. A spoiled but succesful heir to his father's industrial empire, he is Peter's friend, but his consuming hatred for Spiderman, who he believes is responsible for his father's death, is eating away at his soul and leading him into the shadows of his father's footsteps.
Then there are the arms of Doc Oc. Yes, these metal tarantulations have their own minds, and they are the minds of machines awakening to self-knowledge, a little mini-version of the "Terminator" premise.
The character portrayals in Spiderman 2 are better than the special effects, and the special effects are flawless. If you never opened a comic book, but you enjoy special effects or even like love stories, you will not be disappointed. And if you were a Spiderman comic reader and fan, you will find yourself truly in Marvel-gone-Hollywood heaven.
The train scene is amazing. And the final scenes of Spiderman, spent but victorious, are truly moving. He is perched high on his throne of concrete, iron, and steel cable, loved and in love, but out of reach from the normal life of his fellow man........
Makes you wish you could pull out those old comics and dream again............'Nuff said?
