Ephemeris of the Mind (Film Review) Spider-Man 2
Time to read: 2 min read
Movie Poster
He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.
Previous Marvel film reviews:
- Spider-Man
- Morbius
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Black Widow
- Black Panther
- Venom
- The Punisher (2004)
Review
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggles with his dual identities, both as Spider-Man and as a college freshman. Things don’t improve when a brilliant scientist Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) goes rogue after an experiment goes wrong.
This movie feels much more mature than its predecessor as it focuses much more on Peter Parker’s dramatic interpersonal struggles, namely his relationship with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). My favourite aspect of the film is thus Peter’s character arc, both to his lowest point and to him embracing his destiny once more. Due to the fact that the film focuses much more on Peter’s relationships, it can often feel like a soap opera drama (with corny dialogue). Despite this, the film does have some very epic action scenes with better special effects than the previous film.
The supporting cast, such as James Franco's Harry Osborn and Molina's Octavius are very nuanced and add to Peter's character arc. Dunst's Mary Jane and Rosemary Harris' Aunt May add to Peter's personal development. J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson is as entertaining as ever and illustrates how the media's power can be used and abused.
Conclusion
A superhero film that explores the very personal side of being a hero.