Many critics call Spider-Man 2 the best superhero movie. I think that distinction belongs to The Incredibles, but I can see their point.
When the film opens, Spider-Man has been web slinging for a
while. He's also been trying to
hold down a job, go to school, and be there for his friends, but he’s a juggler
with too many balls and not enough hands.
Fighting crime is a full-time job, and he’s no millionaire playboy. Something’s gotta give.
And so goes the maturation of Peter Parker. He’s found his calling, but he hasn't
found his balance. What results is a work of surprising
maturity, balancing the requirements of the ‘spectacular blockbuster’ with
those of a carefully told story about growing up and out, about learning how to
be a man.
So, how does Spider-Man
2 do in the ‘spectacular blockbuster’ department? Very well, thank you.
The film has a very cool, very cinematic villain in Doctor Octopus,
played by Alfred Molina. Doctor
Octopus is attached to enormous cybernetic arms, and the film brings them to
life with a masterful combination of practical and computer-generated
effects. We believe in this
contraption, and in the menace it represents, and this helps bring the film to
life. Of course, it doesn't hurt
that the film continues the tradition of hiring world-class actors to play its
villains. Molina can do charm with
the best of them, but he can also do a version of sneering contempt that’ll
make you recoil.
So yeah, I can see why so many critics are in love with this
film. It’s thrilling and cool and
rewarding, and it succeeds in every way.
I love it, too. it isn't The Incredibles, a legitimate classic,
but it belongs in the same sentence.
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