Spiderman 2
Spider-Man 2
Call me crazy, but I think the day of the Superhero movies is coming to
an end. For it’s credit, it has been going strong since the year 2000, when the
first X-Men film was released, launching the early days of the Marvel movie
making empire we know today. DC tried to play catch up, but the results have
been mixed at best. It was in 2008, when Iron Man came out, kick starting the
build up to The Avengers, that superhero films really took off. And as the next
two Avengers films hit cinemas in 2018 and 2019 respectively, with rumours circulating
that many of your beloved heroes will meet their demise, this could spell the
end of the superhero speed wagon.
And we wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for the first Spider-Man treatment, starting in
2002 with Tobey Maguire in the lead. I purposely didn’t choose the first film
as the movie of my 20’s (as I was technically 19 when I saw it) and although I loved
it, I have to admit my heart goes out to it’s brilliant sequel, aptly called “Spider-Man
2”.
The first Spider-Man film gave us the special effects, the story and the
setting for many more stories to be told. And since it was such a hit, even
with a few minor flaws, the same filmmaking team returned for the sequel,
churning it out only two years later. The cast were back, and more confident. The
villain was new, and more lethal. And with a bigger budget, the special effects
were more focused and refined. This meant, the main feature of the Spider-Man
films could be used to it’s full extent, and of course I’m referring to the
beautiful, inspiring and galvanizing backdrop of New York City.
Since I was a kid, I dreamed of going to New York City. If I had to
guess, I’d say the movie that introduced me to The Big Apple was probably Home
Alone 2: Lost in New York. Having been a big fan of the first film, I enjoyed
the adventures of Kevin McAlister as he outsmarted those pesky thieves on the
streets of the biggest city in the world. Being a 10-year-old roaming the city,
going where he pleased and marvelling at the rows of skyscrapers all around, inspired
me to go there one day. Growing up, watching any movie that was filmed or set
in New York was a real treat, as I got to travel there in a so-called way.
When planning my first big trip overseas that would last twelve months,
America was definitely on the cards. I went there first, spending two weeks on
the West Coast, on a Contiki Tour and by myself. It was great. I was planning to
return to the states the following year to do Camp America for the first time. When
I got accepted, and at a camp only a couple of hours drive from New York City, I
was very pleased to say the least. It was June 2004, that I flew into Newark
Airport in New Jersey. It was a stormy night, and the plane swayed from side to
side on descent as we touched down in the middle of pelting rain and thunder. I
looked out the side window of the plane for any glimpse of New York City. I did
see it, for about 1.5 seconds. Just as the plane touched down, the night sky
came alive, and the bright, white sheet of lightning lit up the silhouette of
the New York City Skyline. I could see the pointy tops of buildings, and even a
bolt of lightning strike the top of a skyscraper spire, which might have even
been the Empire State Building. In the truest form of the kind of ironic luck I
get most of the time, that was all I would see of New York City for almost
three months.
But before I finally went there in late August that year, once camp was ended,
I got to visit it one more time on the silver screen, when I saw Spider-Man 2
at the movies.
While working on camp, we got one day off a week and one evening off a
week. 12 miles away was the town of Honesdale. Like something out of a movie,
it was one main street; quaint, spotted with diners, old, red-bricked buildings
and leafy green trees. On the outskirts of town, was a Walmart and a cinema. When
we didn’t feel like hitting the local pub The Limerick on the night off (that
was usually reserved for the night before our day off), most of us camp counsellors
went to the movies. It was early July, and Spiderman 2 was out. There were two
buses that went back to camp on the evening’s off; the first at about 8pm and
the second at 11pm. I was booked for the first bus back, but I really, really
wanted to go to the movies. I hadn’t been to a movie theatre in America yet,
and that intrigued me. I decided to stay behind, and saw the 7.30pm showing of
Spiderman 2. The small theatre was a full house, and I sat in excitement as the
lights dimmed, and the movie played.
Spider-Man 2’s opening sets the tone for the film; it’s cool, it’s smart
and it’s funny. Peter Parker is late for work delivering pizzas, and has 7 ½ minutes
to get an order 40 blocks uptown. Taking to his bike, traffic gets in the way,
so he dons the red and blue suit and swings his way there, stopping to rescue
some kids on the way, and stop a guy on his balcony from eating the pizza that’s
suddenly landed on his ledge.
As the stakes are higher (and the budget is bigger) the action scenes
are well executed in the sequel. There are many, and they play on the border
of a little showy without being over the top. And that’s because it’s a sequel,
and it has to thrill you, with action handled in such a way that is dramatic
enough without being too much to bear, then the scenes end in an abrupt but thrilling
climax.
Spider-Man’s foe this time is Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), a man with eight
mechanical arms welded onto his back. Whatever manoeuvre Spider-Man can whip
up, Doc Ock can counteract it twice as fast with double the strength. He’s a
mad scientist gone even madder, hell bent on rebuilding his technology to wield
the power and finish off Spider-Man in the process.
While battling his new enemy on top of buildings, Peter Parker also
battles with his feelings about MJ. He loves her, but tells her he doesn’t (to protect
her), even when she says she loves him at the same time he wants to confess to
her who he is, but then has to keep that hidden so he can save her, then tell
her he really loves her, before she runs off with another guy she appears to be
in love with. Confused? That’s teenage romance I guess.
The most compelling part of Spider-Man 2, which not only makes it stand
out as the best Spider-Man film of the whole franchise but also one of the best
superhero films ever, is the dramatic elements. The love story with MJ, the inner
guilt and turmoil Peter feels about Uncle Ben’s death, and seeing his best
friend Harry Osborne slowly lose his mind to revenge as he wants to kill
Spider-Man over the death of his father. When it gets too much for Peter to
handle, he starts losing his powers. This was a nice twist to the story, and to
further deepen his feelings of inferiority to the power bestowed upon him,
Peter decides to say goodbye to Spider-Man. A good portion of the film show’s
Peter walking footloose and fancy free, as he starts saying “No” to all the crime
and people needing rescued he used to save. His grades improve, he feels
happier, and is ready to make his move towards MJ. But as fate would have it,
the plans of his enemy pull him back into battle, where he finds the strength
to fight again.
Spider-Man 2 is, dare I say it, almost perfect. It’s expertly filmed,
sophisticated and intelligent. It’s pacing is spot on, and Tobey Maguire
cements his role the second time around as the best of the three Spider-Man
actors to date, in my opinion. The supporting cast all acquit themselves just
as well, especially Rosemary Harris in the pivotal role as Aunt Mae. Still
grieving over the death of her husband and Peter’s uncle, Ben, she finds the
strength to carry on and be the strength for Peter as he doubts himself and his
place in the world. She has a touching scene in the film, where she inspires
Peter to pick himself up again, by saying “There’s a hero inside all of us”.
It’s tender and moving moment, and comes at just the right point in the film to spring
Peter back into action.
I enjoyed the whole film from start to end, and seeing it at the movies
in America was a real treat.
At the end of the film, the audience clapped. I was surprised by that at
first, but found it a pleasant surprise, so I joined in and applauded with
them. I had never been to the movies in Australia where the audience clapped. It
didn’t feel weird or campy to me to clap at the end of the movie, and since it
was so good, the film deserved its loud round of applause.
When camp ended, and the kids had left, there were a few coach buses
that would take all the counsellors to New York city. I offered to go on the
last bus taking the kids to La Guardia Airport, just outside the city. Sitting next
to me on the bus, was a camper called Matt. He loved coming to the activity I
ran, Video/Radio and he spoke to me for the 2 ½ hour bus ride. He lived in
Brooklyn, so driving into New York city was nothing new for him. He watched a
movie on his portable DVD player, and paused it regularly to tell me what was
going on, via his own special commentary. I listened, but honestly, I was
looking out the window for my first sight of the Manhattan City skyline. Eventually,
it appeared. Materialising on the horizon, covered in a misty, blue haze, the
city glistened in the summer sun. The tops of giant buildings stood tall and proud,
shining silver and bright as they reached up for the blue sky. It was amazing. The
skyline was long, and looked never-ending, spanning from one end of the horizon
to the other it seemed to me.
After dropping the kids off at the airport, we continued into the city. Entering
some tunnel, then exiting at the end, we suddenly appeared in the heart of New
York City. The bus pulled over, and the driver said “Counsellors – out! Enjoy
New York” We all laughed, because we knew the driver meant that in a humorous
way. I got out, grabbed my bags and was standing on the corner of Broadway and
31st Street (I think). I had arrived. I just stood there for several
minutes, gazing up to the buildings and down the long, narrow streets which
seemed to go on forever. The roads where a hustle bustle of bright, yellow taxis,
limousines and cyclists. The feeling in the air was electric, as the motion of
life happening right then and there in the moment, whizzed by at lighting like
speed. There was a hum and a buzz all around me and nothing and no one stood
still for a second.
Standing in awe of the sight and realisation I was there, I just relished
in all of it. I couldn’t wait to go and explore. And my first visit to New York
City would be three days long, but that’s a story for another time.
All I could think about was looking up to the skyscrapers above, keeping
my eyes opened for a guy in a red and blue suit, swinging from one ledge to the
other.
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