Revisted - Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Avengers: Engame has become one of the highest grossing films of all time beating the likes of Titanic and Avatar to claim the crown. The superhero property is at it's peak right now with it shoveling out TV shows, movies, merchandise, theme park rides and well everything really at an accelerating rate. It would almost be considered weird if a superhero movie didn't come out every year or so nowadays. Theres no denying it's popularity, but it wasn't always like this. Comics wasn't always popular nor was the heroes and villains that litter their pages. Early attempts in the 60's and 70's to make superhero movies and TV shows were mostly hit or miss. In the 80's to the 2000's there were more attempts, but with the same varying results. There were good ones even great ones like Michael Keaton's Batman, X-Men, and the first Spider-Man, but there were dreadful ones like Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, Catwoman, and the Shaq Led Steel. There were various problems, but at it's core it was of course the problem of making the hero relatable to the audience. Sure, it's cool to see the hero of the story swing through NYC or fight a clown prince of crime or even shoot laser beams from their eyes, but there more to a hero than that. It's all well and good, but how can the audience relate to any of that? That's when the human aspect of the hero comes in. By giving the hero a human aspect, a struggle, dilemma or an achilles heel that the audience can relate to, it makes the hero feel real and all the feats he accomplish real. Though this is far easier said than done of course, but one movie, in my humble biased opinion, not only was the best at doing this, but also jump started the superhero property into becoming the multi-billion dollar corporation that we see today, and of course i'm talking about the one and only, Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man is a very special hero and no i'm not talking about his powers, but his character. Like Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, Peter Parker faces a lot of conflict and internal struggle in being a superhero. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, as Peter Parker quickly realizes with his Uncle Ben paying the price in showcasing that he has a responsibility to himself and the people around him to use his powers for the greater good. Most heroes start in their mid twenties to early thirties, but Peter is just a kid from Queens that's looking out for the little guy and that's why everyone loves him. His scrappiness to find a solution, his constant hurdles in life, and of course his perseverance to do what's right in the world. So when Sam Rami started at the helm with the first film, he wanted to put the superhero stuff in the back burner almost and instead have Peter Parker lead the film. Peter Parker drove the film not Spider-Man. Spider-Man was more or so just another layer to Peter's character, not a alter ego. Of course, the film did magnificently well and a sequel was quickly demanded and just as quickly made. Spider-Man 2 not only did what it's predecessor did but better. It became a pure character piece on Peter Parker showcasing his struggle to maintain his dual lifestyle with constant obstacles impeding him. Peter falls, stumbles, quits, and fails throughout the movie, but finds the will and strength to get back up. Spider-Man 2 is more than just a superhero blockbuster, it's a heartfelt tribute to the character as well as a very well made piece about the consequences of being a hero.

The movie picks up two years after Norman Osborn's death, the ending to the first film. Peter Parker, who ended the first movie on a relatively high note, finds himself struggling to balance his superhero responsibilities with those of his personal and professional lives. He has become estranged from both his love interest MJ from not finding time for her play while being a hero and his best friend Harry Osborn, who is now consumed with vengeance against Spider-Man, whom he believes is responsible for Norman's death, and discovers that Aunt May is facing eviction. Additionally, he has found himself suffering temporary but recurring losses of his powers, often due to his lack of confidence and will to be a hero any longer. Harry, now head of Oscorp's genetic and scientific research division, is sponsoring a fusion power project by nuclear scientist Otto Octavius, who befriends and mentors Peter while Peter is writing a paper on him. While handling hazardous materials, Octavius wears a harness of powerful robotic tentacle arms with artificial intelligence. During a public demonstration that Peter and Harry attend, a power spike causes the fusion reactor to destabilize. Octavius refuses to shut down the reactor, which goes critical, killing his wife and fusing the harness to his spine, destroying the inhibitor chip blocking the arms from his nervous system and controlling his mind. Peter quickly suits up as Spider-Man and shuts the experiment down, destroying it in the process.

At a hospital, as doctors prepare to surgically remove Octavius' harness, the arms, having developed sentience with the inhibitor chip's destruction, brutally attack and massacre all of them. Upon regaining consciousness and seeing the carnage, Octavius escapes and takes refuge at a harbor devastated of what he has done and become. Octavius becomes increasingly influenced by the arm's AI and eventually is persuaded to rob a bank to fund a second experiment to finish what he started and not have his wife's death be in vain. Peter and May coincidentally are there, and Octavius takes May hostage. Spider-Man rescues her, but Octavius flees with the stolen money. MJ becomes engaged to astronaut John Jameson, son of Bugle headmaster J. Jonah Jameson. Peter suffers an emotional breakdown over his inability to balance his personal life with his hero life and loses his powers entirely. He abandons his Spider-Man identity, returns to his normal life, and attempts to reconcile with Mary Jane. A garbageman brings Peter's Spider-Man costume to Jameson, who takes credit for driving Spider-Man into hiding. Peter tells May the truth behind his Uncle Ben's death and how he is responsible. May forgives him in time,and as Aunt May prepares to move she gives peter a speech almost echoing Uncle Ben's statement "with great power comes great responsibility". This drives Peter to contemplate picking up being Spider-Man again as the rise in New York City crime rates begins to worry him.

Requiring the isotope tritium to fuel his reactor, Octavius visits Harry to demand it. Harry agrees in exchange for Spider-Man. He tells Octavius to seek Peter, who Harry believes is friends with Spider-Man, but tells Octavius not to harm him. Octavius locates Peter, tells him to find Spider-Man, and kidnaps Mary Jane. Her endangerment leads to Peter's powers returning, finally finding a drive he needed to jumpstart himself back up again. As Jameson admits that he was wrong about Spider-Man, Peter steals his costume back from the Bugle and goes after Octavius. As Spider-Man battles Octavius, they fall onto a New York City Subway train and one of the best superhero fight scenes begins. Octavius sabotages the controls and leaves Spider-Man to save the passengers, which he does at a great physical toll. When he faints from exhaustion, the grateful passengers save him from falling and bring him into the train, seeing his unmasked face but promising to keep their knowledge hidden. In vain, they try to protect him when Octavius returns to capture Spider-Man, whom Octavius delivers to Harry shortly after.

After giving Octavius the tritium, Harry prepares to kill Spider-Man, only to be shocked to see Peter under the mask. Peter convinces Harry to direct him to Octavius' lair, as bigger things are at stake than Norman's death. As Spider-Man arrives at the doctor's waterfront laboratory and attempts to rescue Mary Jane discreetly, Octavius discovers him, and they battle as the nuclear reaction swells. Spider-Man ultimately subdues Octavius, reveals his identity, and persuades Octavius to let his dream go for the greater good. Octavius regains control over the arms finally and commands the tentacles to obey him, and gives his life to destroy the experiment. Mary Jane sees Peter's true identity, in which he tells her that is why they cannot be together for her own safety. Spider-Man returns Mary Jane to John, and leaves. Harry is visited by a vision of his father in a mirror, pleading for Harry to avenge his death. Refusing to kill his friend, Harry shatters the mirror, inadvertently revealing a secret room containing prototypes of the Green Goblin's equipment. On her wedding day, Mary Jane abandons John at the altar and runs to Peter's apartment. After they kiss, they hear police sirens, and Mary Jane encourages him to go help as Spider-Man. As he leaves however, MJ looks out longing contemplating the road she choose.

Spider-Man 2 is a great superhero film, but an even better character piece. The way Sam Rami showcases a blend of realism with the drama as well as making Peter Parker not only relatable, but an underdog to root for is both amazing and astonishingly beautiful. I don't watch this film for the actions scenes, though amazing, I watch the film to see the stumbles, the falls, the failures that Peter faces, only to overcome them in the end in such a satisfying way. The movie is all about it's characters, Peter facing his dual personas, MJ trying to make her own in life, Harry dealing with his father's loss and living up to his legacy, and Octavius who is trying to understand the monster he has become and to finish what he started for his wife's sake. All these character arc's intertwine and eventually come to a satisfying conclusion at the end . Peter finds his will to be a hero, MJ chooses Peter to live her life with, Harry goes on a vengeance path against Peter, and Octavius sacrifices himself for the greater good. Not many Superhero movies can deliver something like this, and there have been great attempts like Logan, Captain America: Winter Soldier , Iron Man, The Dark Knight, but the one that truly started it all was Spider-Man 2. So go watch the film, watch it for the fight scenes, watch it for the drama scenes, but watch it because it is simply not only one of the best superhero films, but a great film in general. This has been Revisited, thanks for reading. Ricardo signing off.