By its very nature, the summer
blockbuster so beloved in Hollywood demands not only amplitude and grandeur but
also a hero of a commensurate stature, who will not be dwarfed by the
spectacular context of his story. Borrowing heavily and recklessly from Homer,
the makers of Troy attempted to
glorify the pivotal decision of their chief character, Achilles, who
consciously chooses death in battle and a subsequent immortality.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Despite
its origin in the comic books, Spider-Man
2, oddly, appears to derive its inspiration from another, later epic,
Virgil’s Aeneid, which chronicles the
adventures of a very different sort of hero.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
title character of the picture, played once again by Tobey Maguire, exhibits a
most unheroic tendency toward introspection, self doubt, depression, and an
enormous self pity — no wonder the comic books captured so large an audience
of teenagers. Spider-Man, unlike the true heroes of the past, frequently
questions his gifts and his mission, and even temporarily abandons his quest to
defend the powerless and defeat evildoers (pretty much the usual agenda of the
common or garden variety superhero).
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Unlike
Achilles, he chooses, at least for a while, to abdicate his responsibility,
ceasing his heroic deeds, choosing instead the ordinary life of his “true”
identity, the college student, pizza delivery man, and newspaper photographer
Peter Parker.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย That
choice occurs within the context of the familiar comic book adventure, the
continuing battle with a supervillain, in this case, another Mad Scientist, Dr.
Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Through the usual remarkable experiment gone
wrong — another staple of the comics — the brilliant Octavius grafts four
giant, powerful mechanical arms to his body, goes nuts, and chooses evildoing
as his profession: he becomes Doctor Octopus, Doc Ock for short.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
only person who can stop him, Spidey, has unfortunately thrown out his costume
and quit the masked-avenger business, which reflects the continuing dilemma of
the character and the comic books.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Peter
Parker faces a multitude of problems in Spider-Man
2 — he loses his job delivering pizzas, he neglects his studies, good old
Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) faces foreclosure, and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst),
the love of his life, now a successful actress, plans to marry an astronaut. On
top of all that, when performing heroic deeds, he experiences web failure,
falling frequently and painfully from great heights when his powers fizzle,
suggesting a kind of impotence. Unlike Achilles, he renounces heroism for the
quiet life of Peter Parker, a choice that transforms him into a contented, well
adjusted young man, but also raises the important issue of identity,
questioning whether he is really Peter or Spider-Man, and which persona is
really the secret self.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Like
that very modern classical hero Aeneas, who constantly consults otherworldly
advisers, including the spirit of his father Anchises, Peter receives advice
from everyone around him, including the ghost of his own father figure, Uncle
Ben. They counsel him about the responsibilities that accompany great gifts,
the responsibilities of a superhero, which naturally inspires him to resume his
costume and his customary behaviors and once again become the Spider-Man so
many know and love.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Aside
from the frequent scenes of Peter Parker’s internal anguish, the picture once
again shows a number of great battles between Spider-Man and his adversary, who
often throws large objects, chiefly taxicabs, around Manhattan, and destroys a
number of historic buildings. In a succession of spectacular and thrilling
moments, Spidey soars and swings through the canyons of the city, pausing
occasionally to rescue victims of various crimes. The movie now and then
consciously copies the angles and poses of the comic books, with Spider-Man
repeating his familiar postures, odd foreshortening and perspectives, even
characters sticking their heads comically into frames.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
mawkish adolescent love story of Peter and Mary Jane also reflects the comic
book approach to emotion, while much of the dialogue and acting imitates the
simplistic exaggeration of the original. Tobey Maguire’s creaky voice and
constant weepiness grow quite tiresome quite early and poor Alfred Molina,
flabby and corpulent, looks ill at ease, as if he would rather be wearing more
clothes and behaving less foolishly. Perhaps in the next movie — and there
will be one, depend on it — the new menace will seem more physically fit and
more fully committed to deliberate nastiness.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
special effects, by now an obligatory phenomenon of the form, maintain a high
level of excitement and should satisfy the most jaded fan of the summer
blockbuster, as well as the dedicated Spider Maniacs. For a genuinely troubled,
self-doubting, insecure, and yet immortal hero involved in great adventures and
facing enormous difficulties, however, one might be better advised to read
Virgil.
Spider-Man 2, starring Tobey
Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K.
Simmons, Dylan Baker, Bill Nunn; based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and
Steve Ditko; screenplay by Alvin Sargent; directed by Sam Raimi. Cinemark
Tinseltown, Loews Webster, Pittsford Plaza Cinema, Regal Culver Ridge, Regal
Eastview, Regal Greece Ridge, Regal Henrietta.
This article appears in Jul 7-13, 2004.
