In a sequel that does not disappoint, Spiderman 2 raked in $40.4 million on opening day and continues to leave Fahrenheit 9/11 in the proverbial dust (or maybe it's just caught in Spiderman's web where it belongs.) Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is coming of age and realizing that life is often complicated. In fact, when I asked my fourteen year old son what he thought of movie, he said it was "complicated." There are two struggles: the classic one between good and evil and Peter's internal strife about the direction of his life. The former is almost a backdrop for the latter. Figuring out how to do the right thing amidst the obstacles that arise on life's path is a mark of honor and integrity.
Peter Parker is engaged in the juggling act of attempting to balance his job at the pizza place, his college studies and his relationship with Miss Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Often times he doesn't feel like he's doing well at any of the three. He is plagued with the thought of all his hard work going for naught. Is it even worth it? Can his personal responsibility be avoided? Should he just throw in that red, white and blue suit?
He loses his job at the pizza joint but saves two children in the process. While he's disappointed, he can still get another job??¢â???¬ ¦the children couldn't have come up with new lives. The newspaper editor, comic relief though he is, is just never happy with Peter's work and his class grades are on the decline. Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) is facing foreclosure and he's not in a financial position to help her. Life is indeed complicated and weighing heavily on our superhero.
Peter has high hopes of getting a better grade by interviewing Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a scientist specializing in fusion. Octavius is funded by Peter's old pal Harry Osborne (James Franco). The experiment goes haywire killing Octavius' wife and rendering Dr. Octavius into Dr. Octopus.
In a hilarious spoof on the media, the ever lovable news editor keeps running stories that associate Spiderman with crime. Spiderman shows up in the middle of a bank robbery and the headline reads "Spidey and Ock Rob Bank." For Peter, it seems that no good deed goes unpunished. And sometimes, when he needs them most, his webs won't spin. A visit with a doctor suggests that every man has choices and Peter need not be chasing his Spiderman "dreams." Uncle Ben counsels Peter in a pep talk dream to stay the course, but Peter's heart is failing him.
In tossing his suit, he tries tossing his conscience into the garbage, but thankfully, it's too loud to stay put. When Peter saves a child from an inferno, he feels good, despite not having his Spidey suit. Unfortunately, someone else dies in the same fire as a result of Peter's failing. The paper is also running the story that crime has increased 75%. The pressure is mounting for Spiderman to return.
Ultimately, Peter realizes that goodness requires sacrifice. Doing the right thing isn't always easy and it might just mean giving up Mary Jane. He loves her too much to put her in danger, but he knows he must use his gifts for the good. He's finally focused, and just in time. He's got to stop a runaway train.
Mary Jane doesn't have all the facts so she's decided to marry the newspaper editor's son, an astronaut. Despite the fact she called Peter an "empty seat" for not showing up to her play performances, she really doesn't mean it. She loves Peter desperately and is completely frustrated by his inability to tell her that he loves her. While Peter rescues Mary Jane from the metal clutches of Dr. Octopus, she learns Spiderman's true identity which in turn lets her see that Peter is neither an empty seat nor an empty suit. My favorite scene has Mary Jane running away from the empty suit with a smile on her face because she's finally figured out where her heart belongs.
And the newspaper editor, well, he's left with one more reason to despise Spiderman. It's hard to feel sorry for him though. In the wake of this emotional wedding trauma, he leans over to his wife and instructs her to tell the caterer not open the caviar.
Peter Parker learns that doing good is its own reward. Sometimes the progress is difficult or even impossible to gauge and the temptation to give up is overwhelming. Ignoring your responsibilities will only catch up to you with a vengeance and the problems will be worse than before. Free will gives people the option to act for good or evil and those choices affect more people than they realize at the time of the decision.
As the movie ends, Harry is facing choices about following in his father's footsteps as he discovers the Green Goblin's hideout. Harry doesn't have the character or spine that Peter does so I think we catch a glimpse of Spiderman 3...
Courage. Honor. Perseverance. Sacrifice. These are noble themes for a movie that opened for the July 4th weekend.
