Workaholic monkeys*

reviewed Sat, 17 Jul 2004

Even though it features a masked superhero, Spider-Man 2 is a non-Santo movie. Like X-Men 2, it's better than its predecessor; director Sam Raimi displays the playfulness and personality that was missing from Spider-Man, and Bruce Campbell gets a more worthy, though still too brief, cameo (as a snotty theater usher). Some of the same problems remain -- Kirsten Dunst once again shrieks a lot and manages to get sopping wet, the better to have her clothes cling to her body; I don't have anything against her, but I don't see what she brings to the table, with her lank, stringy hair and bland expression. And the movie veers into over-earnestness, especially when Spider-Man interacts with the grateful populace of New York.

The biggest improvements are the most important: the hero and the villain. Tobey Maguire spends a lot less time under the mask, which allows him to actually act, and the movie is the better for it. His rebellion against the burdens of being a superhero -- and, more to the point, having to keep it a secret -- rings true and is well done (without hammering home the point about having to face up to responsibility). And Alfred Molina, as Doc Ock, is just flat-out cool, with mechanical arms that end in pincers with the appearance and personality of the flowers from Little Shop of Horrors.

The movie ends with a tantalizing hint of the next villain to arise, though hopefully James Franco will dial it down a notch before Spider-Man 3.

*"Workaholic monkeys" has nothing to do with Spider-Man 2; I just couldn't think of a good title, and the phrase "workaholic monkeys" has been stuck in my head since I read this article earlier today. Wouldn't it make a great band name?

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