Spider Man 2

[Amneris]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 1:22pm

GO SEE IT! Molina,Donna Murphy,Rosemary Harris...awesome cast...awesome movie...my voice teacher and I went to see it last night at 11pm and we had sort of the "ghetto crowd" on 34th street...everyone cheered when Tobey M came on the screen, we were the 2 theater freaks to clap REALLY loud when Donna Murphy came on... It special effects were incredible...must see!!! xoxxo a gushingly pathetic amneris in search of the play savage in limbo which no store in nyc has...

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 2:08pm

I liked the flick but didn't love it (and I'm a comic book geek so that probably plays into it.)

Loved the fights and loved Molina but there was just a lot of moments where NOTHING HAPPENED.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 6:59pm

Just character development, plot setup--stupid stuff like that. The 12 yo punks that sat behind me felt the same way!!

[starlyricist]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 7:27pm

ahhhh. Amneris how can you mention Donna Murphy being in the movie and not Gregg Edelman?!?! I loved his small cameo. I've seen the movie twice thus far and while I liked it, I didn't LOVE it. I did like how Sam Raimi set up the 3rd movie so well tho. And having a movie w/Donna, Gregg and Alfred Molina in it (as well as one HOTTTT Tobey Maguire) was icing on the cake.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 10:12pm

I really liked it, and I can't wait to see it without a noisy crowd yelling and screaming. It went on a bit too long, but Tobey, Alfred, and especially Rosemary Harris made up for it.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 10:20pm

Um, no, it wasn't character development. It was a slow-moving story. The moments when Peter stopped being Spider-Man should have been used to show how his life was changed, for better or for worse, by his not being Spider-Man. Instead we got a series of Charlie Brown moments for Peter Parker that didn't build toward his realization that he needs to be Spider-Man again, thus eliminating that dramatic moment completely. In fact, along the way we were shown random flashes of Doc Ock building just to remind us that, oh, by the way, there is an actual story we're going to get to again in a few minutes.

It wasn't well paced. The scenes didn't build upon themselves. It lacked momentum and focus. Don't call my attention span into question.

[broadway86]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 11:40pm

I don't see how anyone could possibly be disappointed with this film. It worked beautifully; as a drama, and an action movie. It was entertaining, exhilerating, and surprisingly poignant. I blatantly disagree about it being boring and pointless... but, such as life. This was truly one of the best films of the year. Updated On: 7/4/04 at 11:40 PM

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 11:44pm

I really need to see this!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/4/04 at 11:50pm

I agree broadway. The reason I do not like the majority of superhero movies, is because they just go........"ok, he has powers, the bad guy has powers...let's just let them fight." Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 dives into the characters and shows them as normal human beings, with problems. In the comics, they do the same things. It is not until the recent comics that they have the villian in almost every frame. In the originals, especially the ones where Peter doubts himself being Spider-Man....the villian is always the background story. That is what makes Spider-Man so great. In the movie, when Peter is not Spider-Man, it shows both sides to why he should and should not be Spider-Man. He does better in school, he gets complimented for his actions, he can possibly get the girl, he is finally doing great in his life. But, at the same time he sees that crime has rissen 75%, guys are getting mugged, and people are loosing hope and faith. I thought the movie portrayed that in a great way. This is without a doubt THE GREATEST SUPERHERO MOVIE, next to the original Superman......I am tired now.

[broadway86]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 12:40am

I agree. This was the best superhero movie. Ever. I defy anyone to show me a true flaw with the movie.

The script was bad? I don't think so.

The acting was bad? (Laughs)

It was too long? It was just under two hours. And those were two quick hours, I might add.

There was too much character developement? How can you have too much?! That's the main problem with most superhero movies... there IS none!

I loved this movie, and it's quite impossible to build it up too much.

If anyone's interested, here's a list of other outstanding films that came out this year:

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (Thus far, the best movie of the year)
Dogville (Interesting and disturbing experiment. Nicole Kidman and Paul Bettany are great)
Mean Girls (Give this movie a shot, and I guarantee you won't regret it. It's THAT good!)
Napolean Dynamite (Hilarious!)
Eternal Sunshine... (Another wacky and intelligent Charlie Kaufman comedy)
The Girl Next Door (A rather big surprise)
The Butterfly Effect (Believe it or not, it was really excellent)
The Notebook (The tearjerker of the year. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are the superstars of tomorrow)
Troy (not liked by many, but loved by me)
Dawn of the Dead (Kiss-@$$ horror movie)
Harry Potter and the P. of A. Updated On: 7/5/04 at 12:40 AM

[junglered]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 10:48am

I saw Spider Man 2 on Saturday and loved it. I'm glad that there was time spent on character development as well as action sequences. Mr. Molina was great as Doc. Ock and it was 'wonderful' seeing Ms. Murphy and Mr. Edelman in their supporting roles. My only minor complaint would be that too much time was spent on demonstrating how poor Peter Parker was. I think the audience got it.

This movie truly has appeal for folks of all ages. Hence, parents: please teach your children how to behave at the movie theatre.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 2:20pm

AMEN. I had a little kid behind me that kept saying, "Why isn't he spider-man, mommy?" "Is he going to die, mommy?" "Mommy, will you please take me out of this theater and beat me until I realize that I am not supposed to talk during a movie?" Well, he didn't say the last one, but I wish he would have.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 2:29pm

There are no flaws? OK, then why is the issue of Spider-Man's powers flickering never addressed, explained or resolved? His powers flickering is a contrivance to create false drama and it never pays into the battles or the resolution of anything. Why then is he able to take the same falls without his powers as he could with them and still not get hurt? Why is Doc Ock able to take a punch from Spider-Man who has superhuman strength when Doc Ock only has super strong tentacles that are never said to grant him the same power (and is shown earlier to be vulnerable to an attack from Aunt May?) How does Doc Ock know the exact cafe' where Peter Parker's eating lunch with Mary Jane? I mean, call me crazy, but happening upon one person in NYC eating lunch isn't the easiest thing on Earth, especially to find them while remaining far enough away to chuck a car at them before they noticed them, even though all of Ock's other appearances are met with earth rumbling and thunderous booms?

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 2:44pm

John.........let me see if I can answer this for you....IT IS A MOVIE. and besides that IT IS A COMIC BOOK MOVIE. If you are a comic book fan, as you say you are, you should know that in the comics they do not give Harvard based answers to why superhero's have their powers fail them. In the movie, Peter lossing his powers is one of the reasons why he decides to give up being Spider-Man. He sees that it is not worth it. Also, him falling from a tall building and hitting a car, he gets hurt which he does not really do when he has the powers. With the "Earth, especially to find them while remaining far enough away to chuck a car at them before they noticed them, even though all of Ock's other appearances are met with earth rumbling and thunderous booms?" He probably had the arms hidden beneath his jacket, and then threw the car. He doesn't always have to walk with the arms (again, if you read the comics you should know this). How did he know that Peter and MJ were going to be at the Cafe? Well, he probably followed them. I mean, it was a couple of days between Doc Ock seeing Harry and him throwing the car into the restaraunt. Again, it is a movie. No movie is perfect.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 2:48pm

Spidey was losing his abilities due to his stress and self-doubt---the same reasons some men lose their uh abilities. :)

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 4:00pm

Wasn't my response in direct challenge to someone saying the movie was perfect? In fact didn't someone say 'I defy anyone to find a true flaw with the movie?'

No, Ock doesn't always walk with his arms but it wouldn't be like he'd be incognito at the same time and able to amble through the streets of NY unnoticed, especially given the size of the apparatus and the arms in the movie. They're never shown in the movie to be especially retractable.

Plenty of super hero stories are about a hero losing his powers, no they don't give 'Harvard reasons' for it but they give DRAMATIC reasons for it. They tie it into the story in a specific and deliberate way (like 'Superman II.)

'It's a movie' is what people say when they want to like a movie for all its flaws, which is fine. As I said, I liked the movie but it was hardly a masterpiece.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 4:03pm

I just told you the dramatic reason that Spidey was losing his powers.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 5:06pm

You told me *a* reason he might have been losing his powers. The movie doesn't address it and it doesn't happen consistently enough to draw any real conclusions, not to mention that since it doesn't play into the storyline at all, it doesn't have any bearing on the decisions the character makes.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 5:25pm

then it went over your head---the scene with Greg E is one scene that talked about it. Apparently, critics across the country got why as they discuss it at great length.

Updated On: 7/5/04 at 05:25 PM

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 6:15pm

It's a dramatically irrelevant and unresolved plot tangent. Excise those moments where his powers don't work and the arc of Peter Parker is exactly the same. It doesn't contribute anything other than contrived moments where his powers don't work for the sake of nothing. He doesn't quit being Spider-Man because his powers don't work, nor do his powers work demonstrably better when he doesn't have the burden of Spider-Man on his shoulders to further the idea the problems are stress-based. His stresses aren't resolved in a way related to the notion of his powers failing or returning. It doesn't contribute.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 6:21pm

well, then we will just have to agree on disagreeing. :)

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 6:25pm

gotta agree, i thought it was slow. They all were good actors, carrying their arcs fine, but wasn't there an AWFUL lot of Toby staring into nothingness with the wide eyes? poor James Franco was trying, but the character swings for Harry are pretty plot-driven and not really natural to a personality, even for comic books. Dunst was fine, the astronaut was hot, JK Simmons was funny at first but we got past the "comic relief" pretty quickly. And he's a GREAT actor. i'm not sure why it didn't work for me, but it was just kinda bland. Of course it's making money, which is great, and i like Raimi, so i'm glad for him. but when i compare it to DARKMAN as a comics-to-screen adaptation, it really seems lacking.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 7:25pm

Did you guys notice that Peter's Pizza boss was Aasif Mandvi? - He was Ali Hakim in the Nunn-Stroman revival of "Oklahoma" on B'way.

I was really pleased with the film. Well done. !The B'way folks were great. Even Donna M. got to strut her stuff as a scream queen. My fave was J.K. Simmons - hilarious.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 7:40pm

it WAS great seeing all the B'way folks, but i didn't place that one. JK was funny (he's a terrific actor) but they didn't develop his humor. Same kind of "take" over and over again.

[Amneris]

Posted: 7/5/04 at 8:50pm

you could so tell that the elevator scene was an outtake they left in..because Tobey MacGuire was practically shaking in his costume when he says "it rides up in the crotch" and the other dude was bighting his lips trying not to laugh.