June 30, 2004. This is a famous day in superhero film history as it is the day that the film “Spider-Man 2” was released. It’s no secret that I love this film; I have often contended – and I will continue to do so – that this is the best superhero film ever made. I give my kudos to the film’s director Sam Raimi; he struck superhero storytelling gold. Even though I’m a little bit early, I wanted to take some time to share some thoughts, in celebration of this great movie’s anniversary. To be honest, I could go on and on and on praising various aspects, scenes, and character arcs from this movie, but let me just hit and run on a few elements.
First off, I came across an article from toms guide.com written
by Dan Girolamo; he titled it, “‘Spider-Man 2’ is turning 20 – here’s why I
think it’s the greatest superhero movie ever”.
I want to commend his article to you; the link is right here for
you. For my purposes today, I want to
quote when Girolamo says these words:
“With great power comes great responsibility.” The famous
line from Uncle Ben in “Spider-Man” became one of the defining moments of Raimi’s
trilogy. However, the phrase that better
represents the core theme of “Spider-Man 2” is “You’ll always have a choice.” This choice is what Raimi understood better
than any director who’s ever worked on a “Spider-Man film.
The choice in “Spider-Man 2” revolves around who Peter
wants to be, which determines the outlook on his life. To live normally, can Peter still be
Spider-Man? Will he sacrifice appearances
at plays or physics classes to capture some bank robbers? Can he be a loyal friend to Harry while still
being Spider-Man? Can Peter love Mary
Jane, or must he shut her out to protect her from Spider-Man’s enemies? This existential crisis causes Peter to lose
his powers. This vulnerability from
Peter is something is something rarely seen in a movie with comic book heroes.”
On a personal note, watching “Spider-Man 2” for the first time was a gripping experience that I
will never forget. I could relate to
Peter’s desire to want to do the right thing; I resonate with it even stronger
today. At one point in the film, Peter
throws his Spider-Man suit in a dumpster and announces, “I’m Spider-Man no
more.” Who among us wouldn’t have made
the same choice? I would have. Yet, he realized that he could not simply
turn his back on his heroic duties. When
he returns to the battle, it inspires us – it certainly inspires me – to stay
faithful to our calling, no matter how difficult. The fact that Peter gets to enjoy a happy
ending, for a change, never fails to cause me to cry tears of joy.
To conclude, Dan Girolamo wrapped up his thoughts on this
movie with these words: “Take away the webs, the suits, and the villains. At its core, “Spider-Man 2” is a movie about
sacrifice and responsibility. Peter
finally realizes this sentiment in his last conversation with [the film’s
antagonist] Doc Ock. Peter says, “Sometimes,
to do what’s right, we must be steady and give up the things we desire the
most, even our dreams. Being a hero is
hard, just like making a successful sequel.
But when a filmmaker like Raimi understands the emotional dilemma of
being a hero, you get a masterpiece like “Spider-Man 2.”
God bless,
Kevin
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