Tagline: With great power comes great responsibility.
“I have been stung by fate. I am its prisoner. A prisoner of my ownconscience. My love for the girl I want always to be with is locked within me. With me, she is always in danger from those who fight against me.Without her, I travel a lonely road. My story will always be about the loss ofa girland every day I ask myself, how long can I endure this loneliness?” — Spider-Man
Two years have passed since the mild-mannered Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) walked away from his longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and decided to take the road to responsibility as Spider-Man. Peter must face new challenges as he struggles to cope with “the gift and the curse” of his powers while balancing his dual identities as the elusive superhero Spider-Man and life as a college student.
The relationships Peter holds most dear are now in danger of unraveling as he clashes with the powerful, multi-tentacled villain Doctor Octopus aka “Doc Ock” (Alfred Molina). Peter’s life-long yearning for M.J. becomes even stronger as he fights the impulse to abandon his secret life and declare his love. In the meantime, M.J. has moved on with her life. She has embarked on an acting career and has a new man in her life.
Peter’s relationship with his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) has been overshadowed by Harry’s growing vendetta against Spider-Man, whom he holds responsible for his father’s death. Peter’s life becomes even more complicated when he is pitted against a powerful new nemesis, Dr. Otto Octavius (Molina) – “Doc Ock.” Peter must now learn to accept his fate and harness all his superhero talents in order to stop this diabolical madman in his octagonal tracks.
Columbia Pictures’ blockbuster Spider-Man grossed more than $820 million worldwide when it debuted in summer 2002 and became the fifth highest grossing movie in U.S. history. Spider-Man is based on the classic Marvel Comic book character. The creation of Marvel executive Stan Lee and company character designer Steve Ditko, Spider-Man first appeared in 1962 in the last issue of the failing Amazing Fantasy comic book.
The character made such an immediate impression that Amazing Fantasy was renamed the Amazing Spider-Man and reappeared in March 1963. Since then, Spider-Man has become a household name worldwide, evolving into one of the most popular superheroes of all time.
The filmmakers were elated by the worldwide acceptance of Spider-Man. But even more importantly, they were thrilled at the universal acceptance of the film’s story and its characters, which transcended all language and cultural barriers.
“It was truly gratifying and even a bit overwhelming to witness how strongly moviegoers around the world responded to Spider-Man,” says director Sam Raimi. “As a filmmaker, I always want people to really enjoy my movies, and on that level, Spider-Man exceeded my expectations. It was a true testament to the many artistic contributors on the film – both behind and in front of the camera – who worked so long and so hard on the film, especially the dedicated talents at Imageworks exceptional work from everyone involved. They all did themselves proud, giving the audience a truly memorable experience.”
“We were completely thrilled, and maybe a bit shocked at the success of the first movie,” says producer Laura Ziskin. “That level of acceptance here and around the world is impossible to anticipate, though we always sensed that Spider-Man had enormous potential, because we had a character and the kind of storyline that had proven to be successful in other forms for more than 40 years. Our objective was to capture on film all the intriguing elements – the adventure, the romance, the humor – that made the Marvel comic book series so popular. Throughout the process, we were always careful to remain true to the spirit of the source material. Even today, two years after it was released, people still tell me how much they loved Spider-Man and how they can’t wait for his new adventure.”
“The expectation was always high,” admits producer Avi Arad, “because the appeal of Spider-Man is that there is a little Peter Parker in all of us, male, female, young, old Still, it was fascinating to see the incredible emotional investment the audience had for this one movie.”
The audience’s acknowledgement of Spider-Man was clear from day one, according to Tobey Maguire, who memorably brought the reluctant superhero to life. “The opening weekend is something I’ll never forget,” says Maguire. “It was amazing to walk into a movie theater and hear the entire audience cheer and to sense all the moods and emotions they were going through. To be a part of providing that kind of an entertainment was great.”
Spider-Man 2 is the highly-anticipated latest installment in the adventures of the legendary superhero, an exciting and fun-filled adventure, which reunites the cast and filmmakers from the blockbuster first film, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and under the leadership of director Sam Raimi, Laura Ziskin and Marvel’s Avi Arad. In Spider-Man 2, the web-slinging hero encounters a formidable new adversary, the villainous “Doc Ock,” played by Alfred Molina. Also joining are Daniel Gillies as John Jameson, Vanessa Ferlito as Louise, Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Connors and Donna Murphy as Rosalie Octavius.
The Evolution of a Superhero
“The thing that set Spider-Man apart from other movies with great technology and action, is how much attention was given to the characterization and personal relationships,” says Stan Lee, the co-creator of the Spider-Man comic book series. “The action, the great set-pieces, that’s a given. But delving into Peter Parker’s problems in the way they did, truly elevated the film.”
After the triumph of the first Spider-Man, Raimi knew he had a responsibility to follow it up with a story that justified the fans’ enthusiasm and their built-in expectations for the next adventure. “There’s great interest in this movie, following the success of the first one,” he acknowledges. “For the kids who come to see it, Spider-Man is their hero. So while the job of making this movie is to provide entertainment, it is also to create a story that shows them a moral character, someone who has to make tough choices and the right decisions in order to continue to be worthy of their admiration.”
The wealth of detailed stories and characters in the Spider-Man comic book series provided a mother lode from which to cull the plot for Spider-Man 2. “The Marvel artists and writers have done a great job through the decades — I know, because I’m a big fan myself — so there’s a tremendous amount of good material to draw upon,” notes Raimi. “The character of Spider-Man is so clear. It’s not difficult to make a movie if you understand the character, because every story’s strength lies in who that character is.
Finding a storyline wasn’t that difficult. It was finding the right story, the one that made for a proper follow-up installment, and provided a logical progression for the audience and a logical growth for the character. For that, I relied on the terrific storytelling instincts of my very fine producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Together with the contributions of our great writers, we found a plot line with ideas that reverberated.”
As with the first film, says Ziskin, the mandate was to be true to the spirit of the comic book. “We weren’t out to reinvent the wheel. The audience loves these characters and is eager to learn where they’re going next. So, for each character in Spider-Man 2 there is an evolution, and along the way, suspense about what will happen to them. The obstacles they are facing have a feeling of inevitability.”
Without giving too much away, Raimi will say that, “This Spider-Man is about choices — but not in a ‘message movie’ kind of way. It shows us how we can all make choices and, like any emotionally satisfying story, it shows us the way, it shows us what’s possible.”
With the storyline of the new adventure locked, Arad looked forward to the reunion of the Spider-Man filmmaking family, not the least of which was Tobey Maguire, the actor who perfectly conveyed the conflicts between Peter Parker and his courageous alter ego Spider-Man. “Tobey was so happy to be Spider-Man again and to be Peter Parker,” says Arad. “He enjoyed the joy of creation and being a partner in the process. He was totally caught up in his character again, which is terrific for the movie.”
“As an actor Tobey relished deepening the audience’s understanding of who Peter Parker is and who he is becoming,” adds Ziskin. “Peter’s a man who is in transition, someone who’s struggling with the choices he making.”
Having demonstrated how Peter Parker acquired his extraordinary powers in Spider-Man, the new installment will broaden the audience’s understanding of those special skills and abilities, according to Arad — “not just the web-shooting and the wall climbing, but Peter’s ‘spider sense,’ his internal early warning system, a kind of precognition — and the potential danger of turning his back on those special gifts.”
At the beginning of Spider-Man 2, two years have passed since the memorable kiss between Peter Parker (Maguire) and his beloved M.J. (Kirsten Dunst), which was followed by a bittersweet parting. Now, Peter faces new challenges in his struggle with what he calls “the gift and the curse” of his powers.
“At the end of the last picture, when we left Peter, he had decided to take the road to responsibility,” notes Raimi. “This movie depicts that journey — the outgrowth of that momentous decision. How is Peter going to weigh his personal needs against his sense of responsibility, when he knows that he must use his gift for the benefit of others? His dilemma is something we all live with — in smaller, less dramatic ways — every day of our lives. Behaving responsibly is always difficult and often a sacrifice. You may have to give up something of yourself or maybe even allow yourself to be wounded a bit. That’s what’s so satisfying about this story. It’s all about choices and a character who is terribly conflicted because it’s never easy to do the right thing.”
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Bruce Campbell, Elizabeth Banks, Donna Murphy, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, Vanessa Ferlito, Daniel Gillies, Dylan Baker
Screenplay by: Michael Chabon, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Production Design by: Neil Spisak
Cinematography by: Bill Pope
Film Editing by: Bob Murawski
Costume Design by: James Acheson, Gary Jones
Set Decoration by: Jay Hart
Art Direction by: Jeff Knipp, Scott P. Murphy, Steve Saklad, Thomas Valentine, Thomas P. Wilkins
Music by: Danny Elfman
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for stylized action violence.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: June 30, 2004
Visits: 120
