Spider-Man 2

Spider Man 2 and the Weight of Walls
by Michael Flanagan

Super

There is one moment that puts the cherry on the ice cream sundae that is Spider Man 2.  However, like all good cold dessert products, I can’t describe this film without going into detail, so if you haven’t seen it yet, see it, wipe the fudge off your chin, and come back here and read. 

While the movie is filled with sugary goodness throughout and more scenes that make you think “that’s cool” than you can shake a cinnamon stick at, the big one I’m talking about happens near the end, when Peter Parker has once again lost his mask, this time in an attempt to bring Dr. Octopus—played brilliantly, by the way, by Broadway’s current Tevye, Alfred Molina—back to his senses.  As Doc Oc is slowly walking to this big sun destructive machine that’s malfunctioning instead of doing its intended job…which is something, Peter spins around to double check on Mary Jane, to make sure that she’s okay, that she’s not still held to the post or pinned down or in some other damsel in distress, Lois-Lanian situation.  And she’s not.  She’s standing there, wet, with the wind blowing through her hair, staring at Peter Parker.  In the Spider Man uniform.  And unlike Christopher Walken in Batman Returns, there is no “Peter, what are you doing dressed up like Spider Man?”  She looks at him with a smile: she knows.

The moment continues a bit longer, as Mary Jane is quickly put into that damsel in distress mode, and Spider Man saves her…again…but this time, Peter is staring at her, and she up at him, and he says, “Hi.”  Obviously there is more needed to be said, so he shifts the wall he’s holding up and continues, “This is really heavy.” 

Finally, they got it right.  In 1978’s Superman, they did this she knows kinda approach and Superman tripped over a bear rug and dropped his glasses in a fire.  Batman has revealed his identity to every girl he ever dates in the movies, and the way it was best handled was in Returns, when he and Pfeiffer’s wonderfully-portrayed Catwoman/Selina Kyle exchange the same trademark phrases that their alter-egos used earlier—while they’re being all romantic and dancing.  Almost perfect, but Danny Devito interrupts and Pfeiffer pulls a Nick Nolte with a power cord.  Luke and Leia…what’s with this I know I’ve always known crap?  They French kissed!  Ew!  Ben Affleck dared to show Jennifer Garner who he was a little too late—after she stabbed him.  Tim Roth revealed he was a cop way after he had been shot in the stomach and crawled around on the floor bleeding. 

But never have they gotten the true identity revelation so perfect.  It’s so perfect that in a follow up conversation about why they can never be together, it’s still perfect, even though we all know it doesn’t matter because bad guys all try to kill her anyway—even unimportant muggers in back alleys.  So they may as well hook up! 

And, they do!  There is no better conclusion to the whole Spider Man Revealed storyline of this movie than Kirsten Dunst’s delivery of “Go get ‘em, tiger.”  See, Mary Jane always called him tiger in the comic boo—ahhh, just see the movie again.  There are other great moments, and very few not so great, but it’s one of the best comic book movies ever made, and easily the best revelation scene. 

Who would have thought that something so simple as a random turn by the hero and the word “hi” would be what it took? 

And who would have thought writing this review would put me in the mood for ice cream?

Picture Gallery