MOVIES: The elevator scene alone: more than worth the price of admission

I saw Spider-Man 2 Saturday, and let me tell you, my friends, I was not disappointed. I was going to save this post till Monday, what's supposed to be my movie posting day, but I can't wait.

I laughed, I was exhilarated, I even choked up a little during a big emotional scene with Aunt May (wonderfully played by Rosemary Harris). (Don't judge me! You know you did, too!) It's the best action picture I've seen in ages, and easily one of the best films of the year.

This I can tell you without spoilers: the action is tremendous, the trailers do not give away nearly as much as I'd feared, the CGI effects are still a little (just a little) iffy with Spider-Man, but with Doc Ock's arms they are absolutely seamless, the Peter/Mary Jane relationship, as well as all the other crises in poor Peter Parker's life, are as interesting as the exploits of Spider-Man, and, best of all, this film is really, really funny in many scenes, especially those featuring J.K. Simmons, who is channeling the soul of J. Jonah Jameson right off the pages of the comics.

The rest involves spoilers great and small, so click and drag if you want to read more. But seriously: I'm spoiling everything here. Read only if you've seen the movie. And apologies to those who may have already posted similar thoughts; I gots to say what I thought, even if you already said it (and probably better).

Okay, first of all, more people couldn't know Spider-Man's secret identity if he took out a billboard in Times Square. A whole train car full of people? Geez. But at that point, Sam Raimi had utterly sold me on believing that not one of them would ever reveal his identity (as though any of them would recognize him, anyway). There's a hero inside all of us, as Aunt May said, and circumstances brought out the hero in a whole train car full of passengers.

And about Aunt May's speech: maybe she secretly suspects Spider-Man's identity, too? That's the major change from the comics that I approve of: Aunt May isn't a simpering, doddering, swooning, frightened old bird as she was in Stan Lee's days; she's a tough old broad, who can change her mind about Spider-Man if she damn well pleases. You can see her steel when she demands Peter accept $20 from her for his birthday. She's just great.

Harry also finds out Spidey's secret -- and Peter, Peter, Peter, you could've handled that better. "Right now this isn't about you and me," he says, when Harry repeats his accusation that Peter killed his father. Couldn't you at least have said, "No, I didn't -- but right now" etc? No, of course he couldn't, because Spider-Man always creates Peter Parker's own problems. Coming June 2006: Spider-Man 3: Return of the Goblin.

Then Peter deliberately exposes his identity to Doc Ock. I mean, come on! But it still worked for me, mainly due to Alfred Molina's chilling, moving performance as Octavius. A change from the comic I wasn't fond of: Doc Ock's arms were always the danger, but Octavius himself has traditionally had a glass jaw. How in the hell can the movie Otto withstand repeated punches to the head from a man whose arms are strong enough to stop a runaway train?

Speaking of Otto: his big, potentially Nobel prize-winning experiment with fusion is great and all -- but those arms! Are those not enough to make a vast fortune and change the world in and of themselves? Harry Osborn is a crappy businessman.

And finally, and oh-so-satisfyingly, Mary Jane gets to see Spider-Man without the mask. It was a thrilling, fanboy moment for me, I have to admit. And just when you think Raimi is going to let Peter throw away Mary Jane's love again, he serves up a curveball of a happy ending. (I mean, once I saw the film was continuing after I thought it would end, with Harry discovering his father's Green Goblin lair, I knew the ending would be happy -- it was the continuation itself that took me by surprise.) I wasn't wild about the movie cliche of a groom left at the altar, but again, I had so much goodwill towards the film and the characters, I could accept it.

And two excellent cameos took me by surprise (well, three, counting Bruce Campbell as an usher, in a funny bit): first, Cliff Robertson as Uncle Ben, in a very emotional dream/vision Peter has, in which he again intones the legendary line, "With great power comes great responsibility," while Peter tearfully counters with the equally legendary, "I am Spider-Man no more!" (Link.)

And secondly, shockingly and powerfully, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn. As Harry, having discovered his best friend is his most hated enemy, hears the maniacal laughter of his father echo around his empty penthouse, I thought, "I wonder if they had to get permission from Dafoe to use his voice for that laughter?" And then, POW -- there he is in person (well, in Harry's head, but you know what I mean). I've gotta give him credit for signing up for this small but key appearance. It made a great film even better.

One for the nerds: when Spidey caught the wall falling on Mary Jane, who else flashed on the classic Amazing Spider-Man #33: "The Final Chapter!" (link), one of Lee and Ditko's, and Spider-Man's, finest moments? Can't just be me.

And finally, a little praise for Tobey Maguire, who some people aren't thrilled with in this role: I think he's great; he conveys an understated soulfulness which some (and you know who you are) are writing off as emotionless. Kirsten Dunst, on the other hand, could've been given a bit more to do; I think she's great, too. And I also think it's great she's apparently signed a "nipples-showing-through-wet-clothing" clause for the entire trilogy. What a sport.

That's all!