Spider-Man 2 vs Superman II

As a comic book reader, I find that I'm expected to be a little more excited about comic book movies than those of other genres, and on occasion, I am. It's hit or miss, though. Batman Begins? Can't wait. Catwoman? I'm fine waiting, thank you. Spider-man 2, if you were wondering, landed firmly in the “can't wait” column. I was surprised, though, to find myself engaged in the movie beyond its comic book roots. Spider-man 2 is not just a good comic book movie, it's one of the best comic book movies, one that stands alone as a good movie, period.

This time around, we rejoin Peter Parker two years after the first Spider-man movie. He's living alone in a tiny, filthy apartment, where he can no longer pay the rent. He works two jobs—one of which, delivering pizzas, he's about to lose. He has no girlfriend, no social life to speak of, and he drives a tiny scooter that looks like it folds up for easy storage under the bed. He's barely in touch with his unrequited love, Mary Jane Watson, although he sees her face on a billboard every day, and she's got a play opening on Broadway. Wow, it's been an awesome two years for that one. Peter's so down on his luck, he completely forgets his own birthday.

What? Isn't this the sequel? Aren't things supposed to be awesome? Isn't Spider-man supposed to have a high-tech lair, and an awesome Spider-car and a new armored suit? And Mary Jane? He's still with Mary Jane? Shouldn't he have moved on to a new female costar? Are you sure this is a studio release? Wait, it's still Summer, right?

Spider-man 2 is the first movie of its kind where the stakes are raised for the main character in terms of, well, character. Most movie franchises add another character for each installment (I'm convinced the only reason they stopped making Lethal Weapon movies is that they ran out of room on the posters). Consider Batman Forever, which added a new love interest for Bruce Wayne, a sidekick for Batman, and two new villains—one of whom had two sidekicks of his own. It's a fun movie, but it's a mess too, one with a main character that gets completely overshadowed about a dozen times. Let's put it this way: En Vogue makes an appearance. If that doesn't spell character overload, I don't know what does. Macy Gray made an appearance in the first Spider-man movie, so naturally, I expected this one to have, I dunno, Alicia Keys, or maybe Lil Kim, or perhaps one of the lesser girls from Destiny's Child. Instead we get…nothing. Macy Gray has been replaced by…Peter Parker. Imagine that. Character over hype.

Not that there isn't a new character. Peter Parker's hero, Dr. Octavius, who is trying to perfect his experiments with fusion. He's invented this spherical orb centrifuge thing that scientists invent at least once a year in movies; you can tell it's soon to be filled with wind and light the minute first appears on screen. Fortunately, his invention also includes four mechanical arms, linked directly to his brain via his spine. Yeah, that's a great idea there, Dr. Octavius. He's being funded by Oscorp, which, in light of the events of the previous movie, is now being run by Harry Osborn. Harry, bitter over Spider-man killing his father, has become angry and drunk, and is particularly put out with his old friend Peter, who he suspects knows Spider-man's secret identity and isn't telling. Anyway, one horrible fusion accident later, Harry's business has been publicly humiliated, and Dr. Octavius has four permanent mechanical arms telling him what to do. From this point, Spider-man 2 just barrels forward, exploring Peter's increasingly troubled relationships with Harry, Mary Jane and his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris, graceful in an expanded role), his conflicts over being Spider-man (his powers are sputtering in and out, and for a while, he decides he'd rather not be Spider-man at all), and of course, his difficulty keeping a job (J.K. Simmons is back as J. Jonah Jameson, funnier than ever, firing and rehiring Peter about every five seconds.)

Oh, and there's that whole Dr. Octavius thing to deal with. Sam Raimi has really outdone himself this time. Spider-man was well-made, but except for a cameo from Bruce Campbell (he's back this time as a snooty usher), there wasn't much that distinguished the movie as a Sam Raimi film. This time, it's clear who's behind the wheel. There's a fun, scary sequence, when surgeons try to remove Dr. Octavius's arms, only to be slaughtered by the arms while Dr. Octavius is still asleep. It's one of the most perverse, blackly funny scenes in a movie this year, and only one man could have directed it. Dr. Octopus is the center of most of the action scenes, including a fight on the side of a building against Spider-man and Aunt May (the digital effects are extremely well-handled this time; Spider-man never looks like a video game character, yet still moves unbelievably fast and acrobatic. Dr. Octopus suffers from what I call Keanu Face a couple times, but otherwise is a marvel of special effects.). Another is already a classic. Dr. Octopus has Mary Jane, and Spider-man chases, catches and fights him atop a speeding train. It's amazingly well filmed and edited, with the two clinging to every surface and flipping head over feet again and again. Because this is the new, sensitive, character-centric Spider-man, we even get a moment inside the train, where Peter Parker literally faces the people of the city he protects. It's a killer scene, and I gotta admit, I got a little choked up when these little kids return Spider-man's mask and promise to keep his secret.

It's just a better movie. It just is. I really enjoyed the first Spider-man, but when I watched it again, I saw things that I had glossed over the first time. Dr. Octopus is just as conflicted a villain as the Green Goblin, but he's much more subtle about it (in other words, Alfred Molina never has to have a Jekyll and Hyde moment with himself in a mirror, and never has to wear a Halloween mask). Peter Parker's troubles are magnified this time, and we see that that great responsibility that came with his great power is actually a pain in the ass most days. All that, plus there's an interrupted wedding, and Spider-man can shoot little web-bombs this time, and there's a montage of Peter being happy and clumsy to Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head that is nothing but pure summer movie silliness and joy (normally I hate when one movie cribs a song from another, but it works here).

I've said way too much about Spider-man 2. You've already seen it, probably twice. Stay home tomorrow, take a break from Spider-man. Watch Superman II. You find much of it is very similar to Spider-man 2, but that much of it was improved upon as well.

Like most action sequels, Superman II upped the stakes considerably. It keeps the villain from the first movie, as well as the supporting cast, but adds three new villains to the mix, and then hands them half the movie. The three Kryptonian villains, imprisoned in two dimensions and floating in space, have broken free. I still think they're tremendous fun, just flying ids out there getting drunk on power and sarcasm. They're menacing particularly because they have no motivation other than being mean. They're bad people, and they rock. Oh, and their costumes are so disco awful that they rock too. Every time I think about Superman II, I think of the fight in downtown Metropolis, with cigarette trucks and billboards and manhole covers and so on. It's one of the best scenes in this sort of movie, the equivalent of Spider-man 2's train throw-down. But Superman II, like Spider-man 2, is more than its action. Superman II goes a long way to establish Clark Kent as an individual, who needs attention aside from Superman.

Christopher Reeve is so good in this movie, as he often is, and it's the Clark Kent moments that give him the most to do. It's kind of an odd storyline this time though. Clark and Lois Lane are undercover as newlyweds at a honeymoon resort in Niagra Falls. It's such a sitcom plotline, and they're way too seasoned of reporters to be caught up in it. I guess they needed to put them in a situation where she might find out his secret, and also one that allows Superman to dive into the Falls. Mission accomplished, but barely. Reeve and Margot Kidder had quite a bit of chemistry, so the civilian Clark scenes (he even gives up his hero job for a few scenes, much like Peter Parker would over twenty years later) never drag or seem less than the fighting and flying. They're odd though, in that we never get a further glimpse into Clark's life. There's nothing learned about Clark other than he loves Lois. It's as if Clark isn't Superman's alter ego, but Lois's imaginary friend.

Ah, but the downtown throw-down. Pre CGI. Pre Keanu Face. It kicks ass, largely for the same reason similar scenes in Spider-man 2 kick ass. It places our hero within a city populated by actual people. When Superman fights, there are innocent bystanders. Superman doesn't just fight, he has to be aware of his surroundings, and he never loses that sense the entire time. Think of the Batman and X-Men movies, how there never seems to be anyone other than heroes and villains at any given time. Superman II has people on the sidewalk, in cars, living their lives, no doubt in awe of the man in the red cape. I'm with them.

The ending is weird though, isn't it? With the giant cellophane S? And making Lois forget everything. A little too convenient, don't you think? And did he kill the Kryptonian villains? No matter, by that time, you've been to downtown Metropolis, and you've seen Superman take a manhole cover to the gut, and you know he's not gonna take much more of that.

Spider-man 2: A
Superman II: B+