Like the true geek I am, I attended the 12:03 showing of Spider-Man 2 tonight and, still in geek form, I can say that I am amazed. It's almost 3 AM so I can't really think of anything original to say, so I'll just use the standards. Great acting, great directing, great action, great fun...

The one thing that keeps going through my head is how lucky comic book fans are now. 5 years ago the best comic book movie was a decade back (the original Batman) and we were being tortured with the Shumacher Batman, Steel, Spawn, and the Fantastic Four (sure it wasn't released, but I've seen half of it and boy, was it bad). Now in the span of, really, 3 summers we have been treated to 3 comic book films that could arguably top Batman. The first Spider-Man took the comic book film to a giddy high full of everything that comic books should have: heart, character, and pure escapist fun. X2, in my opinion, topped that by exploring darker themes and by also being the first comic book sequel to really expand on and top the original. And now there's Spider-Man 2 which kindly asks the audience to buckle up before guiding us on its rollercoaster of emotion and unbridled action. The truly great thing about the film is summed up in the trailer: it opens with Mary Jane asking Peter Parker if he loves her before showing Doc Ock toss a car through the window. There is no point in this film where the action overshadows the journey of the characters and their emotions. There are no pointless battles over things that the audience doesn't care about. This film delivers.

Must. See. Multiple. Times.

checked out a free showing at 12:15 am and i agree with everything digsy hit on. the movie was amazing. oh and there was a little bit of nice Bruce Campbell humor and fans of Raimi should get a real kick out of the many referances he makes to the Evil Dead series in general.

cant wait to see it again.

Sweet. I assume you know BC was the ring announcer in the first one.

I'm stoked about this one. Even moreso now.

but of course. he probably had a better part in the first film but its still awesome to see old Ash whenever you get a chance.
Though i must say...i was expecting maybe a little bit more with Bubba Ho-Tep (which i rented a few days ago). a great movie but it dragged quited a bit and it had TONS of potential.

... but no budget.

probably had a bigger budget than Evil Dead 2 which is infinitely more watchable.

thinking about it, i was actually happier hearing that horrible "Hero" song as the credits began rolling at the end of the first movie rather than the dashboard confessional crap they have tagged on the end of this one.

Dude, how did you score a free movie?

I'm going to see it tonight, and I'm quite excited.

just gotta know the right people, Tom.

I got to see it for free, too... AND on Monday before it came out officially. But then I had to write about it for the shitty magazine I work for, too.. so it all evens out.

Regardless, I thought this movie was unbelievably charming. I don't usually appreciate science fiction-type movies that much, but this was an exception.. It was funny and had a girly romance sort of a plot. Tobey Maguire is hot, and I stand by my claim that all the best super heroes work for a newspaper.

This movie was so so tight.
For some reason this movie is one of the first I've seen that really gets the point across on how fucking big NYC is. I just kept thinking that, and how much I hate that city.

I got to pay $8 to see it! It was worth it though... very enjoyable. However, I didn't like the ending very much. How long do we have to wait before we can discuss it here?

Until tomorrow, when I see it.

give me a week, please

What about Lucy Lawless(Xena)? Does she make a cameo like in the first one? (I'm going to see it ASAP, but I'm just curious.)

didnt see her.

i saw it last night...it was pretty great, very entertaining. i fancy that kirsten dunst. luvverly. it was a madhouse at the theater--they even had a guy in a spiderman suit for the kiddies. i was tempted to go over and kick his ass and make the little ones cry, but i held myself in check

i don't mean to give away the ending, but she kills bill.

I just saw this. I love the fact that Doc Ock is kinda chunky. I wish I had four big metal arms growing in my back. Maybe then I could juggle or play the piano. Hopefully, they wouldn't start talking crazy to me, though.

I think she definitely looks better in this one than in the first. I think they did a better job with the hair dye or something.

I was so pleased with Alfred Molina being cast as Doc Ock. In the comics he is extremely homely and pudgy, so it was nice that they didn't cast Viggo Mortensen for the hot factor. Good.

I watched thirty minutes of the beginning and another 30 of the end today (perks) and I love it even more. I just noticed today how great a job Raimi did of making New York City such an integral part of the movie. There are so many reaction shots of people on the street that it really enhances the mood and feel of the movie. I can't think of any other action movie that has acknowledged that there are innocent bystanders right next to the huge super-battle. I think this attention to the city adds to the action scenes tremedously since we see how freaked out the average joes are.

And I was very happy with the very very end of the film, but the end before the end left me with mixed emotions. More good in that mix, though.

Dude, I totally agree about NYC. I've never went and seen a movie that totally captures the "feel" of that city (at least an action movie) like this one. And then I realized what a shithole it truly is!
Don't get me wrong, I love people in NYC and people from NYC, but it's just too damn big.
My Spidey-sense is telling me to get another beer!

All I can say is that I want Venom in number 3. It seems I won't be so lucky.

I'm not a fan of Venom much anymore since I tend to associate him with the early 90s comic craze (yes, even though he first appeared in the late 80s) but after seeing Spider-Man 2, I think Raimi could make Justin Guarini a viable and interesting villain for the third movie.

My lack of interest in Venom aside, I can't think of any other villain I'd like to see for #3. Kraven or Chameleon would be sorta cool, Mysterio even...but none as visually interesting as Venom.

Hobgoblin and Lizard will probably be the next two villians as they are both alluded to in Spiderman 2. we'll see though.
supposedly the third movie will be most of the principles (including Dunst and Maguire) last time around.

(Edited by SuperElk at 7:51 am on Jul. 2, 2004)

Lizard is alluded to, but Hobgoblin isn't. **Links Ahead Contain Spoilers** uh huh. Marvel superheroes is my one area of expertise...

I know this is Dunst's last film, but is this Maguire's as well? If Maguire is signed on for a fourth then I say that the franchise should go on without Dunst and Mary Jane. Peter Parker has plenty of other loves that can be put on the big screen (Gwen Stacy, Betty Brant, Black Cat). Of course I also like the idea of the franchise just being a trilogy...

Under no circumstances can Tobey Maguire be replaced as Spider-Man.

(Edited by DigsySlattery at 8:18 am on Jul. 2, 2004)

After doing a bit of research into the Spiderman world yesterday, I think the most logical step for the third movie would be for (** SPOILER LINKS **) this guy and this other guy to team up.

But Venom would be the coolest. Imagine some Spider on Spider action.

dont forget carnage.

When was Lizard alluded to? And I thought Harry Osbourne was the Hobgoblin.

Not a big fan of the action films, but I liked this movie. It was funny and sweet and exciting, even if the dialogue was at times cheesy (I later learned intentionally so). I probably won't see this movie again, because I don't like to see things in the theatre more than once, and great big action movies like this just suck at home. Some movies are rentable, others are not.

SPOILERISH


Curt Connors, the one-armed doctor, is the Lizard. In the comics he adds lizard DNA to his own in an attempt to grow his arm back, but he instead gets all scaley and bloodthirsty.

ah.

for the record, i dunno what would be a spoiler and what wouldn't, considering all of this stuff has already been "revealed" in the comics.

does kirsten dunst's face bother anyone else?

I still think she's plenty hot, but my friend Sam rudely pointed out that she looks like a young, female Billy Corgan.

I love reading the triva that's posted for movies on IMDB. They always say great things like, "According to early rumors, Steve Guttenberg was interested in the role of Peter Parker. However, director Sam Raimi feared that Guttenberg would 'suck' and make people 'not want to see the movie.'"

Whatever happened to Steve Guttenberg?

Yeah, I see that. I'm just used to the uber-spoiley world of comic book message boards where even someone's uneducated opinion can be called a spoiler.

I suppose he and The Stonecutters parted ways.

WE DO! WE DO!

I can totally see that (not to be rude). I think it has to do with the ultra pale complexion and weird teeth.

I still think Kirsten is cute, though.

This depressing news may answer your question.

Bwwaahahaahaaa!!!





.....No seriously... *gouges her eyes out with a spork*

That's just wrong!

Spiderman 2 on the other hand was wonderful! I want to see it again soon! I kept waiting to hear my favorite line from the first one, "Go web, go!" Nevertheless, once again, Sam Raimi has impressed me.

what i want to know is, what was with the blonde russian girl? she got way too much screen-time for such a pointless role..

and maybe jameson's son could be worked in as venom perhaps? he's an astronaut and now he's got a reason to hate parker? i guess that's stretching it quite a bit... i also would really like to see venom make it into a movie.

I think what has made these movies successful was their strong elements of realism. I think Venom is a little too farfetched. Things get stupid when aliens are introduced.

I totally agree about her. I kept trying to figure out where she fit in. Her, and Jameson's secretary who had a very seductive line. I think someone told me that she's Black Cat, though. Is the Russian Girl in the comix? By the way, my friend Laura says that the girl is a friend of hers. She might even be from nashville.

If I remember correctly, the guy in the alien costume was not an astronaut, but instead some dude that just really hated spiderman. Was the suit brought back by an astronaut, or was Spiderman in space?

Learn about Venom here.

For some reason I thought that the Russian girl was Gwen Stacy, because she's the only blond girl in Spider-Man that I know of. But it doesn't really make sense.

Jameson's son, in the comics, is actually the Man-Wolf. Pretty lame. In the cartoon it was his journey into space that brought the Venom symbiote to earth but...


That is Betty Brant who first appeared back in 1963 in Amazing Spider-Man #4. She and Peter Parker had a thing for a while, but she eventually married Ned Leeds, who was one of the Hobgoblins (that's a bloody confusing story right there).


Spider-Man found the alien symbiote on the Beyonders planet during the Secret Wars and used it to replace his destoryed costume. When he found out the symbiote was, well, a symbiote, he cast it aside. The symbiote felt rejected and bitter towards Parker. Eddie Brock, a journalist who felt his career was ruined by Peter and Spider-Man, eventually stumbled across the symbiote and bada-bing, Venom.

Eddie Brock was referenced in the first Spider-Man film.


I thought that too for a while since I couldn't remember if they had said the girl's name. But she is definitely not who I would have pictured for Gwen if she actually was Gwen.

Man, I always knew I was good for something...

(Edited by DigsySlattery at 3:18 pm on Jul. 19, 2004)

I'm impressed Digsy. I need to go back through my comic book collection!

Thanks for using italics. That's very MLA of you.

What can I say? MLA are my initials...except that the L is an S...and the M is a B...and the A is, um, a W...but still...

yeah, i was kind of thinking maybe blonderussianchick was gwen, but if they were to introduce gwen, wouldn't that open a whole other (cloned) can of worms?

and like i said... having jameson's son as venom would be a stretch and piss of the comic fans, but... who knows. oh well.

maybe they're just going to have the 3rd film have the hobgoblin and that's it, with the other villains alluded to for the fans?

That's my suspicion.

To me, covering all the lore in 3 movies is a travesty. Even moreso with the X-Men, because, unlike Spidey, they can just focus on new teams in every movie and hopefully avoid the "too many sequels" curse.

I want an IronMan movie. Now that would be a great one-shot. I'm also eagerly awaiting Ghost Rider.

I was particularly pleased with both X-Men films. I'm still deciding whether I like X2 better than Spider-Man 2. Right now I'm just thinking that they both kick infinite amounts of ass. They did several Spider-Man/X-Men crossovers in the comics, and unlike the silly DC team-ups like Superfriends, they actually were really interesting. Spidey's wit and originality added with the complexity of the X-Men always made good chemistry, in my opinion. Maybe they could do something like that on screen. Not an entire movie, but cameos and such. I always thought it was interesting when they embraced the fact that the characters all live in the same world at the same time, and most of them live in New York City, so they're bound to run into one another at some point.

My ideal X-Scenario would have X-Men 3 conclude the trilogy, and then have a whole mess of spin-offs. Of course Wolverine could have a movie, but X-Force, Generation X, all of them would make some cool movies.

Unfortunately for the X-Men, I heard that Bryan Singer is concentrating on another project at the moment, possibly limiting or destroying his involvement with X-Men 3. Fortunately for Superman fans, this other project is directing the new Supes movie. In some ways I think this could be a good thing. As much as I would like the X-Films to maintain the same director and look, I think that the crazy success of the first two films has let Fox know that the public wants and can handle a smart superhero movie. Replacing Bryan Singer could be a good change for the X-Men as long as the cast remains intact. Since it was reported that the X-Cast & Crew were not always on the same page as Singer, this could be a good way to get all of them back on board for a third film. This is definitely good for Superman fans since it means that McG and the super-comedy angle is definitely gone for good.

In other news, the Fantastic Four cast was announced. Mr. Fantastic and Human Torch are probably good choices, but they are unknowns. Michael Chiklis as the Thing is brilliant casting. But the fourth member...by Stan Lee's hair plugs do I hate it...Jessica Alba as the INVISIBLE WOMAN. What? What? What? What?! Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin was really cool (in a bad movie), so changing a character's race isn't the thing here. It's just...Jessica Alba. There is no way that she even remotely exudes any of the qualities of the Invisible Woman. I'm all about waiting and seeing, but this just hurts. Plus it's directed by the director of Barbershop and is supposed to be a comedy. Oy...at least Marvel has the Spider and X films.

I really hope to God that neither of these (X-Men and Spider-Man) go the way the Batman films did. Those movies are just plain embarassing. If you're going to change the actor in the lead role, at least do it in eras like the James Bond films, not for every movie.

With the X-Films, I don't think that actor changes should ever be necessary. There are so many characters that if an actor doesn't want to come back, just retire the character. Halle Berry is the only iffy cast member, I do believe. Fine then. Ditch Storm, bring in Gambit and enhance Rogue's part in the next film. Patrick Stewart worried about getting pegged as Bald Sci-Fi Guy? Fine. Have him retire and have his role filled by a 'reformed' Magneto (like what happened to the X-Men circa 1985/1986).

The Spider-Man films are definitely different. As far as I know, Tobey, Kirsten and Sam Raimi are all signed on for a third and only Kirsten has said that the next will be her last. I'm all for keeping the Spider-films as a trilogy, and if they do move on it had better be without a recast MJ. This is where Gwen Stacy or the Black Cat could come into play. And Peter Parker can never, never, NEVER be anyone but Tobey Maguire. Whenever he says stop, this franchise ends until some director wants to reboot the franchise a few decades down like what is happening with Superman and Batman.

I have proven that I can talk for days upon days about superheroes.

But we love you for it.

I have no "real" comic experience (unless Archie counts), but I loved the old X-Men cartoon that used to come on. The only idea I have for the third one is Phoenix, right? Digsy?

Correct. Although I did hear somewhere that Bryan Singer toyed with the idea of doing X3 and X4 back to back, with X4 resurrecting Jean Grey for the Phoenix Saga. If that were the case, I think that the Morlock Massacre would make for a great, great X3. Now that Singer's involvement is iffy, I think the safest and overall best bet would be to go straight into the Dark Phoenix Saga from X2.

(Edited by DigsySlattery at 12:22 am on Jul. 21, 2004)

I just gotta say that I saw it. And though I am not as knowledgeable as Digsy, I was a Spider-Man reader trhough my youth and really all I can say is . . . Amazing.