Term Paper 2- Movie Review

 

 The Return of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man

Growing up, I was always a huge fan of anything nerdy, especially super-hero movies. I have many fond memories of watching Tobey Maguire acting in Sony's Spider-Man trilogy. Most of my friends prefer Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland as Spider-Man, but I have always been a sucker for the nostalgic 2000s setting and special effects. So, it was no surprise that when Fathom Entertainment announced that they were bringing back some of my favorite child movies to certain movie theaters, I absolutely had to go see one of them. 

Select Cinemark theaters were showing the Spider-Man movies during the first weekend of October. Since I was already travelling to Texas during fall break, my boyfriend and I drove to Lufkin, Texas since it was one of the closest Cinemarks. 

One of the first things that I noticed when entering the theater was that there was very little advertisement for most of the films that were currently showing. In fact, if I hadn't seen the tickets for Spider-Man online, I probably wouldn't have known that the movies were playing. From my experience, it's not out of the ordinary for older movies to have limited advertising for older films unless they are part of a larger screening event. I did see some merchandise from the recent Superman movie and a large cardboard stand with the dates for Ghibli Fest 2025. Despite it being a Saturday afternoon, most of the theater was fairly empty. 

The movie that was showing that day from the trilogy was Spider-Man 2, the film with the iconic villain Doc Ock. Our tickets were about $11.00 each, which was more than we had hoped but was not as much as I've paid to see a movie before. We paid about $12.00 for a snack bundle that included a large drink and two packages of our choice of candy. With how expensive theater snacks are today, we were very happy with the price, especially since the theater has a large variety of snacks to choose from. Our seats were near the back and were extremely comfortable because they were able to recline. By the time the movie began, almost all of the seats were filled with people, ranging from teens to adults in their mid-30s. 

The film included about eight minutes of extra footage that was not shown in theaters during the film's debut in 2004, and the theater included some special features before it began. The one that stood out the most was a selection of clips from the behind the scenes video about designing Doctor Octavius. 

Even though the theater did not do much aside from include already available special features, it was still extremely enjoyable to watch a movie from my childhood again. I had always wondered what it was like for people my age watching this movie for the first time in a movie theater. 

Now that I've returned to that movie as an adult, I can see the purpose of the film from a different perspective. It features a hero who is both attractive and charismatic, which are traits that have continuously been relied on by superhero movies following this one. The fight scenes are fast-paced and incorporate the available CGI technology extremely well, creating a blend of realism and fantasy. 

 Because the first Spider-Man film portrayed the characters as still being in high school, this film blends the characters' post-graduate lives in New York City with the casual settings of an inner city apartment or townhome in many scenes. This approach provides an appeal to viewers who are not as interested in the dramatic scenes. 

The use of the character Mary Jane is used extremely prevalently in these aspects of the movie due to her being the main love interest. She is developed beyond her "girl next door" persona from the first film and most of her scenes revolve around her Broadway career, new fiance, or her own encounters with Doc Ock. Her scenes add more emotional tension to many of the protagonist's motivations while bringing intrigue to another side of the audience. 

It's not possible to discuss this movie without bringing up how great of a villain Doc Ock is. His motivation for science is relatable to many people, and the concept of him being unable to keep his metal arms from doing evil makes him a sympathetic villain. He also has a close connection to both the protagonist Peter Parker and his best friend Harry Osbourne. It's easy to become frustrated with him as the film progresses, but his sacrifice near the end of the film makes it worth the watch. 

By the time the film was over, it was no surprise to me that the present demographic had chosen to see the movie in theaters again. With the rise in superhero films over the past twenty years, revisiting one of the earliest successful Spider-Man movies was a true treat. The film combined aspects of classic comics, 2000s film tropes, iconic characters, and an incredible music score to create a well-produced movie that appeals to a wide demographic. 

Spider-Man 2 absolutely hits the mark with what it was trying to accomplish. Looking back, it truly inspired movie studios to begin creating superhero films again after the superhero craze of the 1970s ended. I do wish that Fathom Entertainment had advertised the film's return there are many fans who probably weren't able to see the film again due to not being aware of it showing in theaters. When compared to how GKIDS provides cardboard stands for Ghibli Fest to show viewers what is available to watch, it would have been nice to have seen something for Spider-Man. 

Example of Ghibli Fest Picture Stand

Despite the disappointing lack of promotional material for the film, my boyfriend and I had a great time revisiting this film in theaters for the first time. The reactions from the audience members during the film were exciting and everyone seemed to walk away extremely satisfied. If I were given the opportunity to see the film in theaters again, I certainly would.