Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 sneaked into five of the major screens as the only new-comer among the recently released Egyptian comedies; Oukal, Khalty Faransa and Saba’a Warakat Kotshina, which dominate the cinemas these days. This sequel to the 2002 blockbuster, that grossed more than 800 million dollars worldwide, is marked by a bigger budget, multi-layered screenplay and highly enhanced special effects. Being a former comic book reader myself, I was familiar with the characters of both films. However, the screenplay, co-written by Pulitzer prize winning author Michael Chabon, was well conceived to reach a broader segment of viewers whether inside or outside America.
Spider-Man 2 picks up like a second chapter of the story introduced in the first film. Even the credit sequence is highlighted by some impressive illustrations that both summon “Part I” and carry on the spirit of the comic book’s inspirations.
Tobey Maguire reprises his role as Peter Parker; the physics student who was accidentally granted the powers of a radiant spider and who decides to use his new amazing abilities to enforce the law. Naturally, some things remain the same as in the first film. Parker is still trying to cope with his double-sided life; he is a college student by day and a superhero by night. Even his efforts to forget about his only love Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) – who has become an actress and is soon to be married to an astronaut – remain wasted.
But the real action starts when Parker is assigned to write a college paper on the new scientific project headed by Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). The experience goes dangerously out of hand and Parker has to intervene as Spider-Man to save the day. Unfortunately, the explosion caused a bigger menace; the four powerful iron tentacles that Octavius had invented were fused to his body and soul, pushing him to become a fearsome fusion of man and machine. Now it is up to Spider-Man to face the new villain, known as Doc Ock who tries to steal as much money as he can to revive his project that could endanger all the inhabitants of New York, including Mary-Jane.
Most of the action sequence in Spider-Man 2 took place under the New York sun, thus reflecting the city’s crowded day traffic. From high skyscrapers to a speedy train, Spidey confronts Doc Ock in breathtaking scenes that combine both live action and Computer Graphics. Thanks to the two masterpieces, Image Works – the company which executed the visual effects for both Spider-Man films – has come to be a worthy contender of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) owned by George Lucas, the renowned creator of Star Wars.
effects, there is a joy watching Spider-Man 2 for its humanistic positive values that can be found in the relationship between the characters. This is clearly manifested in the warm relationship between Peter and his old aunt May Parker (Rosemary Harris). The one scene that is particularly carved in the audience’s mind is when she is teaching Peter a valuable lesson about heroism and saying: “I believe there's a hero in all of us that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride”. While I was enjoying this dialogue and her performance in this scene, I found myself wondering: “Why don’t any of the Egyptian films nowadays have any positive values fused inside their so-called comic scripts?”
( ثُمَّ أَنَزلَ اللّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْكَافِرِينَ ) التوبة .
.
.
Spider-Man 2 sneaked into five of the major screens as the only new-comer among the recently released Egyptian comedies; Oukal, Khalty Faransa and Saba’a Warakat Kotshina, which dominate the cinemas these days. This sequel to the 2002 blockbuster, that grossed more than 800 million dollars worldwide, is marked by a bigger budget, multi-layered screenplay and highly enhanced special effects. Being a former comic book reader myself, I was familiar with the characters of both films. However, the screenplay, co-written by Pulitzer prize winning author Michael Chabon, was well conceived to reach a broader segment of viewers whether inside or outside America.Spider-Man 2 picks up like a second chapter of the story introduced in the first film. Even the credit sequence is highlighted by some impressive illustrations that both summon “Part I” and carry on the spirit of the comic book’s inspirations. Tobey Maguire reprises his role as Peter Parker; the physics student who was accidentally granted the powers of a radiant spider and who decides to use his new amazing abilities to enforce the law. Naturally, some things remain the same as in the first film. Parker is still trying to cope with his double-sided life; he is a college student by day and a superhero by night. Even his efforts to forget about his only love Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) – who has become an actress and is soon to be married to an astronaut – remain wasted.
But the real action starts when Parker is assigned to write a college paper on the new scientific project headed by Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). The experience goes dangerously out of hand and Parker has to intervene as Spider-Man to save the day. Unfortunately, the explosion caused a bigger menace; the four powerful iron tentacles that Octavius had invented were fused to his body and soul, pushing him to become a fearsome fusion of man and machine. Now it is up to Spider-Man to face the new villain, known as Doc Ock who tries to steal as much money as he can to revive his project that could endanger all the inhabitants of New York, including Mary-Jane.Most of the action sequence in Spider-Man 2 took place under the New York sun, thus reflecting the city’s crowded day traffic. From high skyscrapers to a speedy train, Spidey confronts Doc Ock in breathtaking scenes that combine both live action and Computer Graphics. Thanks to the two masterpieces, Image Works – the company which executed the visual effects for both Spider-Man films – has come to be a worthy contender of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) owned by George Lucas, the renowned creator of Star Wars. effects, there is a joy watching Spider-Man 2 for its humanistic positive values that can be found in the relationship between the characters. This is clearly manifested in the warm relationship between Peter and his old aunt May Parker (Rosemary Harris). The one scene that is particularly carved in the audience’s mind is when she is teaching Peter a valuable lesson about heroism and saying: “I believe there's a hero in all of us that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride”. While I was enjoying this dialogue and her performance in this scene, I found myself wondering: “Why don’t any of the Egyptian films nowadays have any positive values fused inside their so-called comic scripts?”
( ثُمَّ أَنَزلَ اللّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْكَافِرِينَ ) التوبة .
.
.
تعليق