SPIDER-MAN 2 AND THE BURDEN WE BEAR TO BE GREATER
I don’t know if there is anything more I can add to the plethora of reviews, breakdowns and straight up love and adoration Spider-Man 2 has gotten over the years…but somehow, there’s something about this film (and yes, I do mean film) that compels me to wanna talk about it. That keeps me coming back to it.
So, instead of boring you with a full fledged review for a movie everyone already loves, written by a ‘reviewer’ no one cares about, I figured I’d just pin point why this movie keeps me coming back to it all these years later.
Perhaps it’s the high octane action sequences Raimi became so famously known for, which were responsible for elevating the movie’s tone and mood as it influenced the audience’s reaction to what was happening. Perhaps it was the intense focus on humanizing the villain this time around, as opposed to embracing the full blown campy psychopathic nature of the previous film’s one.
Maybe it was the magnificent score; almost a character in itself, or the top notch special effects beautifully blended together with in camera practical work. If one were to make any (or all) of these points as their reason for loving this film, they’d be correct. All of that is indeed true. But that’s not it for me, necessarily. Above all else, this film understands and illustrates that the protagonist — no matter how herculean in his efforts to save NYC — is ultimately still human.
Because after all, that’s what Spider-Man is all about. He’s the champion of the common man. He’s the example of a well meaning individual being blessed with greatness. Right there, though, in the context of this movie is a rather interesting concept I wish to explore.
French Existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre famously said “Man is condemned to be free”. When I came across this quote and the meaning behind it, my thoughts instantly drifted to Peter’s plight in Spider-Man 2. In the previous movie, we see him ascend to a savior and guardian to the people of New York; a position he accepts with grace, maturity and great understanding. However, in Spider-Man 2 we see the reality of backing that decision up.
His grades are failing, the love of his life is tired of waiting for him, he’s behind on his rent, and people just think he’s lazy and/or not dependable. None of which is true, as we the audience know. Right then and there Sartre’s point comes across, and is echoed again all throughout the film. Peter’s mission — he feels — is an obligation, one made out of guilt.
In fact, he is free to hang up the threads and move onto his life. He paid his penance. Learned his lesson. He has a choice to move on with his life like any normal person would. And it’s during the excellent and heartbreaking ‘vision’ like confrontation he has with his Uncle Ben where he finally comes to grip with this, his powers malfunctioning being merely a catalyst getting him to this point.
“No, Uncle Ben. I’m just Peter Parker. I’m Spider-Man, no more.”
And just like that, a common man with the strength of the Gods gives up on the rest of the world, having become weary of a thankless job and realizing he had an out this whole time.
Life for Peter Parker would be good after that decision, too. His grades shoot up, he increases his goodwill in the eyes of his friends, and is even able to convince Mary Jane Watson he’s not just an empty seat anymore. But, as our dear hero would soon learn, it’s not that simple.
Every single time since Spider-Man’s departure, when Peter comes across an atrocity, he feels it ebbing in his veins. His heart aches, and he looks away in hopes of distracting himself. Yet the pain never fades. The guilt never goes away. A mugging here, a burning building there. Or maybe the hopes and dreams of a little kid that wants to be just like the masked webslinger.
At this point, Peter realizes that though he is free do to whatever he wants in this world, his responsibilities will keep him bound forever, confined to what he knows he has to do. There are laws to be followed. Rules set in place. And in a world full of injustices and atrocities, he alone stands in the way of the city’s total annihilation. Peter’s struggle all throughout Spider-Man 2 is a big lesson director Sam Raimi is all but shouting at us, using his lead character as a warning what happens when we lose our way, and the inevitability we all face for being greater. It’s the price we pay and the burden we bear.
We all get knocked down just like that in life. But at the end of the day, just like a nerdy kid from Forest Hills, Queens, we too have to dust ourselves off after a bad day, and get back in the saddle once more. Despite not having the great power, it’s still our great responsibility to do so. It’s not about divine reward, fame, guts or glory. It’s about what you owe and what’s owed to ya. To do the right thing ’cause it’s right, and the peace of mind knowing you did right by the world that follows.
Thank you, Spider-Man 2 for being a timeless classic that continues to teach me more about life, loss, perseverance and strength to this very day. I can never thank you enough.