Doctor Octopus has ther upper hand. Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man 2 – Peter Parker tries to juggle his normal life with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man. He must deal with his feelings for Mary-Jane and the guilt he feels over his uncle’s death while a new nemesis, in the form of Doctor Octavius, threatens the citizens of New York City.

Spider-Man 2 (2004) – Director: Sam Raimi

Is Spider-Man 2 appropriate for kids?

Rating: PG

Running Length: 127 mins

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina

Genre: Action/Adventure, Comic Book

REVIEW: ‘SPIDER-MAN 2’

The second instalment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy sees Peter Parker having to deal with his personal issues of love, friendship and grief as well as the dangerous new super-villain, Doc Ock. Having to decide which is more important creates an impossible dilemma for Peter who begins to realise that his responsibilities are greater than himself.

Spider-Man 2 is what we’ve come to expect from the Marvel comic book adaptations. There is a lot of fast paced action, some witty dialogue and a little slapstick that will go down well with all ages. Without having to waste time on the ‘origin’ story this time around, ‘Spider-Man 2’ enjoys a great narrative that explores Peter Parker trying to maintain the dual lifestyle that being a superhero leads to, whilst also trying not to alienate all the people he loves.

As with any comic book movie, the defining characteristics is often that of the villains. Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) certainly wins high on the cool factor. Molina’s portrayal of him ‘pre-villain’ is warm and nuanced, and it’s therefore a shame when for the latter half of the movie that characterisation is lost for full on baddie behaviour. But regardless, ‘Spider-Man 2’ brings together all the comic book elements and balances them well making for a fantastically well-rounded slice of web-slinging fun.

CONTENT: IS ‘SPIDER-MAN 2’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A woman is killed by a large shard of glass when a window shatters. Although this isn’t graphic and there is no blood or gore, the shard is seen flying towards her in slow motion and after the camera cuts away, she slumps to the floor, dead.

There is a particularly disturbing scene in a hospital. Several doctors are trying to treat an unconscious ‘Doc Ock’, when the robotic ‘limbs’ fused to his spine violently come to life, killing everyone. The characters are killed by being thrown through glass, into walls, electrocution and, in the case of one female doctor, being dragged out of shot into the darkness with her fingernails scraping along the floor. While there is no blood, the brutality of the fast and aggressive limbs which act with intelligent malice throughout is somewhat disturbing. Lastly, the scene has prolonged shots of these characters screaming in fear and crying out for help, and a panning shot showing a dead, open eyed character lying on the floor.  This is quite a sustained scene and could be too much for younger viewers.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘SPIDER-MAN 2’ FOR KIDS?

Overall, this film is suitable for most children, the content of which is very similar to most action films shown in the afternoon on TV. Other than the above two scenes, the violence is minimal and the fight scenes are well choreographed to keep the suspense without being upsetting. There is no swearing or sexual content and the general light hearted tone of Spider-Man 2 should ensure that, despite one occurrence of particularly scary violence, the movie will be suitable for most children aged six and over.

  • Violence: 3/5  (one scene of sustained violence)
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5
  • Fear Factor: 2/5 (the ‘limb’ scene is scary, but short)
  • Sexual Content: 0/5
  • Bad Language:  0/5
  • Dialogue: 0/5
  • Other notes: Themes of self sacrifice, the strain of maintaining a dual identity and guilt about unfixable past actions.

Words by Laura Record

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