| Before we begin…The trailers made me really happy. Not only was there a full-length Catwoman trailer, a new (or simply re-edited) I, Robot trailer, AND a trailer for Blade: Trinity, there was a trailer for a movie I really look forward to…Skipping Christmas, which is one of John Grisham’s non-legal books and looks really fun with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis as the leads. |  |
Location, location, locationI saw the midnight showing on opening day at Big Newport (aka Edwards Newport 6) which has the biggest non-IMAX movie screen on the West Coast. The ambience there is incredible because everyone is there to have a great time and they are all fans, so there is lots of cheering for the hero and lots of peanut gallery comments, which only enhances the viewing. |
| This IS the one…As I’ve lamented around here before, several movies so far have attempted (through their seductive trailers) to be THE summer movie for me, but this one finally satisfied me. I had so much fun at this movie that…I can’t think of a decent analogy for the last time I had this much fun. Well, maybe Riddick, but that doesn’t count (for reasons you can’t possibly comprehend) because it was a sci-fi movie, and this is a superhero/comic book movie. |  |
Doc Ock The movie revealed a lot of the character that had previously been unknown to me. I mean, I knew he was a genius and an outcast, but Alfred Molina (Doc Ock) brought wonderful depth to my 2-D vision of the character. The whole thing about the A.I. vs. him smelled a lot like Norman Osborne’s pyschosis from the first, but I let them get away with it because I really liked Alfred Molina’s take on it. |
| Writing The original was written by David Koepp (writer and director of this year’s The Secret Window), but he was either dropped or refused to write the second (screenplay credit goes to Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Michael Chabon and Alvin Sargent). However, he’s writing the third one, along with Gough and Chabon (but this is just so far, so maybe others are added later). I just don’t know. Battle RoyalThe fight sequences were really intense and one of the best parts of the movie. It’s impossible to describe how absolutely beautiful the CGI and live action work looked.
Gotta Love J.K. Simmons J. Jonah Jameson’s character was given a lot more room to stretch in this movie and J.K. used all of it and then some to deliver some really good laughs. |
Cameos and Quotes Gotta love Bruce Campbell as a snooty usher and Stan Lee as a man dodging debris. “I’m back! I’m back! My back! My back!” This quote pokes fun at the supposed back injury Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spider-man) suffered during Seabiscuit. Peter: What about my comic books?
Aunt May: Those old things? I threw them away. This quote was the best line from a movie ever. The instant I heard it I screamed out “NO”, earning a laugh from the crowd. I mean, what comic book fan can’t remember the day their mother threw away their comic books or dread the day that it will happen? Name that Play Funny how the play MJ is in is Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Ernest” where an English nobleman pretends to be his own cousin to win the heart of Gwendolyn. “Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more” (Monty Python’s Flying Cicus). |
FinanciallyThe movie cost 260 million to make (production and marketing) and will easily make it. I especially hope the movie can beat out the original Spider-man’s total (domestic box office of 403 million). Unfortunately, the Wednesday debut eliminates it from best weekend status, which is a shame because I know this movie could clean the original’s clock. But it will definitely give Shrek 2 a run for it’s money. Update (07/02/04): Best Wednesday Opening EVER with 40.4 million!
The End? The movie obviously suggests a sequel (announced for 2007) and the possibilities are endless (although some people are rooting for Venom). The ending tied the film up beautifully and I have no complaints. Even though I watched the original before going to this one, it isn’t required viewing because the opening sequence includes a series of watercolors highlighting the first movie. |