20 Years Later, Spider-Man 2’s Opening Titles Remain Undefeated
Ditto Kirsten Dunst’s MJ
I imagine that in every millennial’s heart, there is a special place reserved for Spider-Man 2. Sam Raimi’s superhero sequel – with Tobey Maguire as the lead, and Kirsten Dunst as his Mary Jane – swooped onto our screens 20 years ago today, spinning an elasticated, skyscraper-high bar for all future superhero flicks. It is still unbeaten. Maguire and Dunst’s romance? Believable. Alfred Molina in the role of villainous Doc Ock? Singular. The soundtrack? A delightfully early Noughties mix of Yellowcard and Hoobastank (this one, admittedly, might require a more robust defence on my part). One underrated aspect about the entire thing? Those gorgeous opening credits.
A recap. The film begins two years after Peter Parker got bit by that darn radioactive spider in 2002’s Spider-Man. He is now distanced from his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) and girl next door – who happens to look like a Hollywood star – Mary Jane. Peter, overwhelmed by his pizza delivery job and saving New Yorkers on the regular, is flunking class, disappointing his science professor Dr. Otto Octavius (Molina) and lovely Aunt May (Rosemary Harris).
The plot is propulsive and relatively uncomplicated (as far as superhero films go, anyway) and soon there are two villains: Harry, avenging his father’s death, and Doc Ock, the results of Octavius’ experiment into power generation which leaves Peter’s former mentor with four independently-minded tentacles and a nightmarish hunger for power. Almost as compelling as the main action is the love triangle – though can we call it that when one corner doesn’t know the third person really exists? – between Peter, MJ and her fiancé, handsome astronaut John Jameson (Daniel Gillies).
Although the first film set up a few plot points, the sequel is mercifully contained. Even if it benefitted from comparison – Ben Affleck’s Daredevil had flopped into cinemas the year before, and the first Spider-Man was patchy – Spider-Man 2 is a robust film. A snappy and just philosophical enough script from Alvin Sargent helped. Danny Elfman returned for a booming score. But mainly, Raimi is just so much more confident this time round. While no single image in the sequel is as inedible as the first outing’s upside-down kiss, the film is so much more imaginative: Raimi’s camera follows each of Doc Ock’s tentacles with glee. The chemistry between Maguire, an unusually dour leading man, and Dunst (no other word for it: luminous), has not been matched in any subsequent Marvel features.
It seems fairly obvious that opening credits are important for movies – in terms of, you know, setting the tone for the entire thing – but they are often overlooked. Shame, because they can really elevate a movie. And people love them! I have spent a long time on YouTube this week rewatching them. Saul Bass for Anatomy of a Murder. His work with Hitchcock. There’s Alien’s creepy, lo-fi introduction, designed by Richard Greenberg. The man behind Seven’s celebrated, memorably creepy set-up, Kyle Cooper, is also behind Spider-Man 2’s opening credits. And while I imagine there are constraints for a blockbuster co-produced by Marvel and Sony, Cooper clearly had a vision here.
It relies on illustrations, drawn by comic book artist Alex Ross. They recap the first film – Spidey’s origins story and his fight with the Green Goblin (Willem Defoe) – providing an artful “previously on recap”. The 15 paintings were widely celebrated, and later sold in a charity auction on eBay. Neither Marc Webb’s features with Andrew Garfield nor Jon Watts’ version with Tom Holland go for the illustrated approach. Raimi’s two other entries into the Spider-verse also opted out. No clue why. They look classy, feel instantly nostalgic, and are pleasingly bespoke. Along with Elfman’s soaring and solemn score, the themes are immediately set: you will have have fun, but you also might feel something.
Ross has claimed that he didn’t love the movie’s Spider-Man suit and made alterations in his artwork. It would take a writer far more familiar with the world of comics to comment on these but I respect the artistic disregard. Ross’ passion and flair is on show. And he made the smart decision to remind us of the rainy upside-down kiss (which is important for a scene in which MJ attempts to re-enact it with her fiancé: no spark, I am afraid!). That final transition between that artwork and into the billboard of MJ’s perfume billboard? Good stuff.
Spider-Man 2 grossed over $700 million at the worldwide box office and broke many records, which are too boring to note here. Even more boringly, those records have subsequently been beaten by boy wizards, Jedi knights and caped crusaders. The film was big, but the miracle is how Raimi made the small moments the most memorable: Peter watching MJ at the theatre, the children returning Spidey’s mask on the Subway, Peter’s ongoing pizza delivery side-hustle (is Spider-Man 2 actually a critique of the gig economy?). And it is all prefigured by those warmly-rendered, intimate credits. Start as you mean to go on. It’s a shame that the series – and the genre at wide – did not heed that lesson.
You can watch Spider-Man 2 on most streaming platforms, but you can also watch it in UK cinemas in August when it will be re-released