The Freeze Frame Scene

Made our way to a matinee showing of Spiderman 2. I'm usually not a big fan of the comic-book-turned-Hollywood-blockbuster genre and have shunned previous hits like the Batman series, the X-Men series, the Hulk, etc. The computer-generated special effects ("CGI") so central to most of these types of films usually serve to mask a weak, recycled plot line and paper-thin character development. Eye candy but not much more. Worth nine dollars and two hours of my life? Usually not. What can I say? This time around my arm was twisted, literally. Under duress, I sat in the theater trying to summon an open mind. True to form and expectation, S2 was bathing in CGI, one-dimensional characters, hokey dialogue (including an absurd conversation between Peter Parker and his dead uncle in heaven), and the annoying comic-book view of the world (and its inhabitants) as either "good" or "evil". But to its credit (and to my surprise), S2 anchored the plot squarely around the moral dilemmas confronted by Peter Parker. Dilemmas rooted in reality and amidst daily situations that ring true. This superhero is often late to work, lives in a dingy apartment, struggles to pay the rent on time, is awkward around others, suffers at the sight of his widowed aunt who pushes a $20 bill on him even as a house foreclosure notice sits on the nearby table. The character is not just "more human", but his encounters (and daily travails) are as well. Toby Maguire and his wide-eyed, stolid demeanor were very well suited to this role. And I have to note, the film had one of the funniest freeze frame moments in recent memory. I would see the movie again just for that scene alone. Classic.