3. J. Jonah Jameson
Some actors are just born to play iconic characters and J.K. Simmons was born to play Jameson. The grouchy Daily Bugle editor is brought to life perfectly by Simmons and is perhaps one of the few things throughout the Raimi trilogy that doesn’t become skewered in Spider-Man 3. The banter and laughs Jameson spews out are hilarious, and the routines he has with Robbie Robertson (Bill Nunn) and Hoffmann (Ted Raimi) are a highlight of the whole trilogy. Jameson does actually go through some character development even though it is played for laughs, believing he is responsible for Spider-Man’s retirement until the webhead steals back his costume, putting Jameson right back at square one. Simmons would also voice Jameson in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man.
2. Doctor Octopus
The Spider-Man trilogy had some very awesome badguys, with the possible exception of Venom. My favourite is Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus. Molina is a brilliant actor and this is probably one of his defining performances. Doc Ock is a sympathetic villain, bound to his mechanical tentacles by an accident and wishes to prove his experiment can work, even though his creepy tentacles are telepathically manipulating the poor bloke. Doc Ock has a very cool design, leading to some imaginative action sequences. So far, only Heath Ledger has received an Academy Award for playing a comic book character, but I’d say Molina is among many who deserve some recognition.
1. The Train Rescue
The greatest moment of Spider-Man 2 is the train battle. It is just amazing and pulls out all the stops to be a memorable part of cinematic history. An epic exciting battle that put the odds against Spider-Man, with stunning fight choreography and use of visuals to make the fight look realistic (though the bit where Peter’s webbing rips out whole apartments seems a bit silly). But the best moment is when Spider-Man tries to stop the train, putting his body and powers to their limits to save the lives of the innocent. And when he does and about to fall off the track – the people save him in return. The passengers of the train rescue Peter and carry him into the carriage, and all promise to keep his identity a secret, and then defend him from Doc Ock. Now that is gratitude and being heroic. And as Aunt May believes, there is a hero in all of us.
What are your favourite moments of Spider-Man 2 or the Raimi trilogy in general? Sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Twitter!
