Bailey

> *“Sometimes... to do what's right... we must be steady... and give up the things we desire the most... even our dreams.”* The way this film takes the strengths of the first movie and uses them to its fullest extent is so satisfying. In this film not only is May the absolute heart of the film, but the way she and MJ push Pete and Spidey to their fullest potential is so well done and beautiful to see. Seeing him grapple with the choice and responsibility his Uncle lad upon him near his deathbed weigh on him and seeing him truly accept the mantle as Spider-Man forevermore is such a wondrous thing to watch, and following it up with the train sequence following one of my favorite moments in any piece of *Spider-Man* media is such a brilliant choice seeing these innocent people defend him with their own well being and celebrate him for the hero he truly is to them. One of the most beautiful, simple touches to me, is seeing Robbie Robertson interact with Peter. Seeing the frustration, yet understanding of all he believes Peter, and in turn, Spider-Man, is going through, seeing the heartbreak in his eyes when he sees him give up, yet the faith he holds and the happiness when Pete takes back the mantle of Spider-Man for more than himself is brilliant.

> *"Cuz here's the thing, to know how it ends and still begin to sing, as if it might turn out this time. I learned that from a friend of mine.”* (Watched at the Eccles, I’m counting it!) This was everything I wanted, for years I’ve longed to watch this gorgeous musical and tonight, I was able to witness the beauty, the love, the tragedy. The cast was perfect, whether it was Hawa Kamara’s pained desperation as Eurydice, Rudy Fosters fantabulous, fun filled yet surprisingly somber showing as Hermes, but the standout was Nickolaus Colón as Hades. He was powerful, threatening, a true force in both his stage presence but especially that booming bravado voice of his. But. In that third act, he showed a true tenderness and enormous emotion that truly won me over. But it wasn’t just the cast, the crew all truly did fantastic, specifically to me the lighting and production design. The end of every single song, the way the lighting fell on their faces, it truly felt like I was watching a story of mythical proportions right in front of me. And the way they did the change during *Wait for Me*, it truly took my breath away, leaving me utterly speechless. I was finally able to watch a devastatingly beautiful rendition of my favorite musical of all time, and I will always and forever, raise my cup, to them.

Something that really makes itself apparent with each and every rewatch is just how important Rosemary Harris and Kirsten Dunst are to this film. Their roles and performances as May and MJ bring an extremely emotional and classical feeling heart to this film that would still be there, but would not shine nearly as bright as it does. It makes me feel such strong connections with not just the *Spider-Man* of it all, but the extremely human, emotional core at the center that Raimi, the cast, and the crew truly brings to life with his adaptation of Peter Parker.

Definitely aged out of this style of his comedy but I love how unique his presentation is and how meta and deep his stuff can get, even while being insanely childish at points.