The Main Title is largely the same as that for the first film, but with a few little ornamentation and a few extras bars here and there. It somehow doesn't sound quite so grand and fresh as first time through, the performance somehow lacks the dramatic ebb and flow that Pete Anthony's conducting brought for the original. Spider-Man 2 marks Elfman's third sequel after Men in Black 2 and Batman Returns, but this seems a more of the same type sequel than the slightly different directions he choose for those. Naturally Doc Ock receives his own eight note (of course!) theme which sounds exactly like a comic book villain theme should; bold and strident, thundering its way along, mimicking the four mechanical arms marching of the hapless scientist around New York. For a film that presents a superhero in a more realistic light it could be deemed a bit over the top, but Raimi has the confidence to mix the human drama with the larger than life villainy that are a comic book staple.
The lack of freshness in the Main Title is something that seemingly extends to the rest of the score and there are a fewer highlights. Even during the big event sequences such as The Bank/Saving May and Train, the action seems to clatter on a little too relentlessly, only hints of the main theme and Doc Ock's tune give it the personality it seems to lack. What is surprising is the lack of personal drama; there are some lovely moments, notably MJ's New Life, Peter's Turmoil and the outstandingly lovely Appreciation, which give us the kind of feeling for Peter Parker that Raimi's film does, but elsewhere it seems rather heavy on the comic book bluster and somewhat more generic and impersonal, frenzied and exciting though they often are. The most inspiring moments are probably when the terrific main theme makes its presence felt and the sudden crashing end to its performance in Spidus Interruptus ingeniously pulls the rug from under the theme's feet, perfectly killing the momentum.
For whatever reason, Christopher Young and John Debney were brought in to (re)write certain cues, notably Young penning music to replace Train - Elfman's original is labeled as a bonus track on the album. It seems surprising that Raimi wouldn't have given Elfman the chance to re-write the cue, so one can only assume there was some last minute changes of mind or conflict of schedule. I certainly hope that it doesn't mean a director-composer falling out, although a Christopher Young Spider-Man score would be something to relish. Having heard Elfman in an interview about his working methods, he doesn't strike me as the kind of composer who works on autopilot, no matter how much we think this might be the case. Having said that, Spider-Man 2 doesn't seem quite the dramatic or inventive match of its predecessor, with surprisingly little that is new or surprising. Still, Elfman's distinctive stamp and brazenly outlandish orchestrations mean there's plenty to relish and at the end of the day, Spider-Man 2 is still memorable, absorbing and a rollercoaster of a score.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 47:53