Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 is one of the top comic book films to date, matching up well with Sin City and its predecessor. America's hero is back with more webslinging fun and a darker story. Peter Parker (a once again excellent Tobey Maguire) has got to get his life under control. He's falling in school, losing touch with friends Harry Osborn (James Franco is even better) and Mary Jane Watson (I don't really like Kirsten Dunst, but she suffices here), his aunt (Rosemary Harris lives up to her legend with the limited screen time she has) is worried about him, and to top it all off, a new maniac is on the loose, and it's another one of Peter's mentors: Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina is perfect as Dock Ock).

The ways it tops the first Spidey film is evident in the acting and special effects. The acting is much deeper, perhaps because the storyline is much more personal than the first film. I loved Alfred Molina as Spidey's nemesis, continuing the streak of excellent portrayals of comic book villains. Maguire is just as good as Spidey and Peter Parker, which we know he excels at. He gets a lot more emotional scenes in this one, particularly towards the end. James Franco's Harry Osborn is awesome, because he gives us even more mystery about his character, with a few hot flashes of anger. Harry is also portrayed as confused, which is an essential quality that Franco provides. Kirsten Dunst...well, what do you expect? She gets by well enough, but I wish she'd be as lovable as Jennifer Connelly in Hulk...but I'm comparing a B-talent actress to an Oscar winner, so that's not really fair.

The special effects are off the wall amazing, definitely deserving of the Oscar it won. The train sequence between Dock Ock and Spidey is simply breathtaking. This is another area where it more than surpasses the cheesy effects of Spidey 1. The movie is not just an action flick, but a real movie that conveys how hard it would be to be a superhero, the sacrifices that are necessary. It's definitely a landmark achievement for Raimi, Molina, and Maguire, as they make the film. It's a must own for any Spidey fan or action buff, in addition to any movie lover. It's got a great story, good characters, explosive action, and a strong ending that leaves the door open for #3 to be simply awesome.

10/10 --spy