July 6 2004

The wait is over, Marvel Comics has finally delivered Spider-Man 2 to us, and my, did they deliver. not only is this a rare example of a sequel outdoing its predecessor, but it is arguably the greatest superhero movie ever, at least tied with 1978's Superman: the movie. What makes this movie so great? It's Sam Raimi's ability to interseam style and substance. While most super hero flicks focus mainly on stylized action sequences and flashy special effects, this movie realizes there are human beings involved in this story. it acknowledges that Spider-Man is indeed a man underneath the costume. We witness his struggle to balance his private life with his public one. How does one manage school, two jobs, being in love and saving New York? The movie gets even more complex then that, but i only have so many words. Alfred Molina is also great as Dr. Octopus, my personal fave Spidey villain. The effects in this movie are even better than in the first Spidey, you'll be quite convinced it's Tobey swingin' around town. note the lifelike detail in the movements of Doc's tentacles. And though the action scenes are quite entertaining, the plot fleshes out the characters and situations so well that there are no lulls where you're wondering "when are we gonna see more action?" In summary, this is truly a movie for those who don't care for superhero movies. and i cant blame those folks. most superhero movies relegate their heroes to grimy dark worlds fighting grimy dark villains wearing a grimy dark costume, grim, emotionless fare. Not the Spider-Man franchise. These movies bring the excitement and sense of wonder of being a hero back to the movies. Instead of dark and grimy, Raimi wisely goes for bright and vibrant. 10/10 stars.