SPIDER-MAN 2 (4 outta 5 stars)

Yes, it's true... another sequel that turns out to be even better than the first one. The young cast (Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco) are back from the first movie... as is the director, Sam Raimi. This time the action scenes don't look as clumsy as they did the first time. The CGI effects look a little less fake and the editing is a little tighter. Best of all, there is a story APART FROM the action and the fights! Peter Parker is not having the bets luck in the world... mostly, he decides, because of the burden of being Spider-Man. When his powers start to weaken he decides that maybe he needs to give up the whole superhero thing and concentrate on just being a regular guy. But, naturally, events take place which make that impossible... most notably the threat posed by Dr. Otto Octavius... Dr. Octopus. The movie has a great blend of humour, action and sentimentality... I confess that I got a little misty-eyed a few times. It's not all perfect... a lot of the close-ups of screaming bystanders look a little corny, the crappy alt-rock muzak they play at the end seems really hackneyed... also it's getting to be a bit of a stretch to have Aunt May and Mary Jane always at the mercy of whatever super-villain happens to be in town. Minor quibbles to be sure... the main problem with this movie is that it's such a vivid distillation of the Spider-man mythos that it doesn't leave much else to be said in any future sequels.