Back in 2002, the first Spider-Man movie in the trilogy was released. While director Sam Raimi did a good job of making the movie, it was still lacking one thing: good character development. Now, in the summer of 2004, the second Spider-Man movie is released. "Is it better than the original?" numerous people will ask. That answer is definitely a yes, because Spider-Man 2 introduces a new type of special effect: the effect of character development.

Spider-Man 2 begins with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), our hero with superhuman spider abilities, facing the problems of becoming a superhero. Peter's grades are slipping; he gets fired from his jobs; he feels bad that he didn't help prevent the death of his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson); his best friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco), is angry at him for being fond of Spider-Man; and worst of all, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), the girl he is in love with, is mad at him for abandoning her to fight crime. And in turn, she has decided to marry John Jameson (Daniel Gillies), who is the son of Peter's boss J. Jonah Jameson (played by J.K. Simmons).

And there's STILL a villain for Peter to fight. Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) has four mechanical metal arms welded onto his body after a fusion energy source accident, and becomes known as Doc Ock. Now, it's up to Spider-Man to stop Octavius before he manages to create another and larger fusion energy source and risks destroying the entire city!

Other things have improved in Spider-Man 2 other than the addition of the new effect I just discussed. Special effects have improved dramatically, and Spider-Man moves more realistically. But the special effects also help make Dr. Octavius's four tentacles look and move extraordinarily, and therefore every scene with both Spider-Man and Octavius is amazing. Another thing that has improved is the screenwriting; screenwriter Alvin Sargent writes better dialogue and has better pacing, which works well during the dramatic and romantic sequences.

While Spider-Man 2 is a very good movie, it's not absolutely flawless, but I only have one gripe. I just thought that Octavius's conclusion at the end was a bit clichéd and predictable. I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but you'll understand once you see it.

But overall, Spider-Man 2 is a very good movie and is improved dramatically by its added character development. As a final statement, I can't wait for the third installment in the trilogy!

****1/2 out of ***** Rated PG-13 for intense action/violence