Extremely well made and poignantly written

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2004)

This is a rare film in that I think it's clearly better than the first film which is also very good but it's also rare that a superhero story could be so well written and even thought provoking at times! Story picks up after the first film where we see Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggling to keep jobs and maintain grades at college and pay the rent and its because of the fact that being Spiderman keeps him very busy. He's still madly in love with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) who's become an actress and he's still best friends with Harry Osborn (James Franco) who blames Spiderman for the death of his father and Harry is also irked that Peter claims to be friends with his enemy. One day Peter notices his powers dwindling and after making everyone angry for always being late he decides to stop being Spiderman and concentrate on having a normal life!
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Peter meets a brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who is working on physics and fusion and develops something with metal arms that attaches to his spine but something goes horribly wrong and Otto becomes Doc Ock where his mind changes for the worse and he wants to continue his work that may bring New York City to ruins. Peter decides to become Spiderman again and in fighting Doc Ock he learns how valuable he is as a superhero and eventually both Harry and Mary Jane learn of his true identity.
This film is once again directed by the visual master Sam Raimi and while this is chock full of CGI effects the one thing that makes this sequel so special is the sensitive script and dialogue. Raimi does a wonderful job of juggling and balancing both the action and the characterizations that have become so vital to the story. Peter has become so disillusioned with being Spiderman that he finds it impossible to have a life and a relationship. I cannot tell you how many scenes there are with Peter talking to various other characters about his troubles and depression without revealing the truth behind them and these scenes for me are the strongest points in the film. Maguire brings real humanity to his role and he handles it with a lot of sensitivity that can make even the harshest of film critics identify with. The action scenes are exciting and they do help balance out the story but the thought provoking dialogue that is spoken by the actors are what's so special here. Raimi directed a film called "A Simple Plan" a few years ago and that was also well acted and written so maybe we shouldn't be surprised when he directs another effort that shares those same splendid attributes