Contrary to popular opinion, Dr. Octopus was done perfectly...

Rating: Null/10 (3 July 2004)

By now (only a few days after the movie's release) I've seen many reviews saying that Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina) is an underwritten villain.
Anyone who knows the comics will know that he was done just right. Doc Ock was always a mercenary-type villain, hiring himself out to do others' (usually more powerful, social types) bidding, all the while working for an agenda of his own. This shows in the movie, when he strikes a deal with Harry Osborn (James Franco), which I wont spoil. Also, Doc Ock was never a complex character anyway  he practically wasn't human. Always out for himself, always concocting some master plan for Spider-Man to foil. He never shows a shred of decency or human compassion; he is, basically, a robot.
I was wondering how they were going to do that for the movie, because movies need complex characters, of course. And Raimi and the writers did it effortlessly: having Ock be a good man taken over by the AI of the tentacles attached to his body, so that he is, actually, a robot. It perfectly explains why the villain character is so `one-dimensional'.
But the other half of him, the good, human half (Octavius) is a complex character. He's smart, determined, and a bit too prideful about his life's work, making him and the tentacles a perfect mix for a villain character. Sure, he's not a major part of the movie, but Ock was always a mysterious character that only left the shadows if he desperately needed something for himself, exactly like it is in the film.
And a great film it is, too, may it rise on the Top 250, 8.5/10.