Raimi's superior sequel is comic book excellence

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2016)

Sam Raimi greatly improves on his previous ­SPIDER-MAN flick, investing this one with twice the excitement, drama, and character tension. It feels like he was playing by the rules with the first movie – following the studio's plans, never stepping out of line. Here we see the artist at work, delivering some great moments of cinema. There's even reference to Raimi's earlier horror career with buzzing chainsaws and severed limbs in the tense, quirky hospital showdown.
The film retains the look, feel and sound of the first, and there's a strong sense of continuity with the return of literally ALL the characters (even Willem Dafoe makes a welcome cameo appearance as the Green Goblin). The love story, which felt a bit false in the first, is rampant here, with runaway emotion and non-stop romantic interludes, and also there is plenty of comedy to savour, dealing with Peter Parker's real-life chores being Spider-Man; i.e. his costume running in the wash and ruining the other clothes, etc. etc. It's very funny and is helped by loads of cool cameos – Bruce Campbell is back and better than before as the 'Snooty Usher', Ted Raimi is present, and of course there's J. K. Simmons, whose overbearing newspaper editor nearly steals the film.
Maguire and Dunst seem more assured and in touch with their characters here, and Alfred Molina is an imposing but surprisingly human baddie. Every major character is fleshed out and concentrated on, no cardboard cut-outs or stereotypes to be seen. There are many twists and surprises before the end and although this is a lengthy film, it never outstays its welcome. The best parts are undoubtedly the action sequences, which take CGI effects to new heights (literally).
The shots of Spider-Man swinging through the air are, as many have said, much more convincing and realistic than before, and the various battles with Doc Ock are outrageously exciting and crowd-pleasing. My favourite moment is undoubtedly the clash on the speeding train at the end of the movie, which is flawless cinema, original and artistic, perfectly conceived, and the winning element at this film's heart is Raimi's confidence at the helm this time. Things never become boring and this seems to be a film you can watch over and over. I'm left eagerly awaiting the third in the series.