Spectacular comic book fun!

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2008)

It is well known that Peter Parker is probably most well liked because of his human weaknesses than for his superpowers. He's a comic book superhero who is presented as just a normal guy who suddenly finds himself in possession of amazing powers that he doesn't quite understand or know how best to use, just like any of us would probably react. A lot of people were dissatisfied with the original film for a whole list of superficial reasons, but even those minor shortcomings seem to have been fixed for this sequel, which is one of the best comic book movies I've ever seen.
Peter Parker is in college now and remains hopelessly in love with Mary Jane, but also remains a hopeless romantic, to say nothing of his unwillingness to get close to her for fear of endangering her. Superheroes, you see, tend to make enemies easily. And speaking of enemies, the villains in Spiderman 2 are a much welcome step up from Willem Dafoe's too- clownish Green Goblin with the plastic mask.
There is a complicated history between Parker and Harry Osborn (James Franco), who is both in love with Mary Jane and the son of Norman Osborn, the alter-ego of the Green Goblin in the first film. As revelations are made about who Parker really is, their best friend relationship of course becomes increasingly prickly.
Alfred Molina is also brilliant as the perfectly named Dr. Otto Octavius, the main villain, a benevolent scientist whose desire to create a means for harnessing cold fusion turns him into a madman, which is complicated by the fact that he has developed a way to connect some massive and enormously destructive metal tentacles to his body, enabling him to climb buildings like a spider and crush and toss humans around with equal ease. There is a scene involving a group of doctors that really reminds you who the director is.
"Doc Ock" has a laboratory on the bank of the East River in which he has created a device which will either prove that he can use cold fusion or, if he fails, will destroy all of Manhattan. Parker doesn't think it's worth the risk, and the grand climax of the movie culminates in the final fulfillment of Octavius' experiment while Spiderman tries to stop it and save Mary Jane at the same time.
It seems that Spiderman 2 is the result of a production team that openly discussed what might be weaknesses in the still fun and exciting original film, and how to fix them and make them better in the sequel. Superhero movies are often hit or miss, and usually it's pretty obvious what the misses are (hear that, Punisher?). The original Spiderman was a hit, and the first sequel is a bigger hit. People who don't know the comic books can still have a great time, and genre fans are sure to love it!