A good movie from an unexpected source

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2004)

'Spider-man 2', while caching all that money summer blockbusters make succeeds to rally unexpected fans, while drawing critics from the usual audience which one would expect to be happy to see one of their preferred products. The IMDB viewers column is full of comments from good cinema fans pleasantly surprised by the movie, while comics movies fans complain about plot holes and too much emotional stuff. I belong to the first category, and I do not regret having been dragged into the cinema theater by my teenager son. Besides the air-conditioning on a 40 centigrades afternoon, I really enjoyed the plot, which had logic - human and emotional logic for a change, the action scenes, which made sense, were clear and not confusing, and the fact that I saw the main character facing a credible human vs. hero dilemma. BTW, the theme of incompatibility between the super-hero status and human emotions is a classical theme, from ancient legends, through many other literature works - but we are not here for an art history lesson, are we? Certainly, the film would have been better without the last five syrup minutes, but overall 'SP-man 2' is a proof that there are no forbidden genres, and that a good director in a season of inspiration can turn almost any material into real cinema. I am no fan of Tobey Maguire, and I did not become one after having seen the movie. Kirsten Dunst is better in the role of the love interest of the hero, and I will keep watching her, as well as the rest of the feminine crowd in 'Mona Lisa Smile', which kind of defines the new generation of actresses in the US cinema. Best act comes from Alfred Molina in the bad guy supporting role.
Good cinema lovers, you deserve a break from time to time from 'serious' movies. Take this one for a relaxing, but still decent cinema experience. 8 out of 10 on my personal scale.