Just barely outdoes the first...!

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2004)

Spider-Man 2 ruled! I just saw the midnight showing and I must say that I was NOT disappointed. The action scenes were great, and the drama played off really well, just as they did in the first one. The slight injections of humor were very nicely done; I found myself laughing out loud a number of times.
Maguire's and Dunst's performances were top-notch, and played off of each other better than in the first movie, if only because the story allowed for it more in this one. Alfred Molina's portrayal of Doc Oc was noteworthy. He came off as far more intimidating than Dafoe's Green Goblin (again, if only a result of the story and character itself). Rosemary Harris' Aunt May shines again, when she actually has screen time.
The CGI at times looked a little "video game-ish," but I found it easily dismissible. The only qualm I really have about this movie is that Spidey's climactic battle with Doc Oc seemed a bit anti-climactic actually. It's not bad; if only the fight had actually lasted a tad bit longer, it may have been just right. You'll see what I mean if you see the movie.
I was leaning forward almost the entire movie, and after just over 2 hours that gets a little uncomfortable, but the movie was great! While the first movie was more plot-driven (to me), this one seemed to be more character-driven, focusing specifically on Peter/Spider-Man (of course) and Mary Jane. Spider-Man 2 and its predecessor are examples of the kind of movies that I would like to make: the right amounts of story, character depth, action, drama, and romance (yes, romance; if you get real technical, both movies are somewhat of love stories, with all the other stuff making them entertaining and engaging). While not a perfect movie, Spider-Man 2 does exceed the first movie, if only by a little. Go see this movie (and if you haven't seen the first one, see it beforehand)!