A spectacular, emotional film.

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2004)

I was surprised, despite the plethora of positive reviews, at how impressed I was with this sequel. The writing shows deep respect for the characters, and despite its high-gloss Hollywood credentials, the film mines deep emotional currents, and throws in surprise after surprise for the audience right up to the end. Despite some repeated moments from the first film, (the moment on the train echoing too closely to Spidey's climactic fight with the Goblin in the first film) "Spider-Man 2" is easily the best sequel to a comic book film ever made (I know that's not saying much). But the acting is true and resonant, the build-up between events and characters rings true, and the conclusion is so stunning, and satisfying that I left the theater wiping tears out of my eyes. The actors are superb across the board, and the story is extraordinarily well-crafted; juggling several characters and situations to logical (for a comic character) conclusions.