BETTER! THAN! THE! FIRST! (some spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2004)

I was excited when the first Spidey movie was finally going to be released, seeing as I was waiting for it to see theaters since I was 12 years old. Once I finally saw it, I was rather satisfied. There were a few flaws, I will admit, but overall, it was still a dream come true. I believed that Spider-man re-defined the standard of what comic book movies should be.
Now that I've seen "Spider-Man 2," I was beyond floored! Whatever flaws that were apparent in the first movie have been rectified. The story was fantastic, it was almost like it was a living comic book. You can definitely suspend and disbelieve in this one.
Tobey Maguire has also become more comfortable in his role as Peter Parker. He's just as I envisioned him to be, a normal guy who happens to have superpowers, and is trying to maintain a semblance of a normal life.
Kirsten Dunst is once again fabulous as Mary Jane Watson; my only complaint about her is since she liked the red wig in the first movie, she tried dying her whole hair red in the second, and it really didn't work...she looks more strawberry blonde (I know, I know, I'm nitpicking).
The choice of Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus was fantastic; Doc Ock is my favorite Spider-Man villain, and he did the character justice.
Most improved award goes to James Franco. His Harry Osborn seemed a bit wooden in the first movie for my taste; this time around, he's a lot looser, and his ability has improved drastically! I can't wait to see what Sam Raimi has in store for him come Spider-Man 3.
The supporting cast was just as good as in the first movie. Bill Nunn as Robbie Robertson, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, Rosemary Harris as Aunt May Parker. I loved every minute of them on screen.
What really floored me was seeing Willem Dafoe make an appearance as Norman Osborn's ghost! For those familiar with the Spider-Man comics, you all know how much of an influence Norman Osborn has had even after his Death. Which brings me to...
Sam Raimi. If I ever get a chance to meet him, I want to give him a hug. He is the best example of getting a director who knows the source material (are you listening Warner Brothers?). He knows that if you stay loyal to the story, the moviegoers will come.
Spider-Man 2 is now the third example of a comic book movie surpassing its original; the other two examples are Superman 2 and X2: X-Men United. It's also earning its honor of being called not only one of the best comic movies, but rather one of he best movies ever made!