Definitely an improvement

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2004)

I saw Spiderman (SP) (the first one) on my way back from China. Although I had a video screen in front of me (the plane was a 777 of United, if anyone cares), I really didn't find the movie too appealing, and surely did not believe so many people could flock to see it the first time around.
Now enter SP2. Maybe I felt strongly about the movie because I haven't seen a movie in the theater since "The Return of the King," or maybe it's because it's summer and people get more emotional when it's hot out. Either way, it blew me away.
Tobey Maguire deserves a thumbs-up and much applause for making SP into a more believable, human-like character. No more "I can do anything" charisma; Tobey (Peter and SP, too) has become a human. He is down to earth, feels others' emotions, and conveys his own sentiments extremely well. *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Several parts of the movie were touching to me -- knowing someone who loses something is heartbreaking, and Tobey conveys those emotions well.
*comments continued*
The movie rolls along quite well and has few if any slow spots. Although not every scene is completely believable and some CG graphics are visible, again, the believability of the movie is much better compared to its predecessor.
On the IMDb scale, I give the movie a 9; on a "four-star" scale, four stars goes to it. Well worth it and definitely deserving of a higher-box office finish than the original.