Wonderful Sequel and Great Comic Book Film

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2004)

Spider-Man 2 is a creative comic book film that is stronger than the original and better than other pictures of the genre like Superman and Batman. What pleased me about the first Spider-Man film in 2002 was an emphasis on character relationships and exploration into the psychology of Peter Parker. The sequel successfully expands on this and Parker becomes even more interesting and fascinating as he simultaneously struggles through a life of crime fighting and as a normal kid suffering with school and jobs. However, it is more complicated than that as Peter Parker becomes a real person who does not know who he is, what he wants to do with his life, and what his life means; and Parker represents that common experience every person must face as they get older. Even as Spider-Man/Peter Parker wears that outrageous costume and swings from building to building which may be silly, underneath that character is a realistic person and one more serious than Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent.
Spider-Man 2 is a well written film and creativity seems to have gone up with sequels like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and now Spider-Man, but what makes the Spider-Man movies better films than other comic book pictures like Batman is that they are deeper and more serious examinations into the real world and unlike Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, Peter Parker is easy to relate to. The Batman films seemed cold with villains who were both depressing and goofy, and despite the Superman movies being good they are corny compared to todays Hollywood films like Spider-Man and Lord of the Rings. The Spider- Man films have more heart, are warmer tales, have villains one can also understand and root for in addition to their hero, plus a strong and attractive female lead to provide us with a memorable love story; I never thought Margot Kidder as Lois Lane was cute and Batman's love relationships seemed sleazy and cold. Spider-Man 2 is the best film in the genre of comic book pictures, and I have high hopes for Spider-Man 3 which should explore Peter Parker as a husband and father but who knows what that film will be about. **** (out of 4 stars)