Mind Blowing and Better Than The First

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2004)

I think one of the prime requisites in bringing to life a comic book action hero to the big screen is making him as believable as possible. We all want to relate to some part of this hero in our daily lives and when a movie accomplishes that, no matter how far out the situations might be, it succeeds. SPIDERMAN 2 succeeds in this by bringing more dramatic elements and a more carefully written story. Tobey Maguire is excellent as the confused teenager-cum-hero. He doesn't want to lose the love of his life (Mary Jane, played wonderfully by Kirsten Dunst) but at the same time he feels the obligation of fighting for justice, as means of honoring his late uncle Ben Parker (Cliff Robertson). SPIDERMAN 2's core is more about this repressed love than about chasing villains and saving the day. Even this movie's bad guy, Dr.Otto Octavious (played by Alfred Molina) is not as bad as he initially seems, but he eventually unleashes some over the top mayhem for good measure. You might even say this is a more "girly" sequel, but fear not: when the action hits the screen, is badder, wilder and more violent that the first movie. In one particular scene, Sam Raimi finally unleashes his true origins as a horror maestro, with camera angles, noises and film editing that will remind the gore hounds of the EVIL DEAD movies. For those of us that have known Raimi's previous work, the scene will be a joyride!
Opinions out there might be diverse: I'm sure some fans would've liked a sequel with 2 hours of non stop action, seeing Spiderman battling foes left and right. SPIDERMAN 2 delivers because it has a GOOD story and you are anxious to know what will the next scene be like. I had a blast watching SPIDERMAN 2 and would put this movie along with other great sequels such as THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, ALIENS and THE GODFATHER 2. Yep, it's THAT good! Can't wait for the DVD to come out! 10* out of 10*