Strong Character Empathy (might have one VAGUE spoiler)

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2004)

I loved this movie. It is one of about three movies (other includes Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back) that made me literally feel what the character on-screen was feeling. The scary thing about this is that for more than half the time, that character was male, and I'm female. It was raw emotion, combined with identification/empathy that did this. The score, coupled with beautifully shot and edited visuals, also added to the experience. I most recently saw the movie 5 days ago and I STILL can't get "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" out of my head.
I found the villain (Doc Ock) to be less shiver-down-the-spine scary and more, well, likable, if that is possible for an evil guy. Actually, I found the Spidey/ Doc Ock conflict to be similar to the final conflict between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. It had the same themes of redemption and the father ish)/ son(ish) and "you were right" aspect.
Overall, I thought the movie fit together pretty much perfectly.
My advice to any of you with questions/ doubts about the movie: read the novelization. It contains additional scenes, including one where Dr. Connors mentions his lizard research, and might clarify some points brought up in other user comments.
E.g. the reactor had to be built over water because the fusion reaction drew energy from the water tank/river below it. Look closely in the OsCorp lab scene, and you'll see that the reactor's built over a pool of water.