Wow. Just wow.

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2005)

I'm a comic book fan and film buff. Have been for years. But I NEVER rushed out to see this movie in the theatre. In fact, I waited until I could watch it on DVD. Why? Mostly because the first movie, while good, didn't really strike me as 'great'. But there I was on my day off; no wife, no talk-during-the-movie friends, and most importantly, no audience to prompt me to laugh or groan or when to say 'whoa'... and I was whoaing. A lot.
Picking up where the first movie left off, this is undoubtedly one of the greatest superhero movies ever, even surpassing the first. But despite being a great comic book movie, it is SO much more... it is a great 'FILM', comic book or otherwise. Good character development and interaction, perfect integration between live action and CG, a beautifully developed bad guy, strong performances, great cinematography and visuals, pathos and even an ending, that while leaving it open to sequels, DOESN'T make you feel cheated in the end!
I truly believe that ANYONE could watch this movie and enjoy it. Incredibly-choreographed fight scenes, an involving, realistic story, romance and a sprinkling of comedy are all balanced together nicely in an unbelievable movie. And now that you've read all this you're gonna be disappointed, right? Let me leave you with the same thought process that I had when I sat down to watch it: just remind yourself of everything that happened in the first movie and think, "Sure, anybody with superpowers has it easy, right?" 10 out of 10.