Too Much Talk, Not Enough Action

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 2004)

Spider-man is the best character in the Marvel universe and this is so on-screen as well as in the comic pages. Still, I was a bit let down by this movie. I'm in the minority among critics and fans, but I don't think this was as good as the first. It didn't contain the perfect blend of human drama and action that made the first one such a gem. I agree with many of the points others made about what made this a strong film. The characters are nicely developed. Doc Oc is pretty complex. Jaimeson is funny as hell.
Still, there was too much sappy love drama and not enough action. The Mary Jane/Peter Parker love story helps add character texture to a genre where too little of it is found, but its not central to the story. It should be a subplot to help explain Peter's inner conflict over the duel life he leads, but it shouldn't overshadow the main conflict with the villain as it did. The first movie is superior because it focuses first on Spidey's emergence, then shifts focus to Spidey's conflict with the Green Goblin. This movie is too slow in getting started and the climax left me unsatisfied. The whole plot line with Spidey losing his powers is the reason for this, but it was poorly explained and poorly resolved.
Don't get me wrong...there were a lot of good points about the movie. Doc Oc was well-acted and nicely visualized. There was comedy and drama and the scene with Spidey body-surfing through the crowd was touching. Still, at the end of the day, Spider-man is a super hero and we like to watch the heroes fight the bad guys. There just wasn't enough of that in this one. When we get to the third installment, can we please have less soap opera and more action? No, don't dumb it down, just give it a little more oomph!