How a film from 2004 has become my all time favourite comic book movie in 2017

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2017)

I might had seen Spider-Man 2 (or parts of it) many-many years ago, but I couldn't clearly remember, and since I heard so many people praise this movie recently, I finally decided to check it out. And I'm so happy I did, because this movie is great!
First of all, it's masterfully written and directed. The characters are well fleshed out, the story is engaging and emotional, the camera- work is fantastic, and there's a lot of humour in it.
The performances (Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina) are all solid, but if I had to pick my favourite character from the movie, it would be J. Jonah Jameson played by J.K. Simmons. He shines throughout the film, his lines and the way he delivers them are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and he looks as if he jumped right out of the comics. Which, by the way, can be said about the whole movie. Spider-Man 2 is unapologetic about being a comic book adaptation, it doesn't try to be overly realistic, you can tell, Sam Raimi had fun making it.
Spider-Man 2, for me, is a breath of fresh air in the superhero genre, because it puts the emphasis on the people, their relationships, their character development, and it's not just a fun comic book flick, but a great film with genuine humour, heartfelt drama and a couple of spectacular action sequences (watch out for the train scene!). There are several subplots (Peter's relationship with MJ, his friendship with Harry, his relationship with Aunt May, the story of Doctor Octopus), but the movie handles all of them in a way that it doesn't feel bloated, and by the end they're all resolved in a very satisfying way.