Sequel, Shmequel. This one tops the first in every area.

Rating: 10/10 (15 August 2004)

Sequels. Who needs them? Who wants them? I hate them, most of the time. Most of the time, the sequel ruins what made the first one so great. Take the Superman movies. First one, GREAT! After that, it was all down hill. Batman is another perfect example. The change in actors playing Batman/Bruce Wayne, along with the slide into fantasy instead of realism ruined the Dark Realism of the first two. Along comes Spiderman. It had a top notch story, top notch actors, and top notch plot. Although the Green Goblin costume looked too much like a kid's Halloween costume and Willem Dafoe's dialogue was a bit over the top. Okay, that's an understatement, it was way over the top. The visuals of the first were mediocre at best, to the point where you could tell what was real and fake. Still, I wondered, how could they top it? It was still superb for a comic movie. Then I see the teaser for Spiderman 2....Made me feel all tingly inside. Then the trailer. I must say, I was salivating at the mouth. Then it came. I couldn't get any better than the midnight showing of the premiere! On the Edge of my seat before the movie even began. I know, I know. I am such a dork. The intro was great. I loved the Alex Ross drawings portraying some of the important plot points of the first movie, to remind us of how Spiderman came to be.
From beginning to end, this movie had me laughing, crying, cheering, and just about any other emotion you could think of. The story was amazing. For those of you who think it was a rehash of the first stories theme, yes it was, and no it wasn't. First of all, yes it was about great responsibility coming with great power, but it is also so much more. It's about being able to balance his responsibility with his life. To borrow a Christian theme, it's about serving two masters. Either God or Money, and the struggle to decide which of the two to serve. Of course, the best part of the movie is in it's heart. The action is great, but it's the vulnerable parts that really shine, like the scene where Peter reveals a secret long kept hidden to Aunt May. The writers were so much more confident in their abilities when it came to the script dialogue, and except for one instance, everything flows perfectly. The only part that feels forced into the movie is Aunt May's speech about Heroes. The acting was so much better this time around too. You really feel the struggle going on inside of Peter Parker/Tobey Maguire, and I still can't think of anybody who could play the part better. He really makes you see the struggle, the pain going on inside, and he's more sure of his ability as an actor. Kristen Dunst plays the beautiful Mary Jane like no other, still making us love her even more, and ends the movie perfectly with one statement. You can't find a better Doc Ock either. Alfred Molina really brought substance to the part, and since their is no mask to hide behind, you can see the struggle between good and evil within his face. Though, a couple of the bits of dialogue were a bit overacted. The visuals are ten times better than those in the first. Doc Ock's arms move so realistically that you'd never believe they were real puppets and not CG. Spiderman looks even more realistic than ever. His motion is so much more fluid than the in the first movie and he doesn't look all rubbery. Sam Raimi, I tip my hat off to you for perfecting Spiderman. I had my worries about you when the first one hit, but you've got my confidence that you can do it, and do it right. I have only one question for you. How can you top this one? This movie is one of those movies that everybody can enjoy and for those who don't agree with me, here's webbing in your face.