A great sequel that stands on its own

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2004)

"Spider-Man 2" is a great, fun movie. The special effects are some of the best I've seen. I was especially glad to see that the effects of Spider-Man webbing his way around the city looked a lot less CGI-ish than in the first. When the action is going, then this movie is hard to beat in terms of pure fun. I also liked the bits of comic relief. The elevator scene with Spider-Man is great, but J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson steals the show. I laughed at just about every one of his lines. He is perfectly cast. But I have a few complaints that keep me from giving "Spider-Man 2" a perfect score:
*Kirsten Dunst can't act. Well, if she can, then she sure didn't show it in this movie. She showed NO EMOTION whatsoever, and she and Tobey Maguire demonstrated NO CHEMISTRY at all. Whenever she'd spew out a "Go get 'em, Tiger" line, my eyes started rolling like a slot machine. I honestly couldn't have cared less if they got together.
*There are too many close-ups of Maguire and Dunst. Personally, I don't think Dunst (Skeletor, as I like to call her) is attractive. You may call this shallow, but if they insist on showing extreme close-ups of actors, then I'd like to not be repulsed.
*I thought Molina's PORTRAYAL of Dr. Octopus was very good, and I really like the character. Unfortunately, every time I saw Molina with his shirt off I burst out laughing. Couldn't he have gotten in at least a little shape? Seeing Dr. Octopus' man boobs flapping around isn't very intimidating. I laughed especially hard when he was walking around in his wife beater and white pants. What was THAT?? Doc Ock was cooler than the Green Goblin, but Willem Dafoe had a better look than Molina.
*James Franco (as Harry Osborne) was underused. He's the best actor in this movie, and you know what, he actually SHOWED SOME EMOTION! Personally, I would've preferred Franco as Spider-Man (I know Stephanie agrees, believe me), but I guess Peter Parker is supposed to be a bit of a dweeb, and well, Maguire definitely fits that part. But Franco should've been given more to do. Hopefully he'll have a bigger role in the next one, and I'll pray that Dunst gets lost in the shuffle. Don't get me wrong; "Spider-Man 2" is a fast-paced, entertaining movie that I'd recommend to everybody. Not only will I add it to my DVD collection one day, but I also wouldn't mind seeing it at the theater again. But let's lighten up on the Maquire/Dunst close-ups, give Franco more to do, and please, somebody find Alfred Molina a stinkin' shirt!
Rating: 4 (out of 5)