Spidey's secret identity is............

Rating: 9/10 (8 July 2004)

Sam Raimi is a very good director. He has that certain knack for combining elements seamlessly. In this movie he combines the comic, with the absurd, and them jumps straight back into the serious, without missing a beat yet keeping the audience in the scene. He has managed to capture the various elements of comic books and its heroes and villains, as best as they can be portrayed in the film medium.
Spider-Man 2 follows the exploits of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. The exhilaration and frustration that comes with that. Also the repercussions of his super-hero persona on his personal life. Peter Parker is not happy, yet handcuffed by his Spider-Man persona. Raimi portrays all elements of Peter Parker's life, no matter how unheroic and ordinary they may be. The action does not detract from the love story, nor from the comedy and the dramatic elements are enhanced by the conflicts. A major reason why it works is the inclusion of a super villain gone bad through circumstance rather than malice, as the counter balance. or mirroring for Peter/Spidey. It could have easily been Peter in the role. Now segue into the black outfit story arc and the next movie.
As with most comic based movies and movies in general, there were some drawbacks to this movie. The element that threw me for a loop was the revelation of Peter Parker as Spider-Man to a train load of commuters, to Doc Oc, Osbourne, Mary Jane and anyone who has every stared onto the rooftops of any New York building. It seemed to ruin the idea of the anonymous hero. The Messianic theme didn't work for Singer's Superman and it certainly has no place here, with Spider-Man. Also, the Mary Jane character is a distressed female mostly, waiting to be rescued. She is much more than that in the comics. Also, there is no elevated train in the middle of midtown New York (nice "seamless" transition into Chicago).
Sam Raimi has definitely included various elements from his indie film making days. The inclusion of Bruce Campbell and Sam's brother (Ted; whom you may remember as the incomparable Joxer and Lt. Tim O'Neill) is the proverbial cherry on the cake and a Raimi staple. Stan Lee returns in cameo fashion. Also, the horror movie female shriek is quite comical. It shows Raimi paying homage to the golden age of comics (too numerous to mention throughout). It is like the bank that has sacks of gold coins in the vault. Don't concentrator on it, or you will lose all the heavenly glory. Feel.
One of the best comic book/themed movies. A must see. Joel says we should watch the Soup.