Movie Review: Spider-Man 2

OK, I've seen Spider-Man 2 opening night yesterday.

All I can say is this: If the first one was amazing, the second one is spectacular.

This sequel went the way that X2 did, in the fact that it improved on the original. And it improved on it in ways that I didn't think possible.

It's rare that a comic book movie can deliver action, drama, good character interaction and depth all at the same time. It's rarer still to do that again, and in a sequel of all things. That's what this film did.

Once again, Tobey Maguire hit it out of the park with his portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. This time, he not only handled playing his heroic alter-ego, but also in dealing with it. More so in this film, he made Parker feel like a real life guy, not just a character drawn up in the comics over forty years ago. Kirsten Dunst did a good job as Mary Jane, this time not just being the damsel in distress, but also standing on her own two feet. The scenes both actors did together in the movie showed that the chemistry hasn't left since the original film.

As opposed to the first film, where the Green Goblin was OK, but not a dynamic villian, Alfred Molina, as Doctor Octopus, was very good. We got to see both sides of his character, before he became Spidey's nemesis and afterwards, and he handled it quite well. The scene in the hospital where he awakens after having the tenacles fused to his spine was one of the most violent scenes I've seen for a comic book film. And he had some good one liners and interaction with Parker/Spider-Man.

The action sequences were incredible, with the two duking it out aboard a speeding train topping the list. It was one of those scenes that I wished lasted longer than it did. And even though I have my beef about CGI, this film came as close as it did to really showing how good CGI effects can look in a movie. I especially liked how the camera swayed back and forth as Spidey swung over New York, almost giving the effect that you were seeing it thru his eyes. That was a definite improvement from the first film.

What made the second film better than the first? More humor. I was really surprised with the balance of laughs along with the drama and pathos of the movie. Every scene that had J. Jonah Jamison in it was a laugh riot. And I do mean every scene he was in. And, one scene involved Parker leaping from the roof and landing hard to the ground was hilarious, especially if you know the story about how Maguire almost had to pull out of shooting because of a chronic back ailment.

And they were a few surprises thrown in as well, especially involving Peter's friend Harry Osborn. I won't give it away, but you can definitely see a set-up for the third movie (which is supposed to be out in May 2007).

I hand it to director Sam Raimi for putting it all together again, after what he did with the first film. I read that he had more freedom with this effort as compared with the first. He again knows how to make a comic book film right.

So, all in all, I would call Spider-Man 2 the best film I've seen this year, slightly below Kill Bill Volume 2. And I'd rank it up there as the best superhero sequel I've seen (topping X2) Can't wait to see what they'll do in another three years to top this one.