Dirk V
Reviewer

      I have always been a fan of comic book movies. However, outside of comic book fanatics, these films have not always done well with a general viewing audience. For every successful film like “Batman”, “Superman” and “X-Men”, there are critical and box office duds like “The Punisher”, “Daredevil” and “Captain America.”
 
      “Spider-Man 2” takes a giant step beyond all of these previous comic book adaptations. Not only is it entertaining, it is well written, well acted, well directed and appealing to anyone who sees it.
 
      The story picks up a short time after the conclusion of the previous film. It finds Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggling in school, at work and at love. His duties as Spider-Man are causing him to miss classes, miss pizza deliveries and miss dates with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). While attempting to deal with his personal problems, Parker also begins to lose the abilities that make him Spider-Man. Faced with all of these troubles, Parker decides to give up his life as Spider-Man and become a normal human again, until he is desperately needed to avert a disaster.
 
      The film focuses more on the personal problems of Parker instead of following his superhero exploits. It gives an introspective look into a character that is sacrificing so much of himself to save others. This gives the film a more endearing quality than just another blockbuster thrill-ride.
 
      Sam Raimi’s direction in this film is superb. Raimi blends the scenes of action and drama perfectly. He also weaves in a few B-movie moments for comedic relief. He manages to do this without taking away from the plot or making the film seem campy. Under Raimi’s direction “Spider-Man 2” flows flawlessly from beginning to end.
 
     Raimi also benefits from fine acting in his film. Maguire once again delivers a great performance as Parker. He manages to convey the insecurities and doubt Parker feels without making it look overdone. His lines are delivered with perfect timing to give each scene he is in added emphasis. Dunst’s performance of Mary Jane is good, but she never gets the chance to dive into her character. Other than a few emotional scenes with Maguire, in which she is great, her character is missing for most of the movie.
 
     Alfred Molina plays the main villain, Otto Octavius—a brilliant scientist who is left with four metallic arms after an experiment goes awry. Corrupted by the arms, “Doc Ock” goes on a rampage to find funding to complete his failed experiment. Molina brings a gentle touch of humanity to a character that has lost contact with his true self. You begin to feel sorry for him and all the tragedy he has brought upon himself and upon others. At the end of the film, however, his character does take a step toward redemption.
 
     The last film to look at the inner mind of the superhero was Ang Lee’s “Hulk.” This film, which I still enjoy, failed to reach a balance between drama and action that appealed to a wide audience. Raimi is able to achieve a perfect blend of action and introspection better than Lee’s “Hulk.” “Spider-Man 2” is a great film and is worth its ticket price.