"Spider-Man 2" not only succeeds in being one of the best comic book movies ever made, but it also succeeds in being one of the slickest and most entertaining films I have ever seen. From the direction of Sam Raimi, to the acting of Tobey Maguire, the character of "Spider-Man" now lies imprinted in the film medium, not just box office records.

"Spider-Man 2" begins with brilliantly designed credits: wonderful paintings recap the previous film. The story of Peter Parker (Maguire), a young nerd who is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains superpowers. How he struggled with not only a supervillain called the Green Goblin, but with a relationship with MJ (Kirsten Dunst), his crush. As you recall, Spidey 1 ended with the death of the Goblin, who was Peter's best friend Harry's (James Franco) father. The paintings are gorgeous, and remind us of the first film without shoving it down our throats. Danny Elfman's score booms, and I realize that I really LIKE this score (it seemed to be nothing special in part 1).

The film then opens on Peter, who is struggling to keep a job delivering pizza and is desperately attempting to avoid failing his college classes. His social life and friendships suffer: MJ wants to be with him, but he can't be with her because of his dual life as Spider-Man. Harry has become a bitter alcoholic who wants to see Spider-Man dead. Even his Aunt May is in trouble. She's going to lose her house. Just when things can't seem to get any worse, Peter's hero Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), is injured in a fusion experiment. The mechanical arms he has put onto his back to assist him in the experiment take over his mind, turning him into what the paper's name "Dr. Octopus," of just "Doc Ock." Oh yeah, and Peter's spider powers seem to be failing him.

For all of it's flaws, "Spider-Man" was a very entertaining film that kept me on the edge of my seat and warranted a DVD purchase. For the sequel, the filmmakers have outdone themselves, creating an adventure that is one of the best ever to appear in mainstream cinema. Every flaw has been corrected, thanks mainly to screenwriter Alvin Sargeant ("Ordinary People"), whose fantastic screenplay perfectly juggles characters and action. That leads to the first problem that has been corrected in this sequel:

1. Characters. The first "Spider-Man" valued characters over action, and while that was a good thing, it also proved the David Koepp (who wrote the screenplay for part 1) knew jack about relationships. Love situations often felt cheesily written and the characters, while likable, never felt real. In Sargeant's script, the characters struggle with more complex issues. Harry's desire for revenge, MJ's love for Peter, and Peter's desire for a life of his own. Sargeant also doesn't ignore supporting roles. Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and the slimy newspaper editor Jameson (JK Simmons) have plenty of screentime and make it their own. This leads to-

2. Acting. Each actor seems more comfortable in their roles, and it makes things all the better. Maguire truly is perfectly cast as Peter. In the first film, he seemed okay when playing Peter, but seemed uncomfortable when he put on the Spidey mask. By the sequel, Maguire has truly shaped up. He's made Peter even more complex and lovable, and he shows real bravery and strength of character as Spider-Man. Dunst seems to have improved overall as an actress, and Harris and Simmons work wonders with their supporting roles. The only slump in the cast is Franco, who, while still very good, isn't quite up to snuff as the rest of the cast is. Of course this wouldn't be a summer film without-

3. Visual effects. The first film had very good effects, but when compared to films like "Lord of the Rings," they faltered. Spidey seemed to have little weight as he swung around, and it looked a little cartoonish. Never fear, because the CGI here is "LOTR" quality. The effects look completely real, and Spidey now seems to have a relationship with gravity. There are several spectacular action scenes that show CGI at it's finest, including a bank robbery and a train fight sequence. The real shining jewel of the visual effects though, is-

4. Doc Ock. Dr. Otto Octavius has always been one of Spider-Man's most famous villains. A brilliant scientist with four mechanical tentacles, Ock has always been a tough match for Spidey. When Alfred Molina was cast in the role, the entire world asked "Who?" Well, they better be happy with the casting, because Molina turns Ock into one of the greatest villains in cinematic history. He goes from a sympathetic and likable guy, to a vicious monster, and Molina makes it all work. Molina, a nominee for many acting awards, has always been underlooked. This is his real chance to shine and he is marvelous. A complex villain like this is a refreshing change of pace after the "Power Ranger" like Goblin of the first one. Ock's tentacles are brought to life by a mixture of robotics, puppetry, and digital effects. It's entirely seamless, and the tentacles become a sort of character on their own. They are simply terrifying at times, and had the entire theatre screaming. The film also does a terrific job of setting up two villains for future films.

All of these attributes and be traced back to one man: director Sam Raimi. Early in his career, Raimi directed "The Evil Dead" and other low-budget (but high quality) films. This may make him look like an odd choice to direct the "Spider-Man" films, but an admitted love of comics, and a past full of films that taught him how to use money wisely and effectively make him perfect for it. Raimi also infuses some nice bits into the film, including a "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" homage to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and a gruesome surgery sequence that has obvious roots in "The Evil Dead." Also look for some hilarious cameos from Hal Sparks and Raimi regular Bruce Campbell (who also had a cameo in the first one). Also, there's the mandatory Stan Lee cameo.

2004 is looking to be the year of sequels that surpass their predecessors. First "Shrek 2" and now this. The trend used to be that sequels always stank, but things are changing. The sequel, everyone seems to be noticing, can be more of the story, not just another paycheck.

© Written by Jacob Hall

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - C Richard Propes - B+ Jacob Hall - A-

TC Candler's Comment

n/a

Richard Propes' Comment

I have a weird dilemma with Spiderman-2. I enjoyed the film considerably more than the original, largely due to the incredibly stronger performance by Alfred Molina as Doc Ock over Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and the significantly improved performance by Kirsten Dunst as MJ. Yet, every time I think of the film's rating I have to keep it at a B+. For me, this simply isn't an "A" range film, and while I enjoyed it more than the original I simply can't take the original below a B+. So, I suppose I'd have to say I enjoyed this film more than the original but consider them both to be excellent, significantly above average films.