Spider-Man 2

A young man (Tobey Maguire) grapples with the responsibilities of being a masked hero while battling a crazed scientist (Alfred Molina).

If there was any doubt that Sam Raimi was an excellent choice to bring Spider-Man to the big screen, Spider-Man 2 puts it to rest.

Eschewing the multiple-villain tradition of recent super-hero sequels, Spider-Man 2 instead relies on the same character driven formula that made the first film work so well. While the story here isn’t as strong as the first movie’s (Spidey’s origin has always been his strongest story), it still delivers. The effects are also cranked up this time around and will leave your chin on the floor on more than on occasion.

This is not to say Spider-Man 2 is perfect. aimi insists on cramming in as many shots of screaming women in as possible, and some dialog sounds a bit forced, but these are minor squabbles and won’t detract from what is otherwise an excellent movie.