Super hero, lover, Pizza Guy!

Tobey Maguire stars as Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, in this clever, thrilling, and sometimes poignant blockbuster, sure to please all ages. Peter is something of a lost soul, living in a dump, forever in debt, habitually late to class, and losing jobs quicker than you can say, "Pizza Time!" - all the while moonlighting as New York City's greatest crime fighting hero. He's also hopelessly in love with actress Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), but unable to tell her due to his Spider-Man responsibilities and the fact that he's the shyest and most naive young man ever. Enter Dr. Octavious (Alfred Molina), a scientist who has discovered a new and very dangerous form of energy - which goes horribly wrong and changes him into an evil monster, complete with four super-strong metal arms. He conspires with the late Green Goblin's son (James Franco) to kidnap Mary Jane and destroy Spider-Man!

Tobey Maguire gives Spider-Man a very real, EveryGuy face; an average-Joe who doesn't have all the answers (except when he's wearing that red and blue suit), but does have lots of problems and insecurities. Maguire, with his puppy dog face and endearing lisp, is the boy you'd like to take you to the prom (or adopt, depending on your age). Tobey's performance is just adorable and there are many heart-tugging moments as he wrestles with his decision to give up being Spider-Man and just be a regular fella. Kirsten Dunst is suitably wholesome and perky as his love-interest, and Alfred Molina is just right as the creepy and campy arch villain. The special effects are first-class and the whole movie is a feast for the eyes.

I really enjoyed Spider-Man 2; its got enough oh-wow! action and enough ahhhh! sweetness to delight fans of both action and romance. The eye-popping scenes of Spidey sailing through Manhattan's skyscrapers (always accompanied by spectacular car crashes!) are great fun; I heartily recommend Spider-Man 2 for family-friendly thrills.

Best Marvel Superhero Film, period

In Spider-Man 2 director Sam Raimi and his talented team of writers, including distinguished novelist Michael Chabon, have crafted what is the finest film I have seen based on a Marvel Comics superhero. There's more impressive chases and fights between the hero and villain in "Spider-Man 2" than I have seen, for example, in the "X-Men" films. However, the film works best at the emotional - indeed humane - level, in which we see both the villain, Doc Ock, Doctor Otto Octavius (brilliantly performed by Alfred Molina) and the hero, Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) wrestle with their consciences. Indeed Spider-Man must make a difficult decision; whether to use his unique gifts to protect his fellow citizens or lose them to gain finally the trust and love of his long-time friend Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). He must also contend unexpectedly with his friendship with the son of Harry Osborn aka the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) unraveling, setting up the plot of what undoubtedly will be the third film in the series. Raimi has done such an excellent job in raising the stakes in the second film, which is literally a major improvement over the first, that it may be a difficult challenge for him to meet. Aside from Molina, Maguire and Durst, Rosemary Harris gives yet another splendid performance as Peter's aunt. Composer Danny Elfman's score may be his most brooding ever, equal to his excellent film score for the first Batman film. Not only is this the best film of 2004 in the action-adventure genre, it may be among the finest in recent memory.

Big Let Down

I anxiously awaited the release of Spiderman 2. I didn't see it at the theatre. I knew I would buy it when it came out, since I liked Spiderman 1. I expected it to be good. Well, it wasn't. It lacked the "larger than life" comic book feel. The acting was bad. The script was weak. The special effects were not very special at all. There was very little of the quirky humor, which I enjoyed in the first Spiderman. I felt as if Toby McGuire was just fulfilling his contract, to do the second Spiderman. I expected more. It was a big let down. I bought it on Tuesday, the day it came out and traded it in at a local game/video store on Wednesday.