SPIDER-MAN 2

spider-man 2 kicks ass - simple as that. whilst the directing and atmosphere of the overall film is different from the first (and doc oc is crazily animated compared to green goblin), i find it hard to say whcih of the two films is better. the first film had a more epic feel to it with exposition, character development, and history.. the second picks up from these issues and builds on them further, highlighting the events that stem from the histories established in the first spider-man film.

but back to spidey 2. all the original cast are back, including appearances by "unlce ben" and "mr. osborne", both of whom died in the first film. the character of dr. octopus was done really well, not that i nkow anything of the character from the comics since i wasn't a spider-man comic fan. i forget the actor's name who played the part, but he did a brillant job of being both benign and friendly, or meniacle and insane.

again, the writers produced a solid story full of emotion, humor, and despair. tobey maguire returns as peter parker and again does an awesome job at being the guy who is torn between the life he wants, and the life he was given. in the sequel, parker choses to ignore his responsibilities and lead an ordiary life and persue he love for mary jane.
his super-hero free life however doesn't turn out as he would like and he realises that he is destined "for great things" and put on the suit once again. but pete faces more problems when his best friend, harry osborne, is bent on revenge against spider-man believing that he killed his father. needless to say, things get complicated when spider-man turns out to be his best friend.

special effects wise, the film didn't depart from the first film's comic-ish type of animation - fast, colourful, and using fluid camera work. the highlights though would be the fight scenes (yes, there is more than one!) between spidey and doc oc as the tentacles prove to be a character of thier own. but the special effects aren't what make the film great; sure they help out a little, but the authenticity of the characters and thier feelings is what really makes the film engrossing and the characters believable.

of course, my rating of the film of 4/5 is biased because i'm a huge fan of the spider-man films, but i don't think you'd need much convicing to go out and see it for yourself.

and for any of you who have seen "evil dead" (specifically, part 2 as i haven't seen 1 or 3), you'll appreciate the references made by raimi in spider-man 2. it's bloody hilarious.

nutshell: awesome, 4/5.