Spiderman 2 is an amazing movie. Not great for an action movie, not great for a summer/scifi/comic book movie- It's simply great on its own terms, transcending genres and labels. Spiderman 2 is only superficially about a guy with superpowers; it's more about a troubled guy trying to come to terms with his destiny & livie up to his responsibility without losing himself. It's about love, loss, duty and self sacrifice much more than it's about special effects or action. And it's about facing up to your fears and doing what's right.
If you'd normally pass on a film like this because it's a superhero film, I'd urge you to reconsider. It's a well writtin and moving story about the power of redemption and the human spirit just as much as anything Jane Fonda or Meryl Streep would bore you in. I liked the original, but this one's head & shoulders above the first film, much better in every respect. Even the effects are vastly better, even though they honestly don't drive the film.
It's probably the first 4 Star/ 10 of 10 I've seen yet this summer, and one of the best movies I've seen since LotR: RotK. I'd go so far as to call it classic. To the 5 people in North America who haven seen it, DON' MISS IT!
