Movie Review: Spider Man 2 (2004)

It was the end of my shift and I still have'nt made up my mind. There was a very strong typhoon going on outside at Signal No. 1 and the wind was blowing skirts up everywhere. After a few minutes of pondering over a cup of lukewarm company paid chocolate , I decided..I'm gonna go. I hate lining up for a movie. I hate it when it gets noisy in the theater. And I ABSOLUTELY hate noisy KIDS running around in the theater. But alas, my desire got the better of my sense of comfort. I'm going to see SPIDERMAN 2.
I had my reservations at first. The first one was good, but not spectacular. I saw it in Angeles City when I was still a tutor along with my brother and some friends on premier night. My expectations were that this would be a clone of what Superman 2 was. You know, when Superman got fed up of being Superhuman and not being able to be with the love of his life, therefore sacrificing his powers. You know what THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I GOT!
However, as I recall, I lLOVED Superman 2. Although SPIDERMAN 2 recycled an old formula, it was a tried and tested formula nonetheless. It works...for superheroes, at least.
Sam Raimi's treatment of the new Spiderman movies concentrates more on the personality of Peter Parker. It doesn't take a lot to figure Spiderman out. He swoops in whenever there's trouble, saves the girl, boy, puppy whatever the case may be. Puts him down on a street or a park, says a lame joke and takes off. Peter Parker is a more complicated character. Conflicted by the his dead end job, his schooling and of course the love of his life Mary Jane and his "responsibility" as vigilante savior to the people of New York, Peter Parker lives a dual life that's taking him closer to the edge. He comes to a point where he doen't know who he is anymore, you know kind of like how we are sometimes.
Alfred Molina is the perfect Dr. Octopus. It seems like Spidey has a penchant for schizos for enemies. The way Henry Osborn as conflicted Gollum- wise was similar to how Dr. Octavius was controlled by his AI mechanical arms. Funny he never got any superpowers but was able to resist large chunks of brick and concrete without bleeding. Hmmm, just an observation.
The real gem here was the human storey of Peter Parker and his struggles to live a normal life. Although, we know know what he chooses in the end.
All in all SPIDERMAN 2 is a great summer movie fit for a good night out. It was definitely better than the first.

Rocketboy's Review: **** (4 out of 5)