Spiderman 2 (2004)

[Lack of a new story hurts this sequel]

Spider-Man 2 (2004)
IMDB- 7.5
Rottentomatoes- 93
RJG Rating- 40

Spiderman deals with the downsides of being a superhero as a new villain creates havoc.

Starring- Tobey Maguire,Kirsten Dunst,Alfred Molina,James Franco
Director- Sam Raimi

Spiderman 2 is the sequel of the blockbuster 2002 version .The movie unites Sam Raimi and the original cast.

Tobey has definitely improved in Spiderman 2 ,but hes still imperfect as Peter Parker.Kirsten Dunst plays the usual damsel in distress and doesnt bring much on board.James Franco has a larger role and he does his best in such a limited role.Alfred Molina as Doc Ock does a great job.He is able to portray perfectly the split personalities of Doc Ock.

The story for Spiderman 2 is its most weakest point.Watching this felt like deja vu.The story is just a more polished version of the first part.For example:Green Goblin had a split personality,Doc Ock too has dual minds.While Mary Jane is the sole victim in trouble in Part 1 ,Aunt May is the sole victim in the 2nd.Both are rescued and given a swing tour around NewYork by Spidey.While Aunt May is injured by Goblin in Part 1 ,Mary Jane is kidnapped by Doc in Part2.In both these instances ,Parker is the main catalyst.And the list goes on and on.

Another issue with the story is the lack of any development in Peter Parker's personality.Even after 2 years ,hes still the nerdy kid who is still extremely shy.In any other movie,this may be acceptable ,but hes Spiderman in this one !

The story needlessly brings certain issues that is plain silly.Spiderman losing his powers for no apparent reason,Doc Ock creating a 'sun' etc.These could have been good plot points ,but the reasons they give are too vague and are left unexplained.

A superhero uses an alter ego to protect his real life family & friends.Peter Parker doesnt understand this concept.Villains hurt him and his family ,because almost EVERYONE knows that Parker meets with Spiderman and thus in both movies ,Parker is punished for being connected with Spiderman.

As i mentioned in my previous review of Spiderman ,Sam Raimi maintained a very careful balance between fun & cheesiness in the first part ,but he unfortunately tips the scales in part 2.Plenty of scenes are cheesy and forgettable.

The action scenes are very much improved and exciting.The best one is definitely the train fight.The visual effects are utilized better and gives Spider-Man the cool factor that made him a hit in the comics.

On release ,Spiderman 2 was a big hit among the critics but fell short of its record breaking predecessor in terms of box office collection.

Overall ,fans of Spiderman will be pleased but if you are looking for a continuation to where Spiderman let off youll be disappointed.

Acting- 3/5
Story- 1/5
Direction- 2.5/5
Action- 5/5
Romance- 3/5
Drama- 2/5

Oscars
Nominated--2
Best Sound Mixing

Won--1
Best Visual Effects