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Spider-Man 2 begins with a colorful cinematic montage showing a Spider-Man comic-book. However instead of seeing random images of Spider-Man, we are shown crucial scenes from the fist movie which provides the viewer a recap of what happened in Spider-Man 1. Now knowing where we left off, we jump to the present and see that Peter Parker’s personal life has suffered greatly since he has become Spider-Man. He’s doing lousy in school, can’t keep his job as a pizza delivery boy, and generally disappoints everyone around him including Mary Jane all because he’s too busy fighting crime as Spider-Man. Then his web-spinning ability begins to give out and Peter decides to call it quits to his days of being a superhero. Meanwhile, a horrible accident occurs during one of Dr. Otto Octavius’ experiments turning him into a bionic 6-armed freak that, in turn, begins to terrorize the city. Is this the end of Spider-Man? Or will he come out of retirement to take on this evil menace? I’m afraid you’re going to have to see the movie to find out!

It looks like the entire cast of Spider-Man 1 is back for the sequel including Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, James Franco as Harry Osborn and even Tobey Maguire despite his reported back problems. Although I was doubtful about the casting choices when the first movie came out, with Spider-Man 2 you can see that the actors have fit quite comfortably into their respective roles. Tobey’s skill of transforming from a geek into a superhero is needed once again as the story constantly goes back and forth between the pitiful life of Peter Parker and the amazing adventures of Spider-Man. A few comedic elements are also added to this movie. J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) is funnier then ever, Bruce Campbell has a small yet memorable role as a snooty usher, and an Asian girl that plays the violin while singing the Spider-Man theme song in a high pitch voice has been added for comedic effect.

In today’s movies there is either the use of effects or the overuse of effects. For some odd reason some movie studious and directors have decided you don’t need to have a good story or create interesting characters as long as you have wall-to-wall effects. Thankfully, director Sam Raimi did not go that route and masterfully balances the story and action sequences in this movie. As would be expected the CGI and special effects are more polished and elaborate than in the first movie, however they are still not up to par to that of Peter Jackson or even Steven Spielberg movies, who are able to seamlessly combine CGI with regular movie footage. Nevertheless, moviegoers will enjoy the many battles between Spider Man and Doc Ock, especially the subway sequence where the hero and villain have to fight on top of a moving train.

This is the summer blockbuster that we’ve been all waiting for. Yes, Spider-Man 2 is finally in theaters and everyone is dying to see it. So, does Spider-Man 2 live up to all the hype? I would have to say yes! This movie has a good balance of story and special effects. Although some viewers may find the movie a bit sappy for an action flick, director Sam Raimi has stayed true to the comic books by letting the story, instead of the action, lead the movie. While most superhero films make the mistake of just concentrating on a hero’s superpowers, Raimi gives us the person behind the costume. So make sure to check out Spider-Man 2 this summer and then we wait for number 3.