There's a part of me that wants to like this movie more than I do.

_Spiderman 2_ is a film that improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, which is good, since that fist film has its fair share of flaws.
Sam Raimi's direction is much tighter, resulting in a film with better pacing. Moreover, this film has some praiseworthy, iconic action set pieces (e.g. the train scene and the bank robbery) that are still remembered nowadays.

As for the acting, I always thought that Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst were pretty bland in the first one, and that their chemistry doesn't work. That still remains the same here. On the other hand, J.K. Simmons and Alfred Molina are amazing, and both their characters have some awesome moments that have been used as memes ever since (once again: iconic is the right label).

The biggest problem of this entire trilogy is still the tone. I am fine with a good amount of cheese, as long as it isn't dumb or non-sensical. Moments like these are scattered throughout the film, and are incredibly bothersome. When Spider-man yelled "I'm back" while jumping from one rooftop to another without having his powers, and as a result fell down, I literally shook my head. Furthermore, I feel like there needed to be a clearer definition of the vulnerability of the hero, as he is smacked by various deadly objects without being damaged.

What ultimately saves this film are the emotional moments. This film goes deeper with its characters, and has some good emotional beats, which is makes it stand out in the 'bigger is better' field of sequels. It's not the perfect film some make it out to be (and I think I would've been kinder to it if I saw it when it came out), but it's one of those rare sequels that's actually better than the first.

5.5/10