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Who can walk and chew gum … throw a taxi cab, smash a window, pour a drink, and pat you on the back, all at the same time?

That would be Otto Octavius—or "Doc Ock," as he's best known to Spider-man fans. He's the multi-limbed scientist whose malevolent, metallic appendages override his better instincts in Spider-Man 2, Sam Raimi's exhilarating, super-sized superhero sequel. Alfred Molina storms onto the screen and becomes the most formidable supervillain we've yet seen in a comic-book movie. Many Marvel fans will agree that this is the greatest comic book movie ever made, and one of the many things Raimi gets right is casting Molina in this role.

But Spider-Man 2 has more than just a villain. It's the best film of Raimi's career, full of renzied comedy-packed action. (Note to parents: It's an extremely violent movie in a way that only comic-book movies can be.) But more surprisingly, this is also his most emotional film. Perhaps more impressive is the moral backbone of the Spider-Man story. Octavius becomes a striking metaphor for the way that power corrupts—and for the dilemma of weapons of mass destruction.

Peter Parker faces some truly challenging choices in this film, as he ponders the burden of responsibility, and how his true calling may require him to sacrifice his own personal desires. In a society saturated with movies that tell us the most important ethic is to "follow your dreams," the Spider-Man franchise offers an admirable alternative: There is something more important, something bigger, than you and I—and in order to overcome evil with good, we will have to turn away from our personal preferences and lay down our lives for others. Hard to believe such heavy stuff can come from the comic books. But isn't that really why this particular character has remained so popular for so long?

My full review is at Looking Closer.

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) turns in a tarantula-sized rave: "At last! At last! This is what a Spider-Man movie should be—freewheeling, rip-roaring, hilarious, heartfelt, over the top. Spider-Man 2 just might be the single greatest super-hero movie ever; it is unquestionably the wildest, most joyous, flat-out comic-bookiest comic-book of all time. Nothing in the original prepared me for the sheer energy, creativity, wit, and daring of this sequel. Spider-Man 2 left me bursting with excitement like no super-hero movie since I first saw Superman II in theaters—and I wasn't yet in high school then."

At Christianity Today Movies, Russ Breimeier gushes, "Kudos to director Sam Raimi for making a film that is entertaining from practically every angle. It's also a very touching and dramatic film, and I think most will also be surprised at how genuinely funny it is." He concludes that Spider-Man is "hands down the best comic book franchise on film."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service)—always up for puns and wordplay—says, "If bad summer films have you crawling up the walls, you may want to swing by your friendly neighborhood multiplex and check out Spider-Man 2." He calls it "twice as fun as the original. Underneath its exhilarating effects sequences is a tale about a guy viewers can identify with. Raimi once again leavens the film with dollops of camp and self-conscious humor. Building on themes established in the first movie, [it] plumbs deeper in its exploration of the emotional web in which Peter finds himself entangled. It raises moral questions concerning identity, responsibility and sacrifice."

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July (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48