Cinema review: Spiderman II (From Barry And District News)

Cinema review: Spiderman II

Get caught in the web

This is an action film that pays as much attention to its characters as its computer generated effects, and this is its trump card.

In the first film we learnt about how Peter got his extraordinary powers, whereas here we learn about the importance of his skills and the danger of him turning his back on them.

Here there is enough humour, drama and tragedy to please the most discerning cinemagoer, regardless of whether they are comic books fans. So is it as good as the first film? It's better.

The effects are much improved and the distinction between real and generated characters much less obvious, making the action sequences superior.

But films need strong performances and Maguire has developed depth to the role of Peter/

Spiderman and added a good dollop of much needed humour. Molinas also adds a surprising humanity to his villainous Doc Ock. In this film, Sam Raimi has taken the essence of the original and mined further riches from the Spiderman world.

Overall, this is a cracking sequel.

Clare Shepherd