Spider-Man 2 Reviews

In most movie reviews, these included, a short synopsis of the film is typical. Todd Gilchrist calls Spider-Man 2 a “captivating narrative tapestry,” but despite this, he seems ever critical to the intricacies of the story. Holding Spider-Man 2 to its prequel, Gilchrist seems to think that director Sam Raimi falls short in reproducing the same success. Roger Ebert however, thinks differently; he believes that Spider-Man 2 is the “best superhero movie since the 1978 Superman. Gilchrist seems caught up in the technical aspects of the movie, how certain scenes should have been cut to make the story “flow” better. With the addition of such scenes, he believes that the audience was left “without a comfortable sense of focus as the film hurtles towards its dramatic conclusion.”
Ebert focuses more on the growth and development of the characters themselves, such as the chemistry between the awkward Tobey Maguire and the “valuable” Kirsten Dunst, who invokes the continuity of the series with the upside-down kiss. Gilchrist calls attention also to the screenwriting, which, for him, is repetitive. While some might agree, others might say that the reinforcement of the story’s key themes keeps the story focused. Gilchrist says that writer Michael Chabon is “over-attentive” yet Ebert interprets him differently, praising him for understanding “in his bones what comic books are.” Still, both of them praise the weight of conflicts that are more complicated and serious that ultimately makes Spider-Man 2 a cut above others.