Spiderman - 2

That I am a superhero fan is a fact. That I have every episode of Smallville is a fact. But I didn't know how much I liked Spiderman; till last night when I didn't go see the first show of Spiderman-2 on the night of its release. Oh well, I got my superhero fix this evening. Mehra, Donna, Darwin, Chris, Guhan and I were enthralled for two hours by the adventures, mis-steps and escapades of the web slinger. And boy, was I entertained...

The sequel has all the essential elements of the original only in larger measure. More angst, more and better action, more melodrama, a bad-ass villain and more laughs what with slapstick humour rearing its head in the final reel of the movie. The coming of age of Spiderman - here's a synopsis. Peter is suffering from existential angst, fighting the ennui that his day job, academics and life in general bring him. His real life didn't contain the thrills and spills of his life as Spiderman and his attempts at finding a balance went to naught. Mary Jane getting married to another man didn't help the situation much - the quagmire affecting his ability to produce web. I don't know about you but growing up was hard for me and being in love made it harder. I could relate with a lot of episodes in the movie because of the angst I've been feeling of late. It's weird but I feel so much better after seeing the movie because there is hope - Peter snapped out of it, so can I!

Then there is Doc Ock - a villain worthy of praise and eventually, sympathy. The movie ties many of the loose ends of the story and sets the tone for the third installment, due in 2007. The only issue I had with the movie was the number of times Spidey was unmasked but it did take the story forward, so be it. I'd give the movie a 9 out of 10 and recommend it to everyone as a must see, regardless of whether you're a Spiderman fan or not. And if you are a fan, trust me, the movie is top notch. As a departing note, I don't think I can enjoy watching Superman fly after seeing Spidey web sling - Spidey has so much more pizzazz compared to the monotonously surfing Superman.

Update: I saw Spiderman-2 a second time today and it's so mushy - it's insane. I wish there were more action sequences... :()