[A Totally Spoiler Free Review] Is “Spider-Man 2” the best movie ever made based on a comic book, as some early reviews have proclaimed? I don’t know, that’s a pretty grand statement and one I don’t feel qualified to assess being a non-comic book type of person. I do know the original “Spider-Man” was incredibly fun, a genuine rollercoaster ride of a movie that set the bar tremendously high, much too high for most movies of this subgenre to live up to. I believe this sequel is a better film, though I didn’t find myself feeling as exhilarated during it as I did while watching the original. But that’s not to say this one has a been-there, done-that quality to it. It doesn’t. This sequel stands on its own and in no way feels like recycled material. And judged on its own, I feel safe in declaring it’s one of the best movies we’ll see in theaters this year.

“Spider-Man 2” is darker, more emotionally intense, and features a more serious storyline than the first movie. While the first film had to spend a good portion of its running time introducing the characters and explaining how Spider-Man came to be, this second film of the series doesn’t carry that burden. We know Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) was bitten by a radioactive spider, we know Peter loves MJ (Kirsten Dunst) but will not allow himself to be with her, and we know Peter’s best friend, Harry (James Franco) is out to kill Spider-Man because he believes the webslinger murdered his father. All of this was laid out for us by the end of the first “Spider-Man” movie.

In the second film, we’re allowed more of an opportunity to get to know Peter as a person. We feel his torment as he tries to hide his emotions from MJ. We care about him as he’s pulled between doing the responsible thing as Spider-Man and living a normal life free from the pressure of being a hero. ”Spider-Man 2” lets us look further into the psyche of the boy/man who wears the blue and red suit. And while we’re taken on this emotional journey with Peter, we’re also treated to more time with the central figures of the first “Spider-Man” movie and to a few new characters from world of the “Spider-Man” comic books, foremost of which is this film’s villain, Dr. Otto Octavius (Doc Ock for short). This ultra-cool bad guy is the star of the show when it comes to effects - and acting. Very few movie villains can rival Alfred Molina in character as the man with tentacles (special kudos to Raimi for making sure Doc Ock was played by such a first-rate actor). Doc Ock could have been a campy character, but with Molina in charge, he remains a man tormented by the evil he’s unleashed and overwhelmed by tragic circumstances, rather than a two-dimensional antagonist of the film’s hero.

“Spider-Man 2” has a gentler sense of humor, quirky like the original, yet quieter. Sam Raimi throws in a few recognizable faces in cameo roles who generate a fair share of laughs, and even inserts a scene in which Maguire as Spider-Man injures his back (a nod at Maguire’s real-life back problems, which almost kept him out of this sequel). One of my personal favorite scenes featured Hal Sparks in an elevator with the in-costume Spider-Man. Classic.

We got used to watching Spider-Man fly between buildings and leap from incredible heights in the first movie. The effects which worked so well in “Spider-Man” have been tweaked to such a degree in “Spider-Man 2” it’s nearly impossible to distinguish pure computer-generated graphics from scenes involving actors or stuntmen in front of blue screens. Because all of the effects – from speeding trains to giant fiery orbs – are simply incredible, there’s nothing that jolts you out of the movie, no point in the film where you are jarred from believing your eyes. As far as effects-heavy movies go, “Spider-Man 2” is at the head of the pack.

Comparing the two “Spider-Man” movies is like comparing apples and oranges. They are totally different creations. One’s an exuberant burst of energy contained on film and the other’s a toned down, coming-of-age tale set in the world of superheroes and monstrous villains. Though both movies relied heavily on the CGI effects, Raimi did a terrific job in both films of never forgetting the audience needs to connect with the flesh and blood actors. The reason “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man 2” work is that both keep that focus in the forefront, with the special effects filling in around the actors and not overwhelming them.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

The hero of an unlikely airplane disaster must overcome his own inadequacies, improbable accidents and his former girlfriend in order to save a space shuttle from destruction in this spoof sequel of the disaster parody Airplane! Written by Keith Loh {loh@sfu.ca}

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Stuart’s mother is being over-protective of him, especially when he narrowly escapes injury in a soccer game. His big brother George has also made a new friend, Will, so Stuart is feeing lonely. Stuart rescues a canary, Margalo, from a falcon; she moves in with the Littles. One day, Margalo is nowhere to be found, so Stuart and Snowbell set out across the city to find her while George covers for Stuart (the first time he’s had to lie). Written by Jon Reeves {jreeves@imdb.com}

Trust your instincts. Listen to that little voice inside that whispers this sequel has ‘bad idea’ written all over it. “Basic Instinct” didn’t deserve a sequel immediately following its release back in 1992, and now in 2006 there’s even less of a reason to make a follow-up. The only explanation as to why this thing exists is as a vanity project for Sharon Stone. There simply can’t be any other legitimate excuse for “Basic Instinct 2.”

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Undercover Agent Malcolm Turner is back and this time he’s out to expose the suspected designer of a deadly computer “worm” that would allow outside forces access to sophistical and critical government intelligence files. But unfortunately, the only way the crafty agent can get next to the worm’s creator, Tom Fuller, is to access the programmer’s Orange County home as the new “nanny” to Fuller and his wife Leah’s children: toddler Andrew and his two older sisters, Carrie and Molly. This means that Malcolm must once again rely on his sure-fire alter ego, the take-no-prisoners Hattie Mae Pierce, a.k.a. “Big Momma,” to bring down the bad guys and prove that a woman’s work is never done! But once undercover, the job proves another tough juggling act for Big Momma as “she” must manage the hectic lives of the three Fuller kids, keep up with their myriad of daily activities, and handle the many household chores, all while secretly trying to dig up information on Tom’s computer virus. Of course, Malcolm’s hardest and most comical task is staying in Big Momma character throughout, which requires the trickiest of physical and vocal transformations, not to mention the ability to think really fast on his pumps. Hilarious situations ensue for “Big Momma” while trying to trap her prey, including, infiltrating a ritzy women’s day spa, leading a bawdy teen cheerleading competition, and surviving a crazy jet ski chase, all while trying to keep “her” wig straight and skirts smooth. Along the way, “Big Momma” also helps bring the fractured Fuller clan back together and, in turn, Malcolm develops a newfound appreciation for his own family, which includes stepson Trent and expectant pregnant wife Sherrie. Malcolm also learns he can strike a successful balance between his work and home responsibilities, without shortchanging either side in the process. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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Alice awakens from a terrible sleep to find her worst fears realized–the bloodthirsty Undead, which she and the now-annihilated squad of elite military fought to destroy, have been unleashed on the city that surrounds the secret facility of the Umbrella Corporation. Discovering she was an Umbrella experiment, Alice has been bio-genetically enhanced with new strengths, senses and dexterity–and she will need them. In the heart of the ravaged Raccoon City, a small group of uninfected people, including Jill Valentine, a recently demoted member of Umbrella Corp’s elite Special Tactics and Rescue Services team, and S.T.A.R.S team leader Carlos Oliveira, fight for their lives against swarms of Undead and the deadlier and faster Lickers. Running out of luck and resources, the group is rescued by Alice, and they begin to wage an exhilarating battle to survive and escape before the Umbrella Corporation erases its experiment from the face of the earth. Their only hope lies somewhere within Raccoon City–Dr Charles Ashford, one of the leading scientists for the Umbrella Corporation, will help Alice and the others escape the city safely–if they find his daughter. Angie Ashford became separated from her father and now hides in fear. Alice, Jill and Carlos will have to fight their way through an army of Undead to save her. All the while, a secret weapon code-named Nemesis has been experimentally altered with greater modifications than Alice and has been programmed to track and destroy them. They will need all their strengths and skills to fight the battle of their lives against the mindless evil that has infected the city and the powerful forces that unleashed it on mankind. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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Clear Rivers has been living life in a mental hospital after the bizarre events that lead to the deaths of her friends. One day, she is approached by a girl named Kimberly who believes she had a premonition similar to her friend Alex who died . Clear has to either risk her life helping others, or stay inside the hospital the rest of her life waiting for her death to come. What will she do? Written by wolfboy217

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When detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is called to a crime scene of a victim of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), he finds a lead to the place where he is hidden. Once there, he realizes that Jigsaw trapped his son Daniel Matthews (Erik Knudsen) with three women and four men in a shelter, and they are inhaling a lethal nerve gas. If they do not use an antidote within two hours, they will die. Eric follows with increasing desperation the death of each member of the group in monitors, while trying to convince Jigsaw to release his son. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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The small island resort town of Amity is trying to bounce back from the financial problems it had after becoming known as the site of shark attacks four years ago. Mayor Larry Vaughn is welcoming developer Len Peterson and his new resort to Amity. Two scuba divers are exploring the area where the Orca sank after police chief Martin Brody killed a huge shark four years ago. A shark shows up and kills the two divers, but not before one of the divers takes a close-up picture of the shark’s eye, and sometime later, while a mother is driving a boat that’s pulling her water-skiing teenage daughter, the shark kills the daughter and causes the mother to accidentally blow up the boat, then a killer whale is found on the shore with a huge bite on it. After Brody sees this, he knows there’s another huge great white shark in Amity’s waters, but Vaughn and Peterson explain these attacks away as non-shark accidents, because the thought of another shark in Amity’s waters would drive tourists away from the new resort and cause the new resort to lose money. It looks like Vaughn is still a mayor who puts money ahead of people’s lives. Brody tips his gun’s hollow point bullets with cyanide and melted candle wax and tells his sons Michael and Sean to stay away from the beaches and tells them to not go sailing with Mike’s friends, who include Vaughn’s son Larry Vaughn Jr. Everyone thinks Brody’s fears are shark trauma-induced paranoia. Brody even tries to call his friend Matt Hooper, who is doing research on a boat in the Antarctic Circle, and Matt will be in the Antarctic Circle for a few more months. While keeping an eye on the waters from the beach’s shark tower, Brody sees a huge dark spot in the water and rings the tower’s alarm bell, but it turns out to be a school of bluefish. Vaughn fires Brody for causing this panic at the beach and scaring tourists and their money away, and even though they were told not to, Michael and Sean go out sailing with Junior Vaughn and their friends, unaware that the shark is trailing them. Brody knows it’s up to him to find them before the shark kills too many of them. Written by Todd Baldridge

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The only survivor of the Nostromo, Ripley is discovered in deep sleep half a century later by a salvage ship. When she is taken back to Earth, she learns that a human colony was founded on the same planet where the aliens were first found. After contact with the colony is lost, she finds herself sent back to the planet along with a team of warriors bent on destroying the alien menace forever, and saving any survivors — if any remain. Written by Graeme Roy {gsr@cbmamiga.demon.co.uk}

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