Spider-Man 2 (2004)

After a disappointing and cartoony Spider-Man debut, I didn't expect Spider-Man 2 to turn out any better. I was wrong. The sequel was superior in so many ways.

The villain here is much more credible and somewhat reality based. There's no glossy, plastic suit to draw attention away from the action. I thought the mechanical arms would turn out novelty-like, ala Inspector Gadget, but instead they looked fantastic.

In addition to some really cool action and fight scenes, there was plenty of character and story depth that I felt was lacking in the first.

The final battle between the bad guy and Spider-Man was not formulaic. Spider-Man was not beaten to a bloody pulp, only to come back and finish off the villain. They changed things up a bit. Overall pretty entertaining.

Rating: C+

Always Outnumbered (1998)

An inner city tale of struggle, redemption, and courage.

Rating: C

Spider-Man (2002)

This was an opening weekend kind of movie. Went with my dad, and we had a great time. Lots of good action, a little romance, cool f/x, and great sound. Unfortunately it follows the basic superhero plot and includes unrealistic feats, even for a superhero.

Rating: C+

Runaway Jury (2003)

Pretty good movie with plenty of star power. Not quite The Rainmaker, but better than The Firm or The Client.

Rating: C+