Spiderman 2 is an amazing movie. Sam Raimi is a genius. I will even forgive him for A Simple Plan. He took a long, hard look at what comics in the fifties were all about, kept all the parts that really meant something, made gentle fun of most of the silly themes (e.g. practically every supervillain and hero from that period got their powers from experiments with nuclear power), and filmed some of the most kick-ass fight scenes I’ve seen since The Matrix.

Normally I have no qualms about spoiling a movie by chattering endlessly about it, but this is a shining exception. The sheer poetry and gentleness of the scene in the spiderweb (and I’m no fan of Kirsten Dunst) compels me to hold my tongue. You must see this film. And The Chronicles of Riddick, but for different reasons.