The verdict is in: Spider-Man 2 does live up to the hype. Expect to see breathtaking visual effects but the good news is that Spidey is more than plain eye-candy. The fact that the birth of Doc Ock was a tad over the top (Dr. Otto Octavius' spine was fused with "intelligent" mechanical tentacles after a freak fusion accident) aside, the second movie of our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man has a decent plot; its only failing being that the trailers released months ago revealed too much of the storyline.

If you haven't already figured out after watching the trailers for the umpteenth time, Peter Parker was sick of living a double life. Donning the itchy and uncomfortable spidey costume that would often "ride up in the crotch" while saving people's arses had deprieved him of a decent career, good grades and horror of horrors, the girl of his dream. I feel for the guy; it's hard to blame him for wanting to be Spider-Man no more. Enough spoilers for now. Go mosey along to the theater and enjoy the movie; you'll be pleased by how the movie poked fun at itself and Tobey Maguire's back (read this article if you don't get it). And if you're fan of the old Spider-Man TV series, look out for this lady with the violin who loves crooning the theme song from the series.

If you're still not convinced that you should spend your dough and time on this superhero flick, these favourable reviews will have you hopping to the cineplex in no time: There's one over at BBC news, MSNBC and countless at Rotten Tomatoes.

Can't get enough of Spider-Man? Well, there's also the production blog to check out if you're intrigued as to how the movie made it to the silverscreen.