Gary Moskowitz is the crime and courts...

Gary Moskowitz is the crime and courts reporter for the News-Press,

the Leader’s sister publication.

Seeing the film “Spider-Man 2” this weekend reminded me of one

very important thing -- that of all the well-known superheroes,

Spider-Man is by far the coolest.

For one, Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) is a respectable, blue-collar

superhero. Just like in the comic book, Sam Raimi’s latest film

portrays Spidey, a.k.a. Peter Parker, as a hard-working guy, whose

tireless efforts to keep the city of New York safe are

unquestionable.

And when he’s not fighting crime, Parker is a newspaper

photographer, a pizza delivery guy and a student at Columbia

University. Now that’s work ethic.

Secondly, Spider-Man is different from other superheroes in that

he’s a lot more like you and me. Yeah, he can shoot webs out of his

wrists, but other than that, he’s a normal guy who shows up late,

doesn’t always tie his tie correctly and often upsets his boss.

Spider-Man is also very smart. In the new film, when he meets his

soon-to-be archrival, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), he proves

that he knows more about fusion than the scientist himself by finding

a loophole in the doctor’s hypothesis.

Just take a minute to compare Spidey to some other superheroes.

Superman was born on another planet and he’s so strong that he can

lift entire buildings. That’s great, but Superman is not as likable

or as human as Peter Parker.

Batman is a lonely millionaire living in a mansion with a butler.

Batman escapes from tricky situations with gadgets pulled from a

utility belt, drives a fancy car and a fights crime with pessimistic

sidekick. Again, not as likable.

What’s interesting is that watching the movie is a lot like

reading a comic book, much more so than 2002’s “Spider-Man.”

In this year’s sequel, scenes flow -- sometimes awkwardly -- in

panel form, similar to a comic book. It allows the audience to get to

know the man behind the mask through goofy, romantic scenes and

comedic ones that make us feel more connected to the hero.

I normally avoid movies rife with computer-generated action

sequences, but “Spider-Man 2” uses its action scenes tastefully,

almost to the point where you’re asking yourself, “When’s the next

fight scene?”

A woman sitting next to me in the theater said she had never read

a Spider-Man comic, and asked what she needed to know before the film

started.

I turned to her and said, “All you need to know is he’s an

everyday guy with good intentions, who fights crime with a strong

will and spider webs. Sit back and enjoy.”

* “Spider-Man 2” is rated PG-13 for stylized action violence.