I saw Spider-Man 2 tonight with E (as is usual with the release of a Marvel franchise).

It was fun if a bit uneven - more than once I thought to myself, "Come on now - less Hamlet, more ass kicking." And then, just when I'd almost forgotten I was in the hands of Sam Raimi, he brought in a chainsaw to remind me (oh yes, Evil Dead fans, Mr. Raimi finds the time to flirt with us).

And speaking of hands, let's give one (or two, or three, or two to the third) to Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius. The last time I saw Molina he was the Diego on Frida's mind, and - maybe because the idea of patronage turns up in both movies - I couldn't help thinking Doc Ock would have made an exceptionally well-equipped mural painter.

What other non-spoilers do I have to share? Oh, yes - the Stan Lee cameos are becoming mercifully short.

Also, as with most of the science in the Marvel Universe, it's not enough merely to suspend disbelief - you have to string it up by its ankles and slap it around a bit. This is a movie that can't be relied on to produce an even remotely credible amount of smoke in a blazing inferno, so really, what hope does nuclear fusion have? My recommendation: as soon as anyone claiming to be a scientist starts talking, make little humming noises inside your head until he stops.