i still think the middle 'powerless' section drags, about the only time it has never dragged for me was the first time i saw the movie.
but the first and third acts are top quality superhero movie magic.
as for better movies that have come out since...batman begins, tdk, watchmen, kick-ass, and possibly spider-man 3. i flip on the 3 sm movies, i don't really have a favourite, i rank them all about equal for varying reasons.
spider-man3 is just jam packed superhero/villan fun, i can get a huge blast out of it from beginning to end, i like the saturday night parker strut, think it's hilarious, i didn't even mind the jazz club scene last time i watched it, sure it has parts i would want to tidy up, but i am focused on the movie from beginning to end.
whereas with spider-man2...everytime i watch it, i feel like skipping past scenes in that middle section, my high enthusiasm for the film tends to die down when i come to the re-heat beats from spider-man1, the aunt may scenes, the doctor's office, 'raindrops...'.
edit: i basically wanted him to be spidey all the way through the movie , after the origin film, but, i would have been very happy if the powerless section had been as interesting as it was in Superman II. Yes, it is automatically more interesting when superman becomes mortal as he has never been this way before, but with Pete having all this experience of being a hero, they really should have done something more with that scene where he sees the guy being beaten and mugged in the alleyway. Like jumping into the burning building, they sdhould have had him intervene in some way, seeing him take a beating, because of not being able to ignore who he has become, would have been very interesting and could potentially have been the best scene in the movie, like it was in Superman II.
So, it was not only a very boring section, but a very disapointing one.
