This is a movie that surpasses the original one on many different levels! It has a better villain, a better story and, most of all, a better message. The movie is about Peter Parker who loses faith in what he does, so he loses his powers. Tobey Maguire is magnificent in this movie and he plays so well off of all the other actors in the movie. Alfred Molina is great as the villain and, as always, J.K. Simmons steal every single scene in which he is present. This is really one of the best superhero movies that has ever been made.
1,681 Reviews
Outstanding sequel.
kirk-24615 July 2009
The first and third 'Spider-Man' movies were simply fantastic.But it gets even better with 'Spider-Man 2'. It's full of action, has plenty of adventure, and is full of award winning special effects.Like any other super hero sequel, there's always a new villain.The villains name in 'Spider-Man 2' is Dr. Octopus.AKA Doc Ock.He has 4 mechanical tentacles that can flip cars and throw people at great distances.Does he remind you of anything? Of course he does.What does he remind you of? An Octopus... Duh.It may sound kind of stupid, but Doc Ock's character actually helps the movie become a 2 hour roller-coaster ride of a movie.Just remember that Spider-Man can do whatever a spider can.
Still The Best Spider-Man movie, and one of the best CBMs.
EddyTheMartian00721 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Spiderman 2 is the best Spiderman movie. To me it feels more like a movie about Peter's struggles of being Spiderman. This was the movie which cemented my love for the character.
The cast is great again. Especially Peter and Harry, which are both much better. However MJ is more of the same being a damsel in distress.
Throughout the movie Peter sees the consequences of being Spiderman. His life is literally falling apart. Everyone is moving on and he's stuck because he has to be Spiderman. He loses his job, he's failing his classes in University, MJ is getting married, Aunt May is moving out, he's struggling to pay rent, while J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) is dragging SpiderMan's name in the mud. Everything is going wrong for Peter and you can't help but feel bad for him. He's such a nice guy, and he's going above and beyond to help others, but no one is helping back. This is the first CBM to truly show the struggles of being a Hero. This movie shows Peter at his lowest.
In this movie we see him tell Aunt May he "caused" Uncle Ben's death, and Aunt May kicks him out. Just WOW, his life just went downhill.
Sometimes the movie is a bit goofy the way it shows his misfortune, but it works because it's played out in a surprisingly hilarious way. It uses comedy to lighten up the movie. He even starts to lose his powers.
Later in the story we get introduced to Dr. Otto Octavious (Alfred Molina) who was great. He's creating a sustainable fusion power reactor, and he made 4 bionic arms which are impervious to heat and magnetism and are needed for the reactor. He teams up with Oscorp for funding, and With the help of Harry, Peter is able to write his paper on Otto. Peter and Otto hit it off with both being "brilliant" and we meet his wife. He explains why he is doing this with a great line very similar to "With great power comes great responsibility" line. "Intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift, to be used for the good of mankind." This instantly shows the parallels between Peter and Otto and shows his motivations. When Otto finally tests out the reactor it unfortunately becomes unstable. Instead of stopping the reactor, Otto believes it will work. However the reactor kills his wife and damages the neural inhibitor chip in his spine, which doesn't let the AI from the arms influence his own brain. He's brought to a hospital while he's knocked out, in a great scene which shows Sam Raimi's horror roots. The arms take over and start brutally murdering the doctors. Oscorp is left bankrupt. Now we have the birth of our villain.
After everything going wrong Peter decided to give up being Spider-man. I think this is great. It shows peter is a human and sometimes you just want to give up. So he does, and his life does get back on track. He's getting better grades, he can finally make it to MJ's play, he can possibly pay rent. He's starting to ignore crime, but soon realizes he can't stop. This is where the hero is tested and needs to come back. Crime is up 70%. Very similarly to the first movie there's a fire where Peter decides to be the hero himself, and he saves the baby, but just when he was about to be praised for his bravery he's told that someone was stuck and died. Once again peter realizes that Spiderman is needed. With great power comes great responsibility, so Spiderman comes back!
Theres the bank robbery with the bags full of gold coins, which is very comic book like, and we have the iconic train battle. Peter gives it his all to stop the train and saves everyone, but he doesn't have his mask, and everyone sees him as a hero, and understand that they need him, so none of them say anything about his identity. This is hero praise done right. They respect the hero, despite revealing his identity probably getting the person famous or rich, they respect Spiderman for the sacrifice. And then when everyone tries to protect Spiderman it shows how everyone is trying to give back to Spiderman.
After this Spiderman is given to Harry where we get a great scene where Harry finds out Peter is Spiderman to further fuel their rivalry.
The third act is somewhat weak for me. MJ is of course the damsel in distress again, the reactor is a bit too unrealistic, but I do think overall it was a pretty good fight with large stakes. Doc Ock sacrifices himself to finally stop the machine and MJ now knows who Spiderman. Peter finally gets his happy ending.
This is one of the rare sequels where everything has been improved. I think Spiderman 2 is one of the best CBMs. It really shows the struggles and consequences of being a hero, and I think it was done marvelously.
The cast is great again. Especially Peter and Harry, which are both much better. However MJ is more of the same being a damsel in distress.
Throughout the movie Peter sees the consequences of being Spiderman. His life is literally falling apart. Everyone is moving on and he's stuck because he has to be Spiderman. He loses his job, he's failing his classes in University, MJ is getting married, Aunt May is moving out, he's struggling to pay rent, while J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) is dragging SpiderMan's name in the mud. Everything is going wrong for Peter and you can't help but feel bad for him. He's such a nice guy, and he's going above and beyond to help others, but no one is helping back. This is the first CBM to truly show the struggles of being a Hero. This movie shows Peter at his lowest.
In this movie we see him tell Aunt May he "caused" Uncle Ben's death, and Aunt May kicks him out. Just WOW, his life just went downhill.
Sometimes the movie is a bit goofy the way it shows his misfortune, but it works because it's played out in a surprisingly hilarious way. It uses comedy to lighten up the movie. He even starts to lose his powers.
Later in the story we get introduced to Dr. Otto Octavious (Alfred Molina) who was great. He's creating a sustainable fusion power reactor, and he made 4 bionic arms which are impervious to heat and magnetism and are needed for the reactor. He teams up with Oscorp for funding, and With the help of Harry, Peter is able to write his paper on Otto. Peter and Otto hit it off with both being "brilliant" and we meet his wife. He explains why he is doing this with a great line very similar to "With great power comes great responsibility" line. "Intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift, to be used for the good of mankind." This instantly shows the parallels between Peter and Otto and shows his motivations. When Otto finally tests out the reactor it unfortunately becomes unstable. Instead of stopping the reactor, Otto believes it will work. However the reactor kills his wife and damages the neural inhibitor chip in his spine, which doesn't let the AI from the arms influence his own brain. He's brought to a hospital while he's knocked out, in a great scene which shows Sam Raimi's horror roots. The arms take over and start brutally murdering the doctors. Oscorp is left bankrupt. Now we have the birth of our villain.
After everything going wrong Peter decided to give up being Spider-man. I think this is great. It shows peter is a human and sometimes you just want to give up. So he does, and his life does get back on track. He's getting better grades, he can finally make it to MJ's play, he can possibly pay rent. He's starting to ignore crime, but soon realizes he can't stop. This is where the hero is tested and needs to come back. Crime is up 70%. Very similarly to the first movie there's a fire where Peter decides to be the hero himself, and he saves the baby, but just when he was about to be praised for his bravery he's told that someone was stuck and died. Once again peter realizes that Spiderman is needed. With great power comes great responsibility, so Spiderman comes back!
Theres the bank robbery with the bags full of gold coins, which is very comic book like, and we have the iconic train battle. Peter gives it his all to stop the train and saves everyone, but he doesn't have his mask, and everyone sees him as a hero, and understand that they need him, so none of them say anything about his identity. This is hero praise done right. They respect the hero, despite revealing his identity probably getting the person famous or rich, they respect Spiderman for the sacrifice. And then when everyone tries to protect Spiderman it shows how everyone is trying to give back to Spiderman.
After this Spiderman is given to Harry where we get a great scene where Harry finds out Peter is Spiderman to further fuel their rivalry.
The third act is somewhat weak for me. MJ is of course the damsel in distress again, the reactor is a bit too unrealistic, but I do think overall it was a pretty good fight with large stakes. Doc Ock sacrifices himself to finally stop the machine and MJ now knows who Spiderman. Peter finally gets his happy ending.
This is one of the rare sequels where everything has been improved. I think Spiderman 2 is one of the best CBMs. It really shows the struggles and consequences of being a hero, and I think it was done marvelously.
The best one out of the trilogy.
drawlife28 September 2014
Sequels are very tricky. They're very hard to crack open, but every so often we do get a sequel that is better than the original like Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Dark Knight, and others.
Spider-Man 2 is one of them. The common thing among mostly all sequels is that bigger is better, that's not always the case, and that's where director Sam Raimi comes in, he does the opposite. He makes it smaller, more personal, but with big impactful moments.
Here we see a damaged Peter Parker, still full of guilt with the death of Uncle Ben, he's getting fired all the time and late to school because he's busy protecting New York as Spider-Man. His relationship between Harry and Mary Jane are deteriorating as he keeps disappointing them. In the end, he gives up his duties as Spider-Man, only to return to action when Doctor Octopus is threatening the city.
This movie in many ways is a coming of age story for Peter Parker. With a moving romantic subplot, Peter learns to accept his responsibilities as Spider-Man in the long run, and puts that first above all his desires including Mary Jane, and he also finds closure by telling Aunt May the truth about what happened on the night of Uncle Ben's murder. Tobey Maguire brings much depth and complexity to Peter Parker. A very fine performance by him showcasing the right amount of emotion in every single scene.
Alfred Molina is excellent here as Dr. Otto Octavius, also known as Doctor Octopus, whom Peter deems as his idol in the beginning of the film. What makes him such as awesome and likable villain, is that film allows you to like him from the beginning, and to see his downfall to villainy, then to a redeemable hero at the end makes an engaging story. Give credit to Raimi and his writing team, as they provide Doc Ock much needed flare.
Kirsten Dunst here is pretty good as Mary Jane. Peter and Mary Jane also get a lot time bickering at each other here. It's a very complicated and complex romance as she wants Peter and Peter wants her, but he can't cause of his duties as a crime-fighter. James Franco is great playing the a-hole friend. As an audience member it's very sad to see their friendship deteriorate as Harry questions Peter's loyalty to him or to Spider-Man.
The action serves the story here, it seamlessly transitions to action set pieces while still serving the narrative. Not to mention they are awesome. All the fights between Spidey and Doc Ock are an adrenaline rush, particularly the subway train fight. But with that being said, if you took out all the action sequences in this movie, you still have a very intriguing and moving story to watch. That's how good this film is.
Raimi and his crew of filmmakers did a tremendous job with Spider-Man 2. There are real human moments in this film, one of them involves Spidey and a group of civilians in the train. A real nice, tender, and human scene. Rosemary Harris as Aunt May even has a substantial role in the film as Peter's moral compass and she also has an action sequence in the middle of the film. J.K. Simmons is even better as J. Jonah Jameson this time around and has the film's funniest moments.
Everything in this film clicks on all cylinders. The music by Danny Elfman is better than ever, and also provides the film with lots of tender scores. The visual effects are better, Spidey's web-swinging abilities are better, the romance is better, the action is better, the sound mixing and editing is better, the story, the acting, just everything. It's pretty much a perfect film.
I for one thought it deserved just a little bit more from the Academy Awards other than winning the well deserved special effects award.
10/10
Spider-Man 2 is one of them. The common thing among mostly all sequels is that bigger is better, that's not always the case, and that's where director Sam Raimi comes in, he does the opposite. He makes it smaller, more personal, but with big impactful moments.
Here we see a damaged Peter Parker, still full of guilt with the death of Uncle Ben, he's getting fired all the time and late to school because he's busy protecting New York as Spider-Man. His relationship between Harry and Mary Jane are deteriorating as he keeps disappointing them. In the end, he gives up his duties as Spider-Man, only to return to action when Doctor Octopus is threatening the city.
This movie in many ways is a coming of age story for Peter Parker. With a moving romantic subplot, Peter learns to accept his responsibilities as Spider-Man in the long run, and puts that first above all his desires including Mary Jane, and he also finds closure by telling Aunt May the truth about what happened on the night of Uncle Ben's murder. Tobey Maguire brings much depth and complexity to Peter Parker. A very fine performance by him showcasing the right amount of emotion in every single scene.
Alfred Molina is excellent here as Dr. Otto Octavius, also known as Doctor Octopus, whom Peter deems as his idol in the beginning of the film. What makes him such as awesome and likable villain, is that film allows you to like him from the beginning, and to see his downfall to villainy, then to a redeemable hero at the end makes an engaging story. Give credit to Raimi and his writing team, as they provide Doc Ock much needed flare.
Kirsten Dunst here is pretty good as Mary Jane. Peter and Mary Jane also get a lot time bickering at each other here. It's a very complicated and complex romance as she wants Peter and Peter wants her, but he can't cause of his duties as a crime-fighter. James Franco is great playing the a-hole friend. As an audience member it's very sad to see their friendship deteriorate as Harry questions Peter's loyalty to him or to Spider-Man.
The action serves the story here, it seamlessly transitions to action set pieces while still serving the narrative. Not to mention they are awesome. All the fights between Spidey and Doc Ock are an adrenaline rush, particularly the subway train fight. But with that being said, if you took out all the action sequences in this movie, you still have a very intriguing and moving story to watch. That's how good this film is.
Raimi and his crew of filmmakers did a tremendous job with Spider-Man 2. There are real human moments in this film, one of them involves Spidey and a group of civilians in the train. A real nice, tender, and human scene. Rosemary Harris as Aunt May even has a substantial role in the film as Peter's moral compass and she also has an action sequence in the middle of the film. J.K. Simmons is even better as J. Jonah Jameson this time around and has the film's funniest moments.
Everything in this film clicks on all cylinders. The music by Danny Elfman is better than ever, and also provides the film with lots of tender scores. The visual effects are better, Spidey's web-swinging abilities are better, the romance is better, the action is better, the sound mixing and editing is better, the story, the acting, just everything. It's pretty much a perfect film.
I for one thought it deserved just a little bit more from the Academy Awards other than winning the well deserved special effects award.
10/10
Classic Spins: Re-living Spider-Man 2 in 2023
pawanpunjabithewriter19 July 2023
I recently delved into a spree of superhero movies, but amidst the modern glitz, I felt it was time to revisit a true classic - Spider-Man 2. The movie presents a timeless story with solid tent poles and a strong focus on character development.
Upon rewatching, I found myself enthralled once again, appreciating its ability to be repeatedly enjoyed. The visuals, though impressive in their time, might not stand up as strongly in the year 2023. Nonetheless, they still manage to convey the essence of the narrative effectively.
While the antagonist could have been portrayed with greater strength, the character's development and writing were commendable, adding depth to the plot. However, it is the protagonist, Peter Parker, who steals the show with his compelling performance, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
In conclusion, Spider-Man 2 remains an awesome classic that stands the test of time. Despite minor visual limitations, the film's engaging story and well-crafted characters ensure you won't be bored, making it a worthy watch for both fans of the superhero genre and newcomers alike.
Upon rewatching, I found myself enthralled once again, appreciating its ability to be repeatedly enjoyed. The visuals, though impressive in their time, might not stand up as strongly in the year 2023. Nonetheless, they still manage to convey the essence of the narrative effectively.
While the antagonist could have been portrayed with greater strength, the character's development and writing were commendable, adding depth to the plot. However, it is the protagonist, Peter Parker, who steals the show with his compelling performance, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
In conclusion, Spider-Man 2 remains an awesome classic that stands the test of time. Despite minor visual limitations, the film's engaging story and well-crafted characters ensure you won't be bored, making it a worthy watch for both fans of the superhero genre and newcomers alike.
"I believe there's a hero in all of us."
utgard1429 May 2014
Being Spider-Man is wrecking poor Peter Parker's life. He's had to give up his chance at love with Mary Jane, he can't hold a job because he's always late, his grades are suffering at college, his Aunt May is struggling with the loss of beloved Uncle Ben, and his best friend Harry blames Spider-Man for the death of his father. All of this leads to Peter deciding to give up being a superhero. But a new threat rises in the form of mad physicist Otto Octavius, dubbed Dr. Octopus by the press, that may force Peter out of retirement.
Sam Raimi's direction is much improved from the first film. This one he seems completely at home with the big budget blockbuster and creates many memorable scenes and images, as he often does in his lower budget work. Comic fans should appreciate the homages to the works of Lee, Ditko, and Romita, The CGI improves from the first film. There's still a little bit of the rubbery animated look of the CGI humans but not as distracting as before. The action is also more impressive. The fight scenes between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus are well-done. The scene where Spidey saves an elevated train is arguably the movie's highlight. Danny Elfman's music is good but, as with the first film, not in the same league as his iconic Batman work.
The cast knocks it out of the park. Tobey Maguire perfectly captures the essence of Peter Parker, even more so than the first movie. His inherent nerdiness, awkwardness, and struggle to do what's right even at the cost of his own happiness. Kirsten Dunst and James Franco build upon their performances from the last movie. Dunst rises above the damsel-in-distress role she's saddled with quite nicely and by the end finally feels like the iconic Mary Jane ("Go get 'em, Tiger."). Rosemary Harris gets far more to do as Aunt May this time around and she's amazing. She steals every scene she's in. The supporting cast (J.K. Simmons and the rest) are all great. Alfred Molina brings Dr. Octopus to life and treats the character seriously, which is miles above the hammy performance given by Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin in the first film.
When this came out, it was the best superhero movie since Superman '78. I walked out of the theater beaming from ear to ear and feeling like a kid again. It was one of the rare summer blockbusters I went to see more than once. It still holds up and is a high water-mark for Marvel movies, in my opinion. It's followed by a terrible third film and then a reboot series that, while good, misses a lot of what makes this film work so well. This is the definitive Spider-Man movie. Lots of humor, heart, romance, and action all told in a bright, colorful fashion. Everything a Spider-Man film should be.
Sam Raimi's direction is much improved from the first film. This one he seems completely at home with the big budget blockbuster and creates many memorable scenes and images, as he often does in his lower budget work. Comic fans should appreciate the homages to the works of Lee, Ditko, and Romita, The CGI improves from the first film. There's still a little bit of the rubbery animated look of the CGI humans but not as distracting as before. The action is also more impressive. The fight scenes between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus are well-done. The scene where Spidey saves an elevated train is arguably the movie's highlight. Danny Elfman's music is good but, as with the first film, not in the same league as his iconic Batman work.
The cast knocks it out of the park. Tobey Maguire perfectly captures the essence of Peter Parker, even more so than the first movie. His inherent nerdiness, awkwardness, and struggle to do what's right even at the cost of his own happiness. Kirsten Dunst and James Franco build upon their performances from the last movie. Dunst rises above the damsel-in-distress role she's saddled with quite nicely and by the end finally feels like the iconic Mary Jane ("Go get 'em, Tiger."). Rosemary Harris gets far more to do as Aunt May this time around and she's amazing. She steals every scene she's in. The supporting cast (J.K. Simmons and the rest) are all great. Alfred Molina brings Dr. Octopus to life and treats the character seriously, which is miles above the hammy performance given by Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin in the first film.
When this came out, it was the best superhero movie since Superman '78. I walked out of the theater beaming from ear to ear and feeling like a kid again. It was one of the rare summer blockbusters I went to see more than once. It still holds up and is a high water-mark for Marvel movies, in my opinion. It's followed by a terrible third film and then a reboot series that, while good, misses a lot of what makes this film work so well. This is the definitive Spider-Man movie. Lots of humor, heart, romance, and action all told in a bright, colorful fashion. Everything a Spider-Man film should be.
Raimi's superior sequel is comic book excellence
Leofwine_draca29 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Sam Raimi greatly improves on his previous SPIDER-MAN flick, investing this one with twice the excitement, drama, and character tension. It feels like he was playing by the rules with the first movie – following the studio's plans, never stepping out of line. Here we see the artist at work, delivering some great moments of cinema. There's even reference to Raimi's earlier horror career with buzzing chainsaws and severed limbs in the tense, quirky hospital showdown.
The film retains the look, feel and sound of the first, and there's a strong sense of continuity with the return of literally ALL the characters (even Willem Dafoe makes a welcome cameo appearance as the Green Goblin). The love story, which felt a bit false in the first, is rampant here, with runaway emotion and non-stop romantic interludes, and also there is plenty of comedy to savour, dealing with Peter Parker's real-life chores being Spider-Man; i.e. his costume running in the wash and ruining the other clothes, etc. etc. It's very funny and is helped by loads of cool cameos – Bruce Campbell is back and better than before as the 'Snooty Usher', Ted Raimi is present, and of course there's J. K. Simmons, whose overbearing newspaper editor nearly steals the film.
Maguire and Dunst seem more assured and in touch with their characters here, and Alfred Molina is an imposing but surprisingly human baddie. Every major character is fleshed out and concentrated on, no cardboard cut-outs or stereotypes to be seen. There are many twists and surprises before the end and although this is a lengthy film, it never outstays its welcome. The best parts are undoubtedly the action sequences, which take CGI effects to new heights (literally).
The shots of Spider-Man swinging through the air are, as many have said, much more convincing and realistic than before, and the various battles with Doc Ock are outrageously exciting and crowd-pleasing. My favourite moment is undoubtedly the clash on the speeding train at the end of the movie, which is flawless cinema, original and artistic, perfectly conceived, and the winning element at this film's heart is Raimi's confidence at the helm this time. Things never become boring and this seems to be a film you can watch over and over. I'm left eagerly awaiting the third in the series.
The film retains the look, feel and sound of the first, and there's a strong sense of continuity with the return of literally ALL the characters (even Willem Dafoe makes a welcome cameo appearance as the Green Goblin). The love story, which felt a bit false in the first, is rampant here, with runaway emotion and non-stop romantic interludes, and also there is plenty of comedy to savour, dealing with Peter Parker's real-life chores being Spider-Man; i.e. his costume running in the wash and ruining the other clothes, etc. etc. It's very funny and is helped by loads of cool cameos – Bruce Campbell is back and better than before as the 'Snooty Usher', Ted Raimi is present, and of course there's J. K. Simmons, whose overbearing newspaper editor nearly steals the film.
Maguire and Dunst seem more assured and in touch with their characters here, and Alfred Molina is an imposing but surprisingly human baddie. Every major character is fleshed out and concentrated on, no cardboard cut-outs or stereotypes to be seen. There are many twists and surprises before the end and although this is a lengthy film, it never outstays its welcome. The best parts are undoubtedly the action sequences, which take CGI effects to new heights (literally).
The shots of Spider-Man swinging through the air are, as many have said, much more convincing and realistic than before, and the various battles with Doc Ock are outrageously exciting and crowd-pleasing. My favourite moment is undoubtedly the clash on the speeding train at the end of the movie, which is flawless cinema, original and artistic, perfectly conceived, and the winning element at this film's heart is Raimi's confidence at the helm this time. Things never become boring and this seems to be a film you can watch over and over. I'm left eagerly awaiting the third in the series.
Mature, nuanced and layered; the superhero genre at some of its very best.
Pjtaylor-96-13804414 February 2018
It's hard to decide whether or not I prefer this film to the first, as it tells - in some ways - a more mature, nuanced and layered tale, but what isn't hard to decide is that 'Spider-Man 2 (2004)' is a fantastic movie and easily one of the best sequels of all time. The villain is wonderfully rounded, his motivations constantly clear and his character arc drawn in full before the credits roll, and presents both a physical and psychological challenge for our hero. The story expertly balances the phenomenally fun yet still emotionally resonant web-slinging sequences (a high-speed train in danger provides one of the feature's nicest character moments whereas the whole 'bank' section is amazingly accomplished and thunderously entertaining) with the relatable central dilemma of our very human protagonist. Raimi's directing seems to be stepped up a little, too, as he leans further into his own quirky style - evident in the renowned 'surgery' scene which is one of the best in the entire film. The entire piece just gels together to make a cohesive, complex and rare example of the superhero genre at some of its very best. 9/10
Truly Outdoes the First
gigan-9224 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Wow. That's all I can manage to say after watching this film, wow. This movie really blew me away in all its aspects. The performances were top rate, especially Alfred Molina's portrayal of Dr. Otto Octavius. He really knows how to play that comic book villain with a sense of understanding so to speak. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst romance is a truly interesting and different outlook on being a super hero. We often dream of being super heroes, and yet here we see just the opposite. The audience feels Peter's conflict between protecting the innocent and letting his own life suffer or letting it go and living the life he's always wanted. To get everything he ever desired, he must give up his double-life. Despite whether he gives up being Spider-man or not, he will still forever have to deal with the complication of his dying friendship with Harry Osborn( James Franco). Franco is my favorite actor in this film, a young millionaire dealing with the death of his father, his friend being the only one who can help him bring the murder to justice. And yet, unbeknownst to him, his friend is actually the wall crawler himself. A extremely well done screenplay. Sam Raimi adds touches of humor to the story and it blends in quite well.
The characters are just so well done and intertwined with one another. Sam Raimi makes more than just a comic blockbuster but a well-defined drama of sorts. Even the villain has his moments.
The action is unbelievable and truly out does the first. Future superhero films will have to work hard to surpass what is seen here. The train chase is by far my favorite scene in the film, truly adrenaline pumping!! Audiences do have to wait a bit, but once a fight starts prepare to be simply amazed. Not only this, but the score is magnificent!! I love Danny Elfman!! It captures each moment exactly the way audiences envision it. Another sequel is surely on the way. This is definitely one of my favorite films of 2004, putting other comic book films of the same year to shame, such as "Blade: Trinity".
The characters are just so well done and intertwined with one another. Sam Raimi makes more than just a comic blockbuster but a well-defined drama of sorts. Even the villain has his moments.
The action is unbelievable and truly out does the first. Future superhero films will have to work hard to surpass what is seen here. The train chase is by far my favorite scene in the film, truly adrenaline pumping!! Audiences do have to wait a bit, but once a fight starts prepare to be simply amazed. Not only this, but the score is magnificent!! I love Danny Elfman!! It captures each moment exactly the way audiences envision it. Another sequel is surely on the way. This is definitely one of my favorite films of 2004, putting other comic book films of the same year to shame, such as "Blade: Trinity".
One of the greatest superhero movies of all time
gangstahippie24 August 2007
Rated PG-13 for stylized action violence.
Now I have not seen Spiderman 3 yet but I really want to.Spiderman is my favorite superhero.He is so cool and his movies are great as well.The first Spiderman film was pretty good but it could have been better.This film however is much better than the first and also one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.The action scenes are amazing because of the use of CGI and the storyline is great as well.The film is about Peter Parker, a nerd who has an alter ego as a superhero.He must fight Doc-Ock, a professor who turned evil after his mechanical arms took over while trying to save his relationship with Mary Jane, the woman he loves.Spiderman 2 is a great superhero movie and If you haven't seen it yet, you should.
Now I have not seen Spiderman 3 yet but I really want to.Spiderman is my favorite superhero.He is so cool and his movies are great as well.The first Spiderman film was pretty good but it could have been better.This film however is much better than the first and also one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.The action scenes are amazing because of the use of CGI and the storyline is great as well.The film is about Peter Parker, a nerd who has an alter ego as a superhero.He must fight Doc-Ock, a professor who turned evil after his mechanical arms took over while trying to save his relationship with Mary Jane, the woman he loves.Spiderman 2 is a great superhero movie and If you haven't seen it yet, you should.
Better than the first- Sam Raimi proves his cool knack for balancing elements of action, drama and comedy
Quinoa198414 July 2004
Spider-man 2, at least, accomplishes one thing above all else- this time, when the Spidey flings himself through the air, it doesn't look as fake as it did in the first film. If anything, this time I did feel the exhilaration that the filmmakers intended. They, being the team at Edge FX, have taken the huge lot of profit from the first film, which became the smash of smashes in the comic-book movie genre, and on that end the film is a success. But even on the human front with characterization the film is a bit of an improvement, which is always tricky for a sequel to do. Two major action sequences involving Spider-man (Tobey Maguire) and his nemesis, Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina, in a compelling turn), are shot and edited to a wonderful, creative impact. And, in an interesting bit when Doc Ock escapes a hospital, echoes of Raimi's Evil Dead comes through with subtle, if grin-inducing touches. The work done on the villain as well as the hero shows, and it helps that Ock is a sleeker, more threatening presence with his mechanical arms than the weird madman in Willem Dafoe's performance.
There are also other factors that give Spider-Man 2 it's worth of entertainment, even as if follows story turns that we as the audience have seen in plenty of other movies (comic-book or otherwise) from Hollywood. There's a nice dosage of humor to tip the scale on the romantic/non-romantic drama, courtesy of J.K. Simmons' added time as the over the top newspaper editor, and as well to a few bits of business in dealing with the problems of being a guy in a costume (plus, there are a couple of fun cameos from some Raimi regulars). The performances aren't bad by the leads, but they haven't improved too well, and with the script that they're given some of the lines don't work as well as they should. Some are appropriate in their corny quality, some aren't. One of the key performances that comes through is Rosemary Harris' Aunt May, who's the most effective of the dramatic parts to the story.
So, is Spider-man 2 as great as everyone's saying, that it's one of the great sequels and comic-book films of all time? To me, almost- it actually gets even more engrossing and interesting in its comic-book atmosphere on repeat viewings. It has a fresh appeal as a mainstream, thoughtful action film and, like Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy in the horror genre, it will live on when other superhero movies bite the dust in the video market. A-
There are also other factors that give Spider-Man 2 it's worth of entertainment, even as if follows story turns that we as the audience have seen in plenty of other movies (comic-book or otherwise) from Hollywood. There's a nice dosage of humor to tip the scale on the romantic/non-romantic drama, courtesy of J.K. Simmons' added time as the over the top newspaper editor, and as well to a few bits of business in dealing with the problems of being a guy in a costume (plus, there are a couple of fun cameos from some Raimi regulars). The performances aren't bad by the leads, but they haven't improved too well, and with the script that they're given some of the lines don't work as well as they should. Some are appropriate in their corny quality, some aren't. One of the key performances that comes through is Rosemary Harris' Aunt May, who's the most effective of the dramatic parts to the story.
So, is Spider-man 2 as great as everyone's saying, that it's one of the great sequels and comic-book films of all time? To me, almost- it actually gets even more engrossing and interesting in its comic-book atmosphere on repeat viewings. It has a fresh appeal as a mainstream, thoughtful action film and, like Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy in the horror genre, it will live on when other superhero movies bite the dust in the video market. A-
Spider-sequel-tastic
blacklist-129 September 2009
My presumptions of a sequel to a successful original are that they are worn out and are a desperate attempt to cash in on it's predecessor. Look no further for conclusive evidence with the terrible Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to know what I'm talking about.
But every now and again a sequel comes along that just simply changes your perceptions and gives you faith in a continuing franchise where the sequel is just as or in the case of Spiderman 2 better than it's predecessor.
Toby Maquire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco return with director Sam Raimi who has done a terrific job in making this for me one of the best sequels of all time.
One of the successes Spiderman 2 has is the depth of the characters and stories as there is more than one strand. Toby Maquire has the same natural ability which he possessed in the first film to accurately convey the character of Peter Parker who struggles with his feelings for Mary Jane who becomes frustrated that he can't return her feelings for him, to his fractured friendship with Harry Osborne who harbours a deep grudge against Spiderman to trying to balance his life as superhero, student and employee and struggling with his Aunt May over Uncle Ben's death to finally battling the new villain Oto Octavious played memorably by Alfred Molina and all these story strands thread there way through two hours of pure entertainment.
With the main story and these sub-stories the film could have become confusing and meaningless but thanks to the sublime artistry from Sam Raimi, it flows beautifully and never loses sight of itself.
Which goes to say the acting is as brilliant from the main cast which helps the film has more exploration and depth and the special effects this time round are flawless and much improved on the first.
This has everything for the comic fans and those who just want to be entertained of action (which there is plenty of particularly towards the end) drama, romance and humour mostly from JK Simmons who when he was on screen I was laughing out loud.
Credit goes to all involved and I very much look forward to Spiderman 3.
But every now and again a sequel comes along that just simply changes your perceptions and gives you faith in a continuing franchise where the sequel is just as or in the case of Spiderman 2 better than it's predecessor.
Toby Maquire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco return with director Sam Raimi who has done a terrific job in making this for me one of the best sequels of all time.
One of the successes Spiderman 2 has is the depth of the characters and stories as there is more than one strand. Toby Maquire has the same natural ability which he possessed in the first film to accurately convey the character of Peter Parker who struggles with his feelings for Mary Jane who becomes frustrated that he can't return her feelings for him, to his fractured friendship with Harry Osborne who harbours a deep grudge against Spiderman to trying to balance his life as superhero, student and employee and struggling with his Aunt May over Uncle Ben's death to finally battling the new villain Oto Octavious played memorably by Alfred Molina and all these story strands thread there way through two hours of pure entertainment.
With the main story and these sub-stories the film could have become confusing and meaningless but thanks to the sublime artistry from Sam Raimi, it flows beautifully and never loses sight of itself.
Which goes to say the acting is as brilliant from the main cast which helps the film has more exploration and depth and the special effects this time round are flawless and much improved on the first.
This has everything for the comic fans and those who just want to be entertained of action (which there is plenty of particularly towards the end) drama, romance and humour mostly from JK Simmons who when he was on screen I was laughing out loud.
Credit goes to all involved and I very much look forward to Spiderman 3.
"I believe there's a hero in all of us..."
classicsoncall28 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Well I just need to know one thing - who thought it would be a good idea to have a seventy seven year old grandmother hanging from Doc Ock's tentacle as he clambered up a city skyscraper? Seriously, didn't anyone consider that she might have had a HEART ATTACK?!?! Come on, and then she hung from a ledge using a wooden cane? I'd like to know where in the realm of remote possibility this could happen. As the Marvel geek opined, 'Nuff said'.
Don't get me too wrong. I enjoyed the flick well enough, but these implausible things cross my mind when I watch a film, even if it's a comic book story. Say now, was Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) incredibly cool as a villain, or just incredibly lame? It could go both ways you know. I guess the Octopus connection works because he had his own four limbs and then the mechanical jobbers. On the plus side, the CGI necessary to pull off his character with all that wall climbing and demolition was pretty extraordinary. But cheesy too, I think he was kind of goofy as a Spidey villain.
Some other things bothered me too. Like the garbage man turning in the Spider-Man uniform he found in an alley and J.Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons, hey, they both have the same first name) going front page with it. Couldn't that have been a replica uniform or a kid's Halloween costume? Why get all excited about that? But it did serve it's purpose for that great tongue in cheek 'He's Back' headline in the Daily Bugle with Spidey bursting through it for his comeback. That was pretty cool.
Not cool was using 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head' when Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has one of his many moments of angst in the picture. That belongs solely in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". The comic books got by for a long time with the characterization of Peter/Spider-Man as a conflicted young teenager trying to find himself, but those days are pretty much over. Then again, I was just becoming a teenager when Stan Lee created Spidey, so maybe I'm too old to appreciate teenage angst anymore. If I'm wrong I apologize.
Hey, I did get a kick out of Peter asking Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) about his comic book collection. Mine is part of that same old story - Grandma threw all of mine away when I went away to college. There was a Justice League #1 and a Green Lantern #5 in there, maybe a little beat up but it came as a blow to the system. But after almost forty years I'm just about over it.
Anyway, I don't mean to be too harsh on the picture, just trying to have a little fun with my review. Glad to see Stan Lee show up again, this time saving someone from falling concrete when Doc Ock and Spidey have at it twenty stories above. When Spider-Man finally defeats his foe, I thought it somewhat humorous that he used a bit of that Sixties Star Trek logic to drive some sense into Octavius. You'd need to see Captain Kirk in action to understand that one.
So I guess the wedding's off, right?
Don't get me too wrong. I enjoyed the flick well enough, but these implausible things cross my mind when I watch a film, even if it's a comic book story. Say now, was Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) incredibly cool as a villain, or just incredibly lame? It could go both ways you know. I guess the Octopus connection works because he had his own four limbs and then the mechanical jobbers. On the plus side, the CGI necessary to pull off his character with all that wall climbing and demolition was pretty extraordinary. But cheesy too, I think he was kind of goofy as a Spidey villain.
Some other things bothered me too. Like the garbage man turning in the Spider-Man uniform he found in an alley and J.Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons, hey, they both have the same first name) going front page with it. Couldn't that have been a replica uniform or a kid's Halloween costume? Why get all excited about that? But it did serve it's purpose for that great tongue in cheek 'He's Back' headline in the Daily Bugle with Spidey bursting through it for his comeback. That was pretty cool.
Not cool was using 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head' when Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has one of his many moments of angst in the picture. That belongs solely in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". The comic books got by for a long time with the characterization of Peter/Spider-Man as a conflicted young teenager trying to find himself, but those days are pretty much over. Then again, I was just becoming a teenager when Stan Lee created Spidey, so maybe I'm too old to appreciate teenage angst anymore. If I'm wrong I apologize.
Hey, I did get a kick out of Peter asking Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) about his comic book collection. Mine is part of that same old story - Grandma threw all of mine away when I went away to college. There was a Justice League #1 and a Green Lantern #5 in there, maybe a little beat up but it came as a blow to the system. But after almost forty years I'm just about over it.
Anyway, I don't mean to be too harsh on the picture, just trying to have a little fun with my review. Glad to see Stan Lee show up again, this time saving someone from falling concrete when Doc Ock and Spidey have at it twenty stories above. When Spider-Man finally defeats his foe, I thought it somewhat humorous that he used a bit of that Sixties Star Trek logic to drive some sense into Octavius. You'd need to see Captain Kirk in action to understand that one.
So I guess the wedding's off, right?
Fun Compelling Popcorn Movie
SnoopyStyle29 January 2014
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is struggling to make ends meet and having a hard time keeping his secret. He can't even keep his pathetic pizza delivery job. Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) is having some success on Broadway. Meanwhile Harry Osborn (James Franco) hasn't lost his hatred of Spidey. He is now funding Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) and his work on fusion. However something goes wrong in his demonstration and a new villain is born.
Director Sam Raimi is able to inject a bit of spidey fun in this movie. The internal struggle in Peter Parker about his identity is very compelling. And Alfred Molina makes for a great villain. I especially like J.K. Simmons as Jameson. They're great characters. As for the CGI, they look very nice without looking like a video game. I like the arms and I like the web swinging. It's a well put together movie and may be even better than the first.
Director Sam Raimi is able to inject a bit of spidey fun in this movie. The internal struggle in Peter Parker about his identity is very compelling. And Alfred Molina makes for a great villain. I especially like J.K. Simmons as Jameson. They're great characters. As for the CGI, they look very nice without looking like a video game. I like the arms and I like the web swinging. It's a well put together movie and may be even better than the first.
My favourite film of all time
J49afc10 December 2020
Inspired by the recent news about Tobey's likely return to playing the web-slinger in the MCU's Spider-Man 3, I rewatched this film. An IMDb score of 7.3 for this film is one of the biggest injustices I've seen on this website. In my opinion this is THE definitive and THE best superhero film of all time.
This trilogy of films is my childhood. I've loved Spider-Man as long as I can remember and he has always been my favourite superhero. These films came out at just the right time when I was growing up so watching this films just brings it all back. And that's not to say my judgement of this film is blinded by nostalgia- this is genuinely an amazing film that holds up in the present day.
The story is an interesting one, with Peter grappling with the personal consequences of being Spider-Man and feeling the subsequent effects, all whilst he fights the best Spider-Man villain ever to be put on screen, Alfred Molina's brilliantly menacing Doc Ock. The sequence in which Spider-Man returns and fights Doc Ock on the train is for me, the best superhero fight scene of all time and my favourite cinematic sequence ever. You can feel every punch, every wince and every scream- something that unfortunately, today's comic book flicks are devoid of.
And it's not just all action and no heart- when it wants to tug on the heart strings it yanks them. The scene with Uncle Ben is so painful, raw and acted to perfection. It makes me tear up every time. There's also the usual Raimi campiness, with quips and funny moments giving the film a real charm about it. All of this is underlined by Danny Elfman's brilliant, bombastic and booming score that really does sound like the audio equivalent of a comic book.
This film is a 120 minute thrill ride with heart-stopping action and heart-wrenching drama. The best superhero film ever made and my favourite film of all time.
This trilogy of films is my childhood. I've loved Spider-Man as long as I can remember and he has always been my favourite superhero. These films came out at just the right time when I was growing up so watching this films just brings it all back. And that's not to say my judgement of this film is blinded by nostalgia- this is genuinely an amazing film that holds up in the present day.
The story is an interesting one, with Peter grappling with the personal consequences of being Spider-Man and feeling the subsequent effects, all whilst he fights the best Spider-Man villain ever to be put on screen, Alfred Molina's brilliantly menacing Doc Ock. The sequence in which Spider-Man returns and fights Doc Ock on the train is for me, the best superhero fight scene of all time and my favourite cinematic sequence ever. You can feel every punch, every wince and every scream- something that unfortunately, today's comic book flicks are devoid of.
And it's not just all action and no heart- when it wants to tug on the heart strings it yanks them. The scene with Uncle Ben is so painful, raw and acted to perfection. It makes me tear up every time. There's also the usual Raimi campiness, with quips and funny moments giving the film a real charm about it. All of this is underlined by Danny Elfman's brilliant, bombastic and booming score that really does sound like the audio equivalent of a comic book.
This film is a 120 minute thrill ride with heart-stopping action and heart-wrenching drama. The best superhero film ever made and my favourite film of all time.
Takes every element from the first film and improves on it!
MinorityReporter27 April 2005
It only happens very rarely that a sequel surpasses the original (Terminator 2, Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back) and after the relative disappointment that was the original my expectations for the second film in the series had decreased. When I finally did sit down in the cinema to see this film I was a bit anxious. But my anxiety was quickly put to rest because Spider-Man 2 took the premises from the first film and improved upon them all. The first Spider-Man film a well meaning picture but quite as good as it could have been the second film is a good film for both hardcore fans like myself and the broader audience.
First off, the acting in the second film has improved tremendously. Tobey Maguire feels more right in the second film. I found him quite shallow in the first film but in the second one he seems to have developed more depth. More nuances have found their way into his acting in the second film making the character more believable and less of a square. Kirsten Dunst is never a good actress but I found her a little less annoying in this film than in the first and therefore I felt I could tolerate her presence. James Franco is decent but still has a problem with portraying nuances which basically means that in order for his performance to work he has exaggerate every emotion his character feels. As it is with most superhero movies the villain is the most interesting character and Sam Raimi couldn't have picked a better actor than Alfred Molina to play Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock. I'm a big fan of Willem Dafoe but I didn't like his performance in the first Spider-Man film very much and therefore I was delighted when Alfred Molina turned out to be a far better villain than Willem was. His performance was both menacing and nuanced and even though the character isn't always directly in control of his actions (making him somewhat misinterpreted) Molina's performance makes the character highly credible and undoubtedly the most interesting character in the film.
The effects have improved which is logical considering that it has been 2 years since the first film hit the cinemas. Also I found that Doc Ock was much better suited for flashy moves and cool fights than Green Goblin ever was so in that aspect the film is far superior to the first film as well. Especially the train fight will, I think, go into history as one of the best hero/villain showdowns in history if not the best. The computer effects have become slightly more subtle making the film seem more polished. There were still a few unfortunate scenes were the CGI was pretty obvious but overall the effects have improved dramatically and received a well earned Oscar.
The musical score continues in the same epic fashion from the first and Danny Elfman does an exceptional job as usual. The score is both thrilling and epic but it is also subtle when it has to be and that aspect of the score works wonderfully as well. Elfman has some experience in super hero scoring (having done both Batman and Hulk aside from Spider-Man) and it shows as the score is very appropriate and fitting. Two thumbs up on the music.
In terms of story telling the second film is also far better than the first. I found the first film to be very unoriginal in terms of its story. Anyone who has just an ounce of knowledge into the myth of Spider-Man knows the story beforehand and thus the film becomes very predictable and boring quite frankly. The second film did not have this problem. It was a breath of fresh air. The story seems to flow more from the heart this time around. Raimi proved in the first film that he could take a situation from the comics and translate it reasonably to the screen. In the second film he proves that he can make a highly original story as well and make it entertaining. It should also be added that Spider-Man 2 has a lot more of the humor like the kind that appears in the comics. J.K. Simmons who was one of the elements in the first film returns in his role and he is absolutely hilarious. He truly embodies the spirit of J. Jonah Jameson. There is also a very funny elevator scene which should be mentioned.
Some people complained that Raimi has turned mainstream with the Spider-Man films. That is a load of rubbish and Raimi proves it by adding some elements from his cult films, the Evil Dead series. He even lets Bruce Campbell tell Spider-Man off as if to symbolize that he hasn't forgotten where he came from.
All in all Spider-Man 2 surpasses the first film in the franchise in almost every way imaginable Spider-Man 2 is twice as engaging, entertaining and heartfelt than the first film in the series.
9/10
First off, the acting in the second film has improved tremendously. Tobey Maguire feels more right in the second film. I found him quite shallow in the first film but in the second one he seems to have developed more depth. More nuances have found their way into his acting in the second film making the character more believable and less of a square. Kirsten Dunst is never a good actress but I found her a little less annoying in this film than in the first and therefore I felt I could tolerate her presence. James Franco is decent but still has a problem with portraying nuances which basically means that in order for his performance to work he has exaggerate every emotion his character feels. As it is with most superhero movies the villain is the most interesting character and Sam Raimi couldn't have picked a better actor than Alfred Molina to play Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock. I'm a big fan of Willem Dafoe but I didn't like his performance in the first Spider-Man film very much and therefore I was delighted when Alfred Molina turned out to be a far better villain than Willem was. His performance was both menacing and nuanced and even though the character isn't always directly in control of his actions (making him somewhat misinterpreted) Molina's performance makes the character highly credible and undoubtedly the most interesting character in the film.
The effects have improved which is logical considering that it has been 2 years since the first film hit the cinemas. Also I found that Doc Ock was much better suited for flashy moves and cool fights than Green Goblin ever was so in that aspect the film is far superior to the first film as well. Especially the train fight will, I think, go into history as one of the best hero/villain showdowns in history if not the best. The computer effects have become slightly more subtle making the film seem more polished. There were still a few unfortunate scenes were the CGI was pretty obvious but overall the effects have improved dramatically and received a well earned Oscar.
The musical score continues in the same epic fashion from the first and Danny Elfman does an exceptional job as usual. The score is both thrilling and epic but it is also subtle when it has to be and that aspect of the score works wonderfully as well. Elfman has some experience in super hero scoring (having done both Batman and Hulk aside from Spider-Man) and it shows as the score is very appropriate and fitting. Two thumbs up on the music.
In terms of story telling the second film is also far better than the first. I found the first film to be very unoriginal in terms of its story. Anyone who has just an ounce of knowledge into the myth of Spider-Man knows the story beforehand and thus the film becomes very predictable and boring quite frankly. The second film did not have this problem. It was a breath of fresh air. The story seems to flow more from the heart this time around. Raimi proved in the first film that he could take a situation from the comics and translate it reasonably to the screen. In the second film he proves that he can make a highly original story as well and make it entertaining. It should also be added that Spider-Man 2 has a lot more of the humor like the kind that appears in the comics. J.K. Simmons who was one of the elements in the first film returns in his role and he is absolutely hilarious. He truly embodies the spirit of J. Jonah Jameson. There is also a very funny elevator scene which should be mentioned.
Some people complained that Raimi has turned mainstream with the Spider-Man films. That is a load of rubbish and Raimi proves it by adding some elements from his cult films, the Evil Dead series. He even lets Bruce Campbell tell Spider-Man off as if to symbolize that he hasn't forgotten where he came from.
All in all Spider-Man 2 surpasses the first film in the franchise in almost every way imaginable Spider-Man 2 is twice as engaging, entertaining and heartfelt than the first film in the series.
9/10
Just rewatching in 2020
koyushun14 April 2020
I was a kid when I watched this in cinema back in 2004
I just want to say after all these years after a few version of Spider-Mans and all the MCU movie.
This one is hands down the best Superhero movie.
It has everything done within 2 hours. Perfectly caught up what it left of from the previous Spider-Man and Toby Maguire will always be my Spider-Man.
Bravo Sam Raimi & Sony
amazingkick15 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This by far one of Sony's best work om the character of Spider-Man alongside Spider-Verse. A great interpretation of Spider-Man. It is a film that focuses on what matters. The character. Sam Raimi took everything that worked about the first Spider-Man movie and made it so much better. We see a Peter Parker with relatable problems. We see a man that never loses his will and never gives up ACTUALLY give up. He literally can't catch a break. And when he does catch a break and has his confidence boosted it feels so satisfying. This Peter Parker is probably one of the best if not the best character in the whole CB Genre. Doctor Octavius is man which Peter idolizes not only on his work in making the world a better place but also in his love life. Think about it Otto and his wife are a shadow reflection of what Peter wants. When Otto's wife dies and Otto goes insane all he wants is to rebuild the machine that made him proud, that made his wife proud. Harry's development in this movie is completely amazing he goes from being a best friend to absolutely hating Peter and being completely broken from the loss of his father who he so much wanted to impress. Bravo Sony. Bravo Sam. Thank you for giving us this masterpiece. Thank you for giving your soul into making this movie amazing. Thank you for making our childhood and adulthood amazing with this classic.
Spider-man some more... please!
WilsonLau10 December 2004
After being very impressed with the first one after some skepticism, Spider-man 2 is tackling a sequel with great anticipation and even greater expectations. The way Sam Raimi was able to produce the story of Spider-man with such style, realism and above all, faithfulness to the Marvel original comic is tremendous to say the least. The reason why it took this long to make a live action movie for Spider-man is due to the difficulties in making the action sequences look real and being able to connect all the side stories and characters in a single effort. Although it doesn't look flawless, it is still able to fool the eyes. The characters are also faithfully represented.
Spider-man 2 is a great sequel for many reasons. First it ties right into the original without skipping a beat. Set a few years after the original with all the same actors and characters. Though it differentiates itself enough from the original so you're not watching a clone of the first. It dives deeper into the psyche and the experiences of its main character in order for you to gain a greater understanding of his situation. At the same time it still provide great visuals, pulse pounding action sequences, humorous side sequences and breath taking special effects and camera work. This movies stands head and shoulders above all super hero comic movies. It delivers what a movie goer seeks and leaves them gasping for more. Immediately after viewing, I was pondering what they will do with the next installment and i am sure that the majority of the viewers were thinking the same thing.
The movie is strung together in a great sequence that never ever bores the viewer. The new villain gets a good intro which explains his situation in a neat and tidy manor. Doctor Otto Octavius is a perfect villain which is played and visually represented to perfection. The movements of Doc Ock are fantastic. It's just as i would have pictured it in my mind, if i could... while watching the cartoons or reading the comics. Only Raimi presents it in a way that connects the loose visuals in our minds with the visual reality (of course with the aid of computers).
Some may complain about there being too much story, too much Peter Parker and not enough action. One must realize that if it were the other way around, that you'd be complaining that there wasn't enough storyline. People are so hard to please. Even with this seemingly flawless movie people still find something to complain about. The only thing i didn't understand was the presence of Ursala, the daughter of Peter's landlord. What was her role in all of this?
Anyways, i just bought the DVD for this and realized that i should voice my opinion especially seeing how low of a score this movie got in contrast with what i would score it.
Action:10 Directing:10 Acting:10 Re-watchability(if thats even a word):10
Overall rating: 10 out of 10... bravo!
Bring on part 3 whoever the villain might be. Venom, Lizard, Gobblin, Scorpion, whatever. Heck bring on the sinister 6!
Spider-man 2 is a great sequel for many reasons. First it ties right into the original without skipping a beat. Set a few years after the original with all the same actors and characters. Though it differentiates itself enough from the original so you're not watching a clone of the first. It dives deeper into the psyche and the experiences of its main character in order for you to gain a greater understanding of his situation. At the same time it still provide great visuals, pulse pounding action sequences, humorous side sequences and breath taking special effects and camera work. This movies stands head and shoulders above all super hero comic movies. It delivers what a movie goer seeks and leaves them gasping for more. Immediately after viewing, I was pondering what they will do with the next installment and i am sure that the majority of the viewers were thinking the same thing.
The movie is strung together in a great sequence that never ever bores the viewer. The new villain gets a good intro which explains his situation in a neat and tidy manor. Doctor Otto Octavius is a perfect villain which is played and visually represented to perfection. The movements of Doc Ock are fantastic. It's just as i would have pictured it in my mind, if i could... while watching the cartoons or reading the comics. Only Raimi presents it in a way that connects the loose visuals in our minds with the visual reality (of course with the aid of computers).
Some may complain about there being too much story, too much Peter Parker and not enough action. One must realize that if it were the other way around, that you'd be complaining that there wasn't enough storyline. People are so hard to please. Even with this seemingly flawless movie people still find something to complain about. The only thing i didn't understand was the presence of Ursala, the daughter of Peter's landlord. What was her role in all of this?
Anyways, i just bought the DVD for this and realized that i should voice my opinion especially seeing how low of a score this movie got in contrast with what i would score it.
Action:10 Directing:10 Acting:10 Re-watchability(if thats even a word):10
Overall rating: 10 out of 10... bravo!
Bring on part 3 whoever the villain might be. Venom, Lizard, Gobblin, Scorpion, whatever. Heck bring on the sinister 6!
A damn near perfect summer blockbuster
bob the moo23 August 2004
Two years on from defeating the Green Goblin, Peter Parker is having a harder time meeting the ongoing expectations of the public. On top of this the double life is taking its strain on his job, his personal life and his ability to even cast webs. Parker decides enough is enough and throws it all in after all, he is only one man. Meanwhile, A brilliant scientist, Dr Octavius sees his life's work on a fusion reactor explode killing his wife. Wife the protective device on his computerised arms broken, Dr Octavius loses his grip on sanity and starts to rebuild his reactor using money and materials from crime. With him seemingly intent on destruction, Parker must decide if the needs of others outweigh his own.
With many blockbusters falling at the opening weekend this summer, the title of 'summer's best' was still up for grabs when I arrived at the cinema to watch Spiderman 2 (having only the week earlier given it the miss in favour of lighter fare). Two hours later I emerged having enjoyed one of the most entertaining popcorn films I'll probably see all year. The plot is more than able to fill the running time and, although the action scenes often have large gaps between them, there are no moments where I was bored even if there are a few moments where the film slightly slows. The complexity of the hero is the main thing he is an unwilling hero and the strain shows well on him. Even the potentially ponderous thread with Mary-Jane plays pretty well for the most part.
The villain of the piece is similar to the Green Goblin of the first film in that he is a scientist driven to madness by 'voices' who we want to lose as well as feeling for more tragic than evil. Where Dafoe was great as the Goblin, the silly costume hindered the actor, here Molina has no such obstacle and does very well carrying off the 'voices' scene without it looking silly it is only a shame that he has so little screen time as a person (he has little time anyway but the vast majority of it is throwing cars around). With these complex people as the fronts it is any wonder that the script has no problem being surprisingly strong for a summer action movie. You could read meaning into most of it but it is hard to not see the New York people on the train carrying the prone body of Spiderman backwards as having a bigger significance a surprisingly poignant movie after a big effects-driven scene. The script also throws in a real mix of emotions perfect for a film that is more about being an exciting ride than a piece of art. Plenty of it is very funny, some of it is touching, some of it is about character and some of it, well, some of it is about cars being thrown through windows! And of course the latter is what we have come for.
In terms of action, the several big action sequences are very enjoyable and put the skirmishes from the first movie very much in the shade. Part of this is down to the increased intensity of the fights due to the close combat nature of the character but it is hard not to be impressed by the impact of the vastly improved effects. In the first movie I struggled occasionally to get past the fact that some of it (not all but some) looked very much like an average playstation game. Here the effects are great; sure, you can still tell when a mid-shot of a character is real or CGI but they are much more convincing and they are used a lot better making it easier to accept them as real for the purposes of the film. Of course what really makes the action sequences is Raimi's great direction. He is very able in the smaller moments but he is fantastic in the massive action scenes that he pulls together. At times his direction is very clever and my favourite 'reference' scene is also the one that surprised me that it was rated PG. In a very clear reference to Evil Dead, doctors are hammered by Dr Octopus' arms for the first time dragged screaming (ED's trees) and tackling it with bone saws (Ash's chain saw). It was a very intense scene and, with it being in a PG, it acts as proof that the BBFC are not as strict as the moaners would have us believe.
Working with this direction, the cast all do really well. Maguire takes the pratfalls, the moral questions, the romance and the action equally as well. He is very much the likable everyman that the film needs Spiderman to be and he is good throughout. Dunst has talked about her desire to do more than just this type of film and, from this, I can see why. Although she has some good scenes, generally she is sidelined and it is to her credit that she does as well as she does with comparatively little to work with. Molina is given too little time and lacks a really strong scene of emotion in the same way that Dafoe did in front of the mirror but he still does well. I didn't feel his pain as much as I really should have done but that was more down to his low screen time rather than his performance. Franco is good but a bit too one-dimensional; given that the third film will be very dependent on him I'm hoping he can step up to the plate more than he did here. Of the support cast, once again it is a wonderfully OTT Simmons who steals every scene he is in he is so good that I never once saw him as his Oz character an association I never thought he'd be able to break but he did and he did it hilariously. Cameos from Campbell, Raimi and Dafoe are all enjoyable and add to their scenes.
Overall this is not a perfect film and I am bemused by its appearance in the top 250 list here but it does basically everything it sets out to do and does it in a manner that puts this years' other blockbusters in the shade. The script is clever, interesting and involving; the characters are complex and pretty well drawn while the film delivers laughs as frequently as it does action. With improved effects and some very impressive action scenes this is definitely the movie to sue in a summer full of misses and average thrills.
With many blockbusters falling at the opening weekend this summer, the title of 'summer's best' was still up for grabs when I arrived at the cinema to watch Spiderman 2 (having only the week earlier given it the miss in favour of lighter fare). Two hours later I emerged having enjoyed one of the most entertaining popcorn films I'll probably see all year. The plot is more than able to fill the running time and, although the action scenes often have large gaps between them, there are no moments where I was bored even if there are a few moments where the film slightly slows. The complexity of the hero is the main thing he is an unwilling hero and the strain shows well on him. Even the potentially ponderous thread with Mary-Jane plays pretty well for the most part.
The villain of the piece is similar to the Green Goblin of the first film in that he is a scientist driven to madness by 'voices' who we want to lose as well as feeling for more tragic than evil. Where Dafoe was great as the Goblin, the silly costume hindered the actor, here Molina has no such obstacle and does very well carrying off the 'voices' scene without it looking silly it is only a shame that he has so little screen time as a person (he has little time anyway but the vast majority of it is throwing cars around). With these complex people as the fronts it is any wonder that the script has no problem being surprisingly strong for a summer action movie. You could read meaning into most of it but it is hard to not see the New York people on the train carrying the prone body of Spiderman backwards as having a bigger significance a surprisingly poignant movie after a big effects-driven scene. The script also throws in a real mix of emotions perfect for a film that is more about being an exciting ride than a piece of art. Plenty of it is very funny, some of it is touching, some of it is about character and some of it, well, some of it is about cars being thrown through windows! And of course the latter is what we have come for.
In terms of action, the several big action sequences are very enjoyable and put the skirmishes from the first movie very much in the shade. Part of this is down to the increased intensity of the fights due to the close combat nature of the character but it is hard not to be impressed by the impact of the vastly improved effects. In the first movie I struggled occasionally to get past the fact that some of it (not all but some) looked very much like an average playstation game. Here the effects are great; sure, you can still tell when a mid-shot of a character is real or CGI but they are much more convincing and they are used a lot better making it easier to accept them as real for the purposes of the film. Of course what really makes the action sequences is Raimi's great direction. He is very able in the smaller moments but he is fantastic in the massive action scenes that he pulls together. At times his direction is very clever and my favourite 'reference' scene is also the one that surprised me that it was rated PG. In a very clear reference to Evil Dead, doctors are hammered by Dr Octopus' arms for the first time dragged screaming (ED's trees) and tackling it with bone saws (Ash's chain saw). It was a very intense scene and, with it being in a PG, it acts as proof that the BBFC are not as strict as the moaners would have us believe.
Working with this direction, the cast all do really well. Maguire takes the pratfalls, the moral questions, the romance and the action equally as well. He is very much the likable everyman that the film needs Spiderman to be and he is good throughout. Dunst has talked about her desire to do more than just this type of film and, from this, I can see why. Although she has some good scenes, generally she is sidelined and it is to her credit that she does as well as she does with comparatively little to work with. Molina is given too little time and lacks a really strong scene of emotion in the same way that Dafoe did in front of the mirror but he still does well. I didn't feel his pain as much as I really should have done but that was more down to his low screen time rather than his performance. Franco is good but a bit too one-dimensional; given that the third film will be very dependent on him I'm hoping he can step up to the plate more than he did here. Of the support cast, once again it is a wonderfully OTT Simmons who steals every scene he is in he is so good that I never once saw him as his Oz character an association I never thought he'd be able to break but he did and he did it hilariously. Cameos from Campbell, Raimi and Dafoe are all enjoyable and add to their scenes.
Overall this is not a perfect film and I am bemused by its appearance in the top 250 list here but it does basically everything it sets out to do and does it in a manner that puts this years' other blockbusters in the shade. The script is clever, interesting and involving; the characters are complex and pretty well drawn while the film delivers laughs as frequently as it does action. With improved effects and some very impressive action scenes this is definitely the movie to sue in a summer full of misses and average thrills.
A Nearly Flawless Super-Hero Movie
thesar-215 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Despite #1 being a very good movie, 'Spider-Man 2' falls under the "Surprisingly Better" sequels. Now, that's not to say, #2 didn't have its problems. It did, including one lingering from #1 (pacing,) but overall, they moved forward with the series. And in high-speed.
Already established web-slinger, do-gooder, Spider-Man continues his plight in saving kids and punishing criminals all the while getting beaten up (emotionally) as Peter Parker. In fact, they show more than enough of his beat-downs. We get it already – he's a nerd that everyone takes advantage of.
At any rate, he's still pursuing both MJ (Dunst,) who's now engaged to a more "stable" astronaut and Dr. Otto Octavius all the while, he's avoiding best friend (of Pete)/mortal enemy (of Spidey) Harry (Franco.) To make matters worse, his mother's losing her home, Pete's losing his apartment, Doc Ock's becoming an eight-limbed crazed scientist and he's getting Spidey-blocked, or unable to use his powers as his mind's overloaded.
There's actually a lot more, but that's for the viewer to see. Don't want to give away everything. Suffice to say, Pete's got a lot on his mind. Thankfully, they've up'd the villain-scale with Dr. Octopus played brilliantly by (unknown to me at the time) Alfred Molina. He ranks as one of the best on-screen villains of all time. His quiet tone, brilliant mind and attitude and mannerisms, especially being attached to 4 additional limbs, made him quite believable despite his appearance. Side Note: Doc Ock was always my favorite Spider-Man villain, and since they did a great job, this is my favorite Spider-Man movie, by a long shot.
Hopefully most people picked up on the operation scene, when they tried to rid Dr. Octavius of his metal contraptions and how it was an absolute perfect homage to Raimi's previous work. That was so 'Evil Dead' that, though it was hard to watch, especially the nail scrape, I was so impressed that he came back to his roots vs. the main-stream 'Spider-Man' had become. If you don't believe me, split screen the chainsaw with 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Army of Darkness.' There are a lot of excellent action sequences, tension and fun to be had in 'Spider-Man 2.' (The train scene, itself, is worth admission.) Nevertheless, the movie should've been cut back some – pacing is such a problem for Raimi and enough already with on again/off again relationship with MJ & Parker.
In addition, we get the multiple "Should I be a 'superhero' or not" long scenes. Superman did that, but only briefly in another superhero part 2: 'Superman II.' That's old and wears heavily. Thankfully, they move past it and you can enjoy the movie. Of course, if you can get past now multiple people knowing Spidey's true identity, that is.
I cringe that the movie critic I respect the most (Roger Ebert,) called this the best superhero movie he's ever seen. I wouldn't go that far (I'll always be partial to 'Superman: The Movie.' Heck, a few years later 'The Dark Knight' blew this one away) but I would say it's absolutely recommended. Especially since we didn't have to wait too long to see Spider-Man swing, unlike part one.
Already established web-slinger, do-gooder, Spider-Man continues his plight in saving kids and punishing criminals all the while getting beaten up (emotionally) as Peter Parker. In fact, they show more than enough of his beat-downs. We get it already – he's a nerd that everyone takes advantage of.
At any rate, he's still pursuing both MJ (Dunst,) who's now engaged to a more "stable" astronaut and Dr. Otto Octavius all the while, he's avoiding best friend (of Pete)/mortal enemy (of Spidey) Harry (Franco.) To make matters worse, his mother's losing her home, Pete's losing his apartment, Doc Ock's becoming an eight-limbed crazed scientist and he's getting Spidey-blocked, or unable to use his powers as his mind's overloaded.
There's actually a lot more, but that's for the viewer to see. Don't want to give away everything. Suffice to say, Pete's got a lot on his mind. Thankfully, they've up'd the villain-scale with Dr. Octopus played brilliantly by (unknown to me at the time) Alfred Molina. He ranks as one of the best on-screen villains of all time. His quiet tone, brilliant mind and attitude and mannerisms, especially being attached to 4 additional limbs, made him quite believable despite his appearance. Side Note: Doc Ock was always my favorite Spider-Man villain, and since they did a great job, this is my favorite Spider-Man movie, by a long shot.
Hopefully most people picked up on the operation scene, when they tried to rid Dr. Octavius of his metal contraptions and how it was an absolute perfect homage to Raimi's previous work. That was so 'Evil Dead' that, though it was hard to watch, especially the nail scrape, I was so impressed that he came back to his roots vs. the main-stream 'Spider-Man' had become. If you don't believe me, split screen the chainsaw with 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Army of Darkness.' There are a lot of excellent action sequences, tension and fun to be had in 'Spider-Man 2.' (The train scene, itself, is worth admission.) Nevertheless, the movie should've been cut back some – pacing is such a problem for Raimi and enough already with on again/off again relationship with MJ & Parker.
In addition, we get the multiple "Should I be a 'superhero' or not" long scenes. Superman did that, but only briefly in another superhero part 2: 'Superman II.' That's old and wears heavily. Thankfully, they move past it and you can enjoy the movie. Of course, if you can get past now multiple people knowing Spidey's true identity, that is.
I cringe that the movie critic I respect the most (Roger Ebert,) called this the best superhero movie he's ever seen. I wouldn't go that far (I'll always be partial to 'Superman: The Movie.' Heck, a few years later 'The Dark Knight' blew this one away) but I would say it's absolutely recommended. Especially since we didn't have to wait too long to see Spider-Man swing, unlike part one.
Go watch this movie right now
gusgusedu2 November 2020
This movie it's not just a good superhero movie, but a great film. The source material has been analyzed, and overall studied so It would make the fans happy, but a great superhero movie understands that this is not just for the fans, It's for the whole public, so the screenplay and the dialogue that sometimes sounds a little corny is very well writen. The CGI effects still looking good at this point, watching Spider-Man swinging around it's just amazing. Peter Parker's story arc it's perfect, for the people he interacts with he is just another nerdy guy who doesn't understands the meaning of puntcuality, but for us (the audience) he is the perfect protagonist. This movie is made by someone who understands the character and undertsands about cinema, and that man is Sam Raimi.
Almost as good as the first film, with terrific visuals and a (I think) superior story
TheLittleSongbird28 October 2009
I really enjoyed the first film, despite its unevenness in the script, and its length. This sequel is almost as good as its predecessor, and for me one of the better sequels out there. If there is one thing that I do prefer over the original, despite the rather slow start, I do think this film has the stronger storyline. The script is in general very good too, but the only other real problem I have with this film is its length. Despite the flaws, it is a pretty darn good action sequel. Two things made this movie as wonderful as it was. One was that it was terrific visually and technically, with splendid special effects and jaw-dropping stunts. The final action sequence between Spiderman and Dr Octopus was in particular brilliantly staged. The cinematography is focused and makes the film even more a wonder to look at. The other was the villain Dr Octopus, superbly played by Alfred Molina. Dr Octopus is made into a rather complex villain, after the death of his wife Rosalie, and becomes a villain after being part of his own invention. The music was also dramatic and fun. The remainder of the performances were very good too, while not admittedly the most charismatic actors ever, (Sean Connery is definitely a contender for that) Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst still give believable lead performances. All in all, a very good sequel. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Great Spider-Man Film
whpratt18 January 2007
Tobey Maguire,(Spider-Man/Peter Parker), gave an outstanding performance as a very weak and helpless type of guy who tried to fly like a bird and fell on his face all the time, so to speak. As the picture progresses you wonder just how Spider Man will eventually put an end to his octopus friend and his evil deeds. There are many exciting scenes and especially when Spider Man is trying to save a run-away elevated train from going off its track and winding up in a river. Kirsten Dunst, (Mary Jane Watson) is about to get married to someone other than Peter Parker and something takes hold of her and sends her in another direction. This was a great entertaining film and very well viewing over and over again.
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