User reviews

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.

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

7.3/10? Seriously? Most mediocre MCU films get a better rating than that. This movie is up there with The Dark Knight as one of the best superhero movies. This movie was loved when it came out, now it's cool to hate on the trilogy. Spider-Man 2 improved on all aspects of Spider-Man 1. Peter is struggling to be Spider-Man, and the movie illustrates that very well. The action is better than lots of movies today, most notably the train fight scene. Danny Elfman provides an unforgettable soundtrack. This movie and the trilogy shouldn't be overlooked as some cheesy 2000s movies, because they paved the way for the MCU as we know it today.

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.

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.

Now this is a super-hero movie, filled with crazy action scenes, great effects, funny moments and a little cheesiness. I can't explain why I like Spider-man movies so much, I even liked the 3rd movie which I admit it wasn't very good, but it was entertaining and it even managed to be very emotional for me.

Spider-man has always been my favorite super-hero. There's just something about a super-hero fighting crime, struggling to pay the bills and trying to find time to study. It certainly was a hero that revolutionized the basic concept of the rich hero which has a secret base filled with costumes, weapons, gimmicks, wheels, etc. That AND Spider-man's charisma appealed to me, he is a funny character, he wears a funny costume (not too ninja-like that's for sure) and he has awesome powers! He is not an indestructible mutant nor a green beast with infinite strength... or even a guy who bursts into flames or shoots laser-beams outta his ass! He IS a simple hero and has enough to be cool and interesting, spider powers! After all he is your friendly neighbourhood Spider-man! And by the way, the original Spider-man created a hardening, sticky liquid/glue or whatever it is called, making his own web, because in spite of his initial superhuman powers, Peter Parker was also brilliant teenager and used that great intellect to his advantage. That good analysis and perception of his also saved his ass numerous times (I confess I used to be an avid reader of the comics and follower of its never-ending story).

And this movie delivers all that, it shows how great of a super-hero spider-man really is, his crazy-ass awesome villains, his cheesy jokes, his athletic and jumpy fighting style, it's all awesome to be seen! And for action fans, be it chaotic scenes, be it car chases, sword fights or fisticuffs action, there are some scenes in this movie that will for sure please all of you. Starting from the Bank robbery all the way to the train stopping, it's candy for my eyes... Spider-man vs. Dr. Octupus, one of my favorite fights in Cinema history.

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.

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 outstrips its predecessor and has a perversity and quick-wittedness that hardly seem to belong in a comic-book movie. Tobey Maguire is a good choice for the title role, since his faraway look and sleepy voice seem rather more l'uomo vague than dynamic crimebuster. Alfred Molina makes for a much better supervillain than the first movie's Green Goblin. There is something weightless and flimsy in the spectacle of Spider-Man swinging between scrapers. The cinematographer, Bill Pope, finesse a crisply shot New York with comic-book overlay.

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.

I'm not bashing this movie. I like this movie, and I even own a copy of it in my growing DVD collection. However, upon viewing it a second time it's not as good as I originally thought. In fact, I find it damn slow. The fight scenes between Spidy and Doc Ock are great, but they are few and far between. And there's too much philosophizing/moralizing for my taste. Still, it's worth the investment in time and money. Toby is good as Spiderman, but the standout performance is Alfred Molina, who should get a Best Support Actor nomination, although that's a pipe dream.

Hopefully, Spiderman 3 will be more action-based, now that his moral conundrum and romance buildup resolved.

This film wants to be a drama, a love story, sci-fi movie and action extravaganza all at the same time, and then just screws up everything.

The action scenes are not bad, but really not that different from the first movie.

As far as sci-fi goes, it's all fiction and no science. The whole idea of professor Octavius and his "great invention" is completely unconvincing and seem extremely far fetched, not unlike the plot twists. But then, it is a comic-book-movie.

But where this film really goes south is the drama/love story. It's an endless string of clichés, the characters are cardboard and the only thing truly dramatic is the quality of the dialog. Both the characters of Peter and of Mary Jane are so hopeless and indecisive that you end up hoping the bad guy kills them, just to get it over with. The pace is excruciatingly slow, so during the seemingly endless dialogs, ones eyelids tend to get very heavy.

Even the jokes in the movie don't work that well. It *tries* too hard to be funny, but it just isn't. The only exception is the scene in the elevator, that was hilarious.

If all of this isn't bad enough, the studios Morality Department also got hold of the script somewhere along the line. They injected a large dose of those wholesome "American Values", talking at lenght about American Heroes and rolemodels etc. Almost made me physically sick.

I still would have given it 3/10, but right now it's in the top 250. Even if you're not a harsh as I am about this film, then let's at least agree that in the history of cinema, surely we can find at least 250 films that are better than this one.

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 was almost the perfect comic book movie and perhaps released at the best time. When audiences get bored with what genres normally cook up (mostly horror) we the viewers always look for the next best thing. For a while, horror movies were all the fad, but these movies can become boring extremely fast and Hollywood must find something completely opposite from horror to try and keep our attention. So, what might be completely opposite from horror? Well first, lets make a list of what is opposite from horror. Happy is one, action is another; good guys always winning might be another. So, what might be a good opposite for horror is a comic book movie. Now, a lot of money comes from what Hollywood had to offer for comic book movies. Some are failures (Electra) and others are hits. For the most part, most of them are hits. Spider-Man 2 is one of them. We begin with Peter Parker continuing his job as Spider-Man, but all is not well. Peter's friend, Harry Osborn, hates Spider-Man and wants him dead. Because of Peter's relation with taking photographs of Spider-Man, Harry has problems with Peter that only continue to grow worse as the movie goes on. The main villain of this movie is Dr. Otto Octavius who later becomes Dr. Ock. In a freak accident, he is connected to his invention of arms that are suppose to help him with an even bigger invention. His wife is killed in the process and the arms attached to him seem to have complete control of what he does. Deeply grieved, Dr. Ock runs away and hides, but not for long. He comes to terms with what he has become and starts his life as super villain. As usual, it is up to Spider-Man to save the day, but something is not right. Spider-Man seems to be losing his powers and has no control of what is happening to him. It is true that this film is better than the first entry, but only by a little bit. It seems though, that scene were Peter saves the people a train was little over it when everyone on the train discovers he is Spider-Man. Overall: A-

-Ben Russell

Let me say I have generally enjoyed watching both Spider-Man films. They're fun to view, but as someone older who doesn't necessarily get thrilled watching teen romances, they aren't DVDs I would purchase. The action scenes, with Spider-Man flying around from skyscraper- to-skyscraper, are fantastic. I also loved the villain in here, the octopus-like "Dr. Octavius," played just great by Alfred Molina.

However, there is just too much Kirsten Dunst "Mary Jane Watson") in here and the romance angles between her and "Peter Parker" (Tobey Maguire) are just annoying....too sappy, and they take away from the story too much. A little of it is fine, but that aspect of the story takes up too high a percentage of screen time.

I've read the comics and those concentrate mainly on Spider Man vs. various villains. I wish the movies would have done the same.

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.

I went to the midnight show last night and was completely blown away !! I am 30 years old and had begun reading the Amazing Spider-Man back when I was 11 and leaving the theater last night, I felt like I was a kid again- I was amazed, I was in awe, I really felt... satisfied.

Every scene crackled. There was an energy, there was an effort put into every moment of the movie. No scene went on too long, no plot holes fell through. It was the comic, come alive.

Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire did a great job of making Peter Parker sympathetic, you feel for him, you wince with him, he is the boy, becoming a man, and you watch it, and you keep watching it.

Even as a long-time fan who knew where some of the story lines were going- with MJ, with Harry Osborne- to see HOW the movie chose to play out these stories, provided great surprises for me, I almost wished I didn't know... I can't wait to see the reactions of my friends who haven't followed the Spider-man comics, the twist of the story and the hints at what is to come...

A great movie. Great fun. Great story. Great action. A blockbuster movie. You leave the theater, definitely feeling like you got your money's worth !

This movie is vastly overrated to say the least. Sure, it's a good summer movie - but that is all (don't believe the IMDb score). It's a summer action movie at the right time without competition, that's why it's a box office smash hit (nobody goes to see Troy anymore) - not on movie merits. If you don't believe me yet at how overrated this flick is; look at the votes. 50% of voters has given this movie a 10. A 10! Imo it's more of a 6 or a week 7 (I gave it a 6) and here's why.

This is more of a drama then an action movie and some scenes are really drawn out. "What?!! You just want brainless action!" I hear the Spiderman fans screaming from the top of their lungs. "No.", I reply calmly, "I don't". But when you want some sort of drama or a strongly emotional driven storybase (or what not) you need, imo, at least 2 things.

1) A good script. This is not it, no matter what you say. The script is very poor by all means and I'm not reacting to the liberties taken over the spiderman story (and some things are really out there), it's just not a very good script by any standards. The tempo and wrapup of the movie is really strange aswell (but that's the editings and / or directors fault).

2) Good acting. And this is not it again. Tobey Maguire surprised me with how poorly he acted in this movie - looked mostly like he was wandering about being sleepy all of the time without any emotions to show for his life. Kirsten Dunst never was (or will be) a good actress. Alfred Molina? Hah. It feels like they're trying to make the movie as cheap as they can, what a poor substitute he is for the great Dafoe in the first movie. In fact, the best acting by far is that of James Franco and he only has a small part (he truelly shines).

The effects are still mediocre at best aswell (Harry Potter 3's are outstanding) and cleary compatriot. There isn't any excuse for it either this time around since the first Spiderman movie pulled in as much cash as it did. No, simply put this is a good movie; but not great by any means. no matter how hard people try to project on you that it's "innovative" cause of the emotion overload (poorly executed) they try to fill it with.

This movie is by far one of the best movies of all time! The movie had pretty much everything you need for a prefect film: Script: 10/10! OUTSTANDING! Director Sam Raimi did an excellent job giving full attention to the Dilemma of Peter Parker. He balances all the action, comedy, and drama perfectly.

Acting: 10/10. Tobey Maguire was very good being a character that doubts himself and has to choose between wanting a normal life and wanting to live as a superhero. Kirsten Dunst is very good in her roll as Mary Jane Watson. James Franco is amazing as the bitter Harry Osborn who is seeking revenge on Spider-Man. And Alfred Molina as Doc Ock is fantastic. He was an excellent choice as one of my favorite characters from the comic.

Action Sequences: 10/10. This movie has some amazing action scenes with Doc Ock on the building. But the best effect in the film is the fight between Spidey and Doc Ock on the side of the train.

Comedy: 8/10. J.K. Simmons is amazing as J. Jonah Jameson and adds a lot to the film. Ted Raimi is also very funny. The Raindrops sequence in the movie had a lot of laughs when you see Peter Parker as the nerdiest kid in the world.

This movie has everything you could ever want out of a summer blockbuster. And as far as staying faithful to the comic book 10/10.

PERFECT!!! 10/10

Ah man, I *really* loved this one when it first hit theaters. Now? Boy, it just hasn't held up so well. I still appreciate the effort to dig deeper into the character's history, exploring the classic "Spider-Man No More" storyline and treating Doctor Octopus with a fair degree of respect, but it's so thoroughly over-acted and packed with corny jokes that the good stuff is largely negated by the bad. Two steps forward, two steps back, if you will. Every aspect of the film is like that. Tobey Maguire does a fine job of conveying the heavy burden of responsibility, suffering through an arduous personal life to satisfy a lofty personal code, but he also hams it up like nobody's business and flat-out kills a few shots with his blunt delivery. Sam Raimi pieces together a scene that's arguably the character's best cinematic moment (that would be the great train rescue) but also over-indulges with abundant guest spots and awkwardly out-of-place throwbacks to his Evil Dead days. Doc Ock's escape from the operating room, for example, is straight-up B-grade horror fare. The world-building stuff gets a bit out of control, too, which leads to an overstuffed running time and a plot that drags on forever. It's cute to see The Lizard, Black Cat and Man-Wolf before they've become rogues, but those guest spots aren't worth more than a quick smile and a wink. Why do they need to become recurring characters, when the cast is already bursting at the seams? There's interesting material here, and some memorable performances, but the whole thing needs a good fat-trimming.