Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a brilliant scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius, who becomes Doctor Octopus (aka Doc Ock), after an accident causes him to bond psychically with mechanical tentacles that do his bidding.

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Stan Lee (comic book), Steve Ditko (comic book),

Stars:

Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco

Won 1 Oscar. Another 16 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tobey Maguire	...	Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Kirsten Dunst	...	Mary Jane Watson
James Franco	...	Harry Osborn
Alfred Molina	...	Doc Ock / Dr. Otto Octavius
Rosemary Harris	...	May Parker
J.K. Simmons	...	J. Jonah Jameson
Donna Murphy	...	Rosalie Octavius
Daniel Gillies	...	John Jameson
Dylan Baker	...	Dr. Curt Connors
Bill Nunn	...	Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
Vanessa Ferlito	...	Louise
Aasif Mandvi	...	Mr. Aziz
Willem Dafoe	...	Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Cliff Robertson	...	Ben Parker
Ted Raimi	...	Hoffman

Storyline

Peter Parker is an unhappy man: after two years of fighting crime as Spider-Man, his life has begun to fall apart. The girl he loves is engaged to someone else, his grades are slipping, he cannot keep any of his jobs, and on top of it, the newspaper Daily Bugle is attacking him viciously, claiming that Spider-Man is a criminal. He reaches the breaking point and gives up the crime fighter's life, once and for all. But after a failed fusion experiment, eccentric and obsessive scientist Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into super villain Doctor Octopus, Doc Ock for short, having four long tentacles as extra hands. Peter guesses it might just be time for Spider-Man to return, but would he act upon it?

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | tentacle | scientist | crime fighter | death | 

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Taglines:

Choice

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for stylized action violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook game

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Chinese

Release Date:

30 June 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spider-Man 2 Lives

Filming Locations:

Spring Street Towers - 650 S. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,377,737 (Italy) (17 September 2004)

Gross:

$373,377,893 (USA) (12 November 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Marvel Enterprises, Laura Ziskin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 135 min (DVD extended cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Following the first film's record-breaking $115 million opening weekend, Sony assigned the sequel a budget of $200 million.

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Goofs

When Octavius introduces his four arms, and as he turns to have the device attached to his back he says, "They are impervious to heat and magnetism." As he turns his lips are not moving but we hear him speaking.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peter Parker: [narrating] She looks at me everyday. Mary Jane Watson. Oh boy! If she only knew how I felt about her. But she can never know. I made a choice once to live a life of responsibility. A life she can never be a part of. Who am I? I'm Spider-Man, given a job to do. And I'm Peter Parker, and I too have a job.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, highlights of the previous film are illustrated with paintings created by the renowned comic book artist Alex Ross.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Kick-Ass/Death at a Funeral/The Joneses (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Bridal Chorus"
from "Lohengrin"
Written by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

See this one.

WOW.

I had low expectations after Spiderman 1. Spider Guy 2 is a blowout, take no prisoners, roller coaster ride of a film. It's got it all: great story line, edge of your seat action, romance, humor, fine acting, break neck pace,….well, you get the idea.

This film is for the whole family. Great chase scenes, crashes, and special effects for the guys. Romance, and a tender love story for the gals. Comic book touches for the kids. It just works so well on every level.

McGuire and Dunst have a chemistry that reminded me of Niles and Daphne in "Frasier." They loved each other from afar, and could not communicate their feelings to each other. The romantic tension was exquisite. So it is here with McGuire and Dunst. You know they have to get together at some point, but the long and difficult road is a journey we enjoy.

The villain is definitely top shelf. Without revealing too much, suffice it to say that he's bad enough, scary enough, and convincing enough to make the film work on the plot level.

The special effects are well done, especially where Spiderman has to save passengers on a speeding train.

Spiderman has self doubts, begins to lose his powers, and longs to be Peter Parker instead of a superhero. He struggles with his choices in life, as we all do. He makes difficult choices, and learns that truth and integrity are rewarded, even when the results are very painful for the aunt who has replaced his mother.

You might see films with a deeper message, but you won't see many films that combine action, romance, and meaning in one slick package. See this one. In fact, you may want to buy this one for your DVD library.