Spider-Man 2

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.