Spider-Man 2
2004
Sam Raimi's follow-up to SPIDER-MAN finds Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggling to balance his everyday life with his alter ego as the web-slinging superhero. Still carrying the burden of keeping his crime-fighting identity from those closest to him--including his longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), his best .. Read more
| Starring | Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco |
|---|---|
| Director | Sam Raimi |
| Run time | 122 mins |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Thriller |
loading...
-
Critics' reviews (4)
View all -
At the climax of Kill Bill: Vol 2, Bill lets loose with a lonnggg speech about comic book super heroes - how they're all essentially much of a muchness, being humans who have... read more »
- LOVEFiLM
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
25 out of 32 people found this review helpful
Outstanding superhero sequel
It's not easy being a superhero. When you have to juggle your life-saving antics with holding down the day-job and trying to make the grade at school, life can be tough. It's made even harder for Peter Parker(Tobey Maguire) by the fact that his friend Harry(James Franco) wants Spider-Man dead and the love of his life Mary-Jane is about to tie the knot.
No wonder Spidey's webs aren't firing as they used to, and Peter soon thinks it's time to call it a day. He dumps his suit claiming 'I am Spider-Man, no more', and starts to get on with the rest of his life. Unfortunately there's a new villain on the scene in the shape of Dr Octopus(Alfred Molina).
Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' was a fine stab at the comic-book genre, and admirably attempted to focus as much on the characters and relationships as the explosions, but never really took off. It suffered from a weak villain and action sequences that weren't really worth the wait.
No such worries this time around, Raimi's sequel is a magnificent achievement. The effects are as spectacular and slick as you'd expect, but Raimi never loses sight of the fact that the heart and soul of the film lies with the rich characterisation. Tobey Maguire gives a wonderful performance as Parker, and an extended sequence after he gives up his superhero role is beautifully judged.
There's also a worthy adversary this time around thanks to Molina's Dr Octopus. A dazzling mix of innovative effects and great acting, he manages to convince as an essentially decent man driven mad by science. The battles between the two characters are gripping, and a sequence set on a speeding train is a breathtaking show-stopper.
'Spider-Man 2' is a glorious reminder that the terms 'summer entertainment' and 'quality' are not mutually exclusive. It so eclipses the rest of the brain-dead, cynical rubbish passed off as blockbuster entertainment, that it seems almost indecent to mention them in the same breath.
Is this a great 'summer film'? No. It's a great film, simple as that. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
7 out of 12 people found this review helpful
Rubbish
The first one was bad enough but this blows. Toby whatever, what a wiener. The only highlight is the amazing Bruce Campbell and his short appearance. In short this sucks.
-
News and features
View all
More holes in Spider-Man 2 than in his webs
- 07 Jul 2004
While it has proved to be a box office sensation "Spider-Man 2" is riddled with errors. And some of the millions of punters who have flooded into cinemas to see the superhero sequel have been logging these errors online. So far 31 individual errors in the film have been logged on Moviemistakes.com, making it the most error-strewn of the year. Errors include Spider-Man's mask moving unaided in a fight, a scar on Peter Parker's cheek changing sides, and a policeman who suddenly gains a... Read more
-
Image Gallery
View allShowing 1 to 1 of 1
-
-
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN (82)
67.6% from 16 members
Celebrity collection
Colin Farrell (6)
60% from 11 members
