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 |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive |
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Spider-Man 2
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 friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), and his doting Aunt May (Rosemary Harris)--Parker must also face off against a dangerous new menace, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a scientist driven mad by experiments involving powerful mechanical arms. When the deranged Octavius (AKA Doc Ock) forms an alliance with the vengeful Osborn, who blames Spider-Man for the death of his father, the wall-crawling hero is in for his biggest battle yet.
| Starring | Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Daniel Gillies |
|---|---|
| Director | Sam Raimi |
| Studio | COLUMBIA TRI-STAR HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 2 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive |
| Language | DVD: English, English Audio Description |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish |
| Released | DVD: 26 Nov 2004 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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With the reluctant hero's origins covered in the first movie, a sequel offered returning director Sam Raimi the chance to have some real fun. And that's exactly what he does, harnessing advances in technology to deliver a fantasy adventure that's slicker and more stylish than its predecessor. Two years after events in the original, Tobey Maguire's web-slinger is struggling to cope with the responsibilities his powers bring, a task complicated by the appearance of multi-tentacled villain Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina). A more complex nemesis than Willem Dafoe's hammy Green Goblin, Doc Ock's physical clashes with Spider-Man are the film's highlights — unfortunately, he's underused, as the action often takes second place to sentimentality. While the focus on Spidey's feelings for Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) adds emotional depth, it also dilutes the adrenalin-rush excitement. Quibbles aside, however, the feature's still the most solid of the recent comic-book adaptations, with the wit, charm and imagination to satisfy the fussiest of fans.
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Whats a superhero to do when he fancies nay, loves a girl but theres a whole load of crime to fight in... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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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
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Good Viewing
Good to have a film that the whole family enjoyed watching. The children loved it. I thought they might have been a bit scared at times, but no!!
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News and features
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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
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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 ... -