Review of Spider-Man 2 (2004) by Rafael R — 28 Apr 2014

Superior sequel to the original "Spider-Man" has more emotional depth and genuine pathos plus exhilarating action scenes. The first movie dealt with an adolescent Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) transformation into Spider-Man; it was symbolic of a young man going through puberty.

This version is more adult oriented with similarities to "Superman II" in its portrayal of a hero suffering with self doubt and an identity crisis. Peter is caught between being a hero fighting crime while his personal relationships begin to unravel; the girl he loves, MJ (Kirsten Dunst) is about to marry another man while his best friend, Harry (James Franco), holds a grudge against Peter's alter ego and swears vengeance for the death of his father.

Meanwhile, Spider Man has a new villain to battle, a scientist with mechanical, multi-tentacled arms, Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), who wants to harness nuclear fusion. There are some spectacular stunts and the action scenes have real kinetic energy.

The visual effects are vastly improved. A few lulls exist with an earnest speech about heroism but this is one of the best of all comic book movies. Written by Alvin Sargeant from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon.

Based on characters created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Directed by Sam Raimi. With JK Simmons, Rosemary Harris, Dylan Baker, Willem Dafoe, and a cameo appearance by Bruce Campbell. Won Oscar for Best Visual Effects.