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Spider-Man 2

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Spider-Man 2 (2004)

93%
100%
91%
N/A
N/A
N/A
93 %
Reviews Counted: 229 Fresh: 214  Rotten:15 Average Rating: 8.2/10
 
Consensus: A nimble sequel that improves upon the original.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: PG

Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins

Theatrical Release: 15-07-2004

Synopsis: Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 2, the next installment in the adventure series that began with the 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man, swings into theaters on July 2, 2004. Spider-Man, a Marvel Enterprises/Laura Ziskin Production, grossed more than $820 million worldwide and became the fifth... Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 2, the next installment in the adventure series that began with the 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man, swings into theaters on July 2, 2004. Spider-Man, a Marvel Enterprises/Laura Ziskin Production, grossed more than $820 million worldwide and became the fifth highest grossing movie in U.S. history. Spider-Man is based on the classic Marvel Comic book character. Spider-Man 2 reunites the filmmakers and cast from the first film, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris and J.K. Simmons, along with director Sam Raimi, and producers Laura Ziskin and Marvel's Avi Arad. Stan Lee and Joseph M. Caracciolo serve as executive producers for Spider-Man 2, and Grant Curtis serves as the film's co-producer. Sam Raimi directs Spider-Man 2 from a screenplay by Alvin Sargent and Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Michael Chabon, based on a story by David Koepp and Alfred Gough & Miles Millar. In Spider-Man 2, the webslinging superhero encounters a new nemesis, the villainous "Doc Ock," who will be portrayed by Alfred Molina (Frida, Identity). Two years have passed, and the mild-mannered Peter Parker faces new challenges as he struggles with "the gift and the curse," desperately trying to balance his dual identities as the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man and his life as a college student. Tormented by his secrets, Peter finds that his relationships with all those he holds dear are in danger of unraveling. His life-long yearning for M.J. (Kirsten Dunst) becomes even stronger as he fights the impulse to reveal his secret life and declare his love. His friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is complicated by the young Osborn's bitterness over his father's death and his growing vendetta against Spider-Man. Even Peter's beloved Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), who has fallen on hard times after the death of Uncle Ben, begins to have doubts about her nephew. Peter's life is about to become even more complicated as he encounters a formidable new foe -- Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Peter must use all the powers at his disposal to try to stop this diabolical madman in his octagonal tracks. Director Sam Raimi and producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad lead a top creative team which includes Director of Photography Bill Pope, ASC (the Matrix film series), Production Designer Neil Spisak (Spider-Man, The Gift), editor Bob Murawski, (Spider-Man, The Gift), Visual Effects Supervisor John Dykstra, ASC (Spider-Man, Academy Award winner for Star Wars) and Special Effects Supervisor John Frazier (Spider-Man, The Perfect Storm). The Executive Producers are Stan Lee and Joseph M. Caracciolo. "ACADEMY AWARD" and "OSCAR" are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [More]

Genre: Action/Adventure

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris

Director: Sam Raimi
Screenwriter: Alvin Sargent
Story: Michael Chabon
Producer: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad
Composer: Danny Elfman

DVD Info

Release:

May 5, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Note: This release is in the UMD format for Sony PSP players only.
  • Anamorphic - 1.78

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 - English, French
  • Subtitles - English - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Trailers - 1. STEALTH
  • 2. XXX 2: STATE OF THE UNION

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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Ratings Image
N/A

All in all, this sequel is a blockbuster with both a heart and a brain.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/24/06
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
82/100

Spider-Man 2 is probably more of a lateral step but that doesn’t stop this episode from being a lot of fun.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/07/04
Dan Chant
FilmFocus
Ratings Image
4/5

Exciting sequel that improves dramatically on the effects of the first, but also has an emotional depth that is surprising in a blockbuster this big.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/20/04
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
Ratings Image
4/5

Raimi has once again crafted a blockbuster that thinks as hard as it thwacks -- in a word, amazing.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/20/04
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

A mind-boggling piece of showboating and the most rigorous fairground ride of the year

Full Review | comment Comment
07/15/04
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
5/5

Raimi weaves a wonderfully seductive web of arachnid action, human drama, and wink-nudge comedy.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/12/04
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4.5/5

Raimi handles it effortlessly because he keeps his focus tightly in the characters' hearts and minds.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/08/04
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image
5/5

Confident, exciting, funny and crafted with real heart.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/15/03
Matthew De Abaitua
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3.5/4

Mr. Raimi, working at the top of his game, reunites the entire cast of the first film, and by this point they feel like family.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Ratings Image
4/4

Spider-Man wrestling with demons, literally and figuratively!

Full Review | comment Comment
04/14/07
Kam Williams
Princeton Town Topics
Ratings Image
4/4

Hands down the best comic book franchise on film.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/11/06
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today
Ratings Image
N/A

Maguire’s very bone structure seems to alter with the waning and waxing of his resolve — after he ditches his costume, he actually appears to shrink.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/16/05
Jeremy C. Fox
Pajiba
Ratings Image
N/A

This is pure SPIDER-MAN, straight from the tap, and it’s absolutely transporting.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
N/A

A sensational summer treat.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/04/05
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
Ratings Image
4/5

Raimi has turned in a very different Spidey than might be expected. I'm not talking 'nipples on Batman' or anything; the shift is from origin story to mid-hero-crisis story.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/01/05
Brian Juergens
Freeze Dried Movies
Ratings Image
3.5/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
03/14/05
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Ratings Image
3.5/5

Best comic-book movie ever? Nah, but it's great just the same.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic
Ratings Image
A

...a well-realized stab at melding comic book pow-sock-bang with a more adult psychological drama

Full Review | comment Comment
01/07/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image
4/5

Raimi reminds us you can still make highly commercial films and keep your self-respect.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/04/05
Anthony Del Valle
Las Vegas Mercury
Ratings Image
A

[It's sure to] join the upper echelons of action movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, and Die Hard.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/31/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Related Forums

2 Rotten reviews
by: kargo 7/16


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This is the greatest comic book movie ever made...
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Disgusting
by: madblazinskillz 7/4


Weakest of the trilogy
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