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Movies / On DVD / Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2

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Spider-Man 2 (2004)

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Reviews Counted:231

Fresh:216

Rotten:15

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: A nimble sequel that improves upon the original.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for stylized action violence

Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

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... 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]

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

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons

Director: Sam Raimi

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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Spider-Man 2

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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 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
08/07/04
Dan Chant
Dan Chant
FilmFocus

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 Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
07/20/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

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

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/20/04
Dan Jolin
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/15/04
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/12/04
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/08/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Confident, exciting, funny and crafted with real heart.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
12/15/03
Matthew De Abaitua
Matthew De Abaitua
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

There are awesome effects, explosive action, wry humour and an emotional heart that pulsates loudly and steadily throughout.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

The biggest current bang for your popcorn buck is the IMAX presentation of this exhilarating adventure.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

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 Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Spider-Man wrestling with demons, literally and figuratively!

Full Review Source: Princeton Town Topics | comment Comment
04/14/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Princeton Town Topics

Hands down the best comic book franchise on film.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 1 Comment
10/11/06
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today

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

Full Review Source: Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

A sensational summer treat.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
05/04/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

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 Source: Freeze Dried Movies | comment Comment
04/01/05
Brian Juergens
Brian Juergens
Freeze Dried Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
03/14/05
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

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

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

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

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
 
 
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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Latest News for Spider-Man 2

October 31, 2007: Spider-Man 4 Script On Its Way
The questions of who will be directing and starring in it remain unanswered, but Spider-Man 4 just got itself a screenwriter. More...

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