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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 critic A-Z; 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

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 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

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

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

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

Being a superhero has big financial and psychological drawbacks.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
07/25/04
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

This is a textbook definition of the “perfect” summer movie. I had a smile on my face for two days after seeing this, and I can give it no higher praise than that.

Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
06/30/04
Michelle Alexandria
Michelle Alexandria
Eclipse Magazine

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

Raimi has clearly enjoyed working on this film and his joy shines through. It's his best film since A Simple Plan.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/30/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Spider- Man 2 is that rare thing, a thoroughly successful sequel.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
06/28/04
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

It's worth twice the ticket price!

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
06/25/04
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

This is the movie summer's most touching young romance.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
06/28/04
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

'Llegó para quedarse y hacernos pasar un gran rato en compañía del más humano de los superhéroes, quien nos recuerda nuestra propia condición humana. Estupenda.'

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
07/20/04
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

More intelligent, emotional and credible than the first picture.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
07/19/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

The closest thing to an art-house action film since Tim Burton's original Batman in 1989.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
06/29/04
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

'With great power comes great responsibility' is a lesson the makers of Spider-Man 2 have taken to heart.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
06/29/04
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

As a summer blockbuster, Spider-Man 2 is unassailable, the most you could possibly ask for from a film of its type.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
07/01/04
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly
 
 
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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...

July 31, 2007: Early Production Underway for Spider-Man 4
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The Hogwarts posse is back with the highly anticipated launch of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", the fifth film in the blockbuster wizard series which has... More...

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