Spider-Man 2 ***** (2004, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J K Simmons) – Classic Movie Review 581

Can they spin another great yarn? Yep, they sure can! Director Sam Raimi’s 2004 sensational sequel Spider-Man 2, picking up where the 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man left off, is, if anything, even more awesome than the original.

Tobey Maguire couldn’t be better as Peter Parker, now struggling with his failing superpowers as Spidey, and just wanting to be an ordinary kid. But his true love Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) is getting married to another, while his best pal, Harry Osborn (James Franco), accidentally spawns a new monster in Doctor Octopus, Doc Ock for short, a great role that is eagerly grabbed by Britain’s Alfred Molina, as Doctor Otto Octavius.

The web action is breathtaking, thanks to perfect F/X work, the visuals are comic-book shiny, while the jokey tone delivers big laughs, with a bitter-sweet undercurrent. There’s room for Franco to bloom as Spidey’s nemesis and Rosemary Harris to shine as Aunt May and it is all topped off with sparkly credits and one of Danny Elfman’s finest scores.

Based on the comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, it’s Marvel-ous!

That perfect F/X work led to an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier.

Spider-Man 2 casts a real spell and it was a huge blockbuster hit, grossing $373,585,825 in the US, with a worldwide gross of $783,766,341.

Spider-Man 2 runs 127 minutes or 135 minutes in the extended cut. The production designer Neil Spisak and his art department dressed more than 100 sets and locations.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 followed in 2007, with Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Topher Grace.

Alas, Raimi and the cast were then dumped and the film series was rebooted as The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, with Andrew Garfield, followed by a sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, in 2014.

British actor Tom Holland is cast as the new Spider-Man in a new reboot.

Then Andrew Garfield was dumped and the film series was rebooted again.

On June 23 2015, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced they have cast British actor Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man in a new reboot. The 19-year-old, who acted in The Impossible (2012) and How I Live Now (2013), will take over from Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) for release in cinemas in IMAX and 3D on 5 July 2017.

Holland first appeared in Captain America: Civil War (2016) to introduce him into the Marvel film universe. He then appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and in Avengers: Endgame (2019), followed by Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return as their respective versions of Spider-Man from previous film franchises in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Marvel and Sony kept their involvement secret before the premiere. Also Alfred Molina reprises his role as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2.

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