Spider-Man 2 [2004]

Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller, Action

Tobey Maguire	Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Kirsten Dunst	Mary Jane Watson
James Franco	Harry Osborn
Alfred Molina	Doc Ock/Dr. Otto Octavius
Rosemary Harris	May Parker
Daniel Gillies	John Jameson
Dylan Baker	Dr. Curt Connors
Donna Murphy	Rosalie Octavius
Bill Nunn	Joseph Robertson
J.K. Simmons	J. Jonah Jameson

Director	Sam Raimi
Producer	Avi Arad; Laura Ziskin
Writer	Stan Lee; Steve Ditko

More than a few critics hailed Spider-Man 2 as "the best superhero movie ever," and there's no compelling reason to argue--thanks to a bigger budget, better special effects, and a dynamic, character-driven plot, it's a notch above Spider-Man in terms of emotional depth and rich comic-book sensibility. Ordinary People Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent received screenplay credit, and celebrated author and comic-book expert Michael Chabon worked on the story, but it's director Sam Raimi's affinity for the material that brings Spidey 2 to vivid life. When a fusion experiment goes terribly wrong, a brilliant physicist (Alfred Molina) is turned into Spidey's newest nemesis, the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus," obsessed with completing his experiment and killing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the process. Even more compelling is Peter Parker's urgent dilemma: continue his burdensome, lonely life of crime-fighting as Spider-Man, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)? Molina's outstanding as a tragic villain controlled by his own invention, and the action sequences are nothing less than breathtaking, but the real success of Spider-Man 2 is its sense of priorities. With all of Hollywood's biggest and best toys at his disposal, Raimi and his writers stay true to the Marvel mythology, honouring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of Spider-Man 3. --Jeff Shannon