LoginWhen all is said and done this is a comic book movie with more heart than most. The love story shines and Peter not only becomes a better Spider-man by the time the credits roll, he finally allows someone special into his life, making his life as a superhero less of a burden.
Spider-Man 2 Reviews
A Great Superhero Adventure with Good Pay-offs
Posted : 8 years, 1 month ago on 10 March 2016 09:39
The extended cut of this movie (available on Blu Ray) is 10 minutes longer and (in my opinion) is even better. Some scenes really flow more naturally and it's a hoot to see Jameson try on the Spidey costume. Most people admit that this sequel surpassed the first movie in quality. In the comics Peter Parker's life (with his constant guilt and self-doubt) could get tiresome, but this movie molded it into a romantic story with wonderful pay-offs. The comics also had action and this movie is as close to classic Spider-man comics as will ever be put on film. Doctor Octopus climbs buildings as well as Spider-man, making the fight scenes look like dangerous struggles that range all over buildings and elevated trains in impressive ways.
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A classic
Posted : 9 years, 4 months ago on 22 December 2014 04:08
It is rather funny to think that, at some point, this movie was considered the best super-hero movie ever made. I mean, since then, we had the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, and from Marvel, ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, so even though it is difficult to believe it now, at the time, this movie was a massive game-changer and, of course, a big success at the box-office. Personally, I always had some rather mixed feelings about the whole thing, to be honest. I mean, I agree that it was better than its predecessor, the story was definitely more compelling (I really dig the fact that Peter Parker got fed up with his life as a crime-fighter at some point), it was visually quite impressive and Doc Ock was a really cool villain but, to be honest, I wasn’t completely impressed by this flick. Basically, pretty much like the first installment, I was turned off by how cheesy the whole thing was. Seriously, some of the dialogues were really ridiculous and sometimes even rather pathetic. Above all, if you watch it after experiencing the grittiness of Nolan’s Batman, it is rather difficult to really appreciate this flick for what it was. Still, it remains a really entertaining blockbuster and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Spider-Man 2 review
Posted : 9 years, 8 months ago on 3 September 2014 12:26
This is a brilliant, very cinematic sequel that surpasses the first film. The visual effects and animation are groundbreaking at the time of its release filled with incredible scenes to develop its characters and memorable lines.
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Spider-Man 2 review
Posted : 10 years, 11 months ago on 5 June 2013 05:33
The sole reason why Spider-Man 2 is much lauded over its predecessor is because it is more mature. Not because it had to be, but because it learned from its past silly mistakes. This one is mature, dramatic, symbolic, and has emphasis on the psychological aspects of it. Even though this flick is not without its silly little touches here and there, it behaves like a responsible elder sibling that makes its predecessor a Sunday morning cartoon. Spider-Man 2 is the best from the series, and arguably one of the finer examples in the superhero genre, but despite this, is also rejected by the more action-heavy. It's funny how they reject this installment but love the 3rd one which is, in my opinion, the least memorable in the series. It plays out like a wireless mouse soon to run out of batteries. Just like the previous entry, this too is quite self aware. The part where Peter Parker ditches his costume in a trash-can, everyone treats it as the end of Spider-Man. I mean, no one says "this must be a fake" or "it must be a prank by the local joker" or anything. It could be anyone's costume for all we know.
Spider-Man 2 has too much to offer than your regular superhero movies. I mean, this film was The Dark Knight before The Dark Knight. It's one of those "To be or not to be" movies where the protagonist / antagonist has to decide whether to live out the rest of their lives as a man or as a mask. Here we see Peter Parker get affected by the failing relationship between him and Mary Jane - well, practically with everyone - and this in turn affects his costumed second life, with his webbing running out and falling from buildings. Look at the scene where he tries to save a kid from a burning building. Even though he's a superhero, he has rejected the idea, hasn't allowed his alter-ego to surface in a long time, and because of this he's unable to break down the door and get affected by the flames. You are who you are as long as you think you are. Stop thinking, and you unbecome that person. Not that you become an entirely new person, you just unbecome that personality. It's like filling or emptying a glass of water. If you fill it, it unbecomes an empty glass, but a glass nonetheless - and vice versa. The same goes for Dr. Otto Octavious, who becomes Doc Ock, the new terror in town. His mask is a metaphorical one. Unlike Green Goblin in the previous film who can't seem to remember his maniacal phrase at times, Doc Ock has rejected his once civil and honest man lifestyle. When the webhead knocks some sense into him, Doc Ock goes back to himself - a sort of reverse of what happens with Peter Parker. Hence this is the reason why he says "I will not die a monster" before, well, dying.
Mary Jane Watson, as we get to know here, is a somewhat successful stage actress. She plays Cecily in the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The use of this play, and the certain scenes we get to see from it, is somewhat symbolic, or a metaphor, to the main theme of the film; identity. In the play, Cecily is so fixated on the name Ernest that she doesn't seem to care whose face goes along with it; the man has to be named Ernest, that is all. Algeron, the dandy of the play, assumes that name and tries to woo her. Although he is successful, he gets caught - but Cecily forgives him anyway, for she has fallen in love with Algeron - even though she already had fallen in love with him, but through a fog. The ending of Spider-Man 2 is very much reminiscent of this, as Mary Jane finds out about Peter's both true self and of his secret identity, and seems to forgive him and wants to spend the rest of her life with him, come hell or high water... or Venom, Carnage, Mysterio, Sandman, Hob-Goblin, Black Cat, Rhino or any from spidey's colourful rogue gallery :)
The version I downloaded was 2.1. The ".1" means it's an extended version, with over 8 minutes of scenes cut from the sans ".1" version. Viewing this version is one of my most pleasurable experiences as a movie-goer. I recently saw the "Redux" version of Apocalypse Now, but this "2.1" beats the "Redux" by miles; not by the longevity, but by subtleness of it. The scene with Mary Jane and Peter Parker by the fence is further extended, giving us a deeper look inside the life of the latter. The scene is almost flawless. Tobey Maguire almost flawlessly captured the micro-expressions, making him more than flesh and bone. See, it's these little things that count. If that doesn't sound too grabbing, then at least you get to see J. Jonah Jameson pretending to be the wallcrawler in his office... with the costume on!
Alfred Molina, you will agree, gave one of the greatest performances in a superhero genre. Willem Dafoe was amazing in the predecessor, and Thomas Haden Church was muscular and strong in the successor, but both of them weren't 1/4 of Ock's tentacles. In my opinion, this is the greatest performance given in the superhero genre, villain or hero.
In conclusion, Spider-Man 2 is a damn great film, if you ask me. Beats the first one by miles. Also, it is one of the Big 4 of the superhero genre, alongside X-Men 2, The Dark Knight and Batman Returns.
8.5/10
Spider-Man 2 has too much to offer than your regular superhero movies. I mean, this film was The Dark Knight before The Dark Knight. It's one of those "To be or not to be" movies where the protagonist / antagonist has to decide whether to live out the rest of their lives as a man or as a mask. Here we see Peter Parker get affected by the failing relationship between him and Mary Jane - well, practically with everyone - and this in turn affects his costumed second life, with his webbing running out and falling from buildings. Look at the scene where he tries to save a kid from a burning building. Even though he's a superhero, he has rejected the idea, hasn't allowed his alter-ego to surface in a long time, and because of this he's unable to break down the door and get affected by the flames. You are who you are as long as you think you are. Stop thinking, and you unbecome that person. Not that you become an entirely new person, you just unbecome that personality. It's like filling or emptying a glass of water. If you fill it, it unbecomes an empty glass, but a glass nonetheless - and vice versa. The same goes for Dr. Otto Octavious, who becomes Doc Ock, the new terror in town. His mask is a metaphorical one. Unlike Green Goblin in the previous film who can't seem to remember his maniacal phrase at times, Doc Ock has rejected his once civil and honest man lifestyle. When the webhead knocks some sense into him, Doc Ock goes back to himself - a sort of reverse of what happens with Peter Parker. Hence this is the reason why he says "I will not die a monster" before, well, dying.
Mary Jane Watson, as we get to know here, is a somewhat successful stage actress. She plays Cecily in the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The use of this play, and the certain scenes we get to see from it, is somewhat symbolic, or a metaphor, to the main theme of the film; identity. In the play, Cecily is so fixated on the name Ernest that she doesn't seem to care whose face goes along with it; the man has to be named Ernest, that is all. Algeron, the dandy of the play, assumes that name and tries to woo her. Although he is successful, he gets caught - but Cecily forgives him anyway, for she has fallen in love with Algeron - even though she already had fallen in love with him, but through a fog. The ending of Spider-Man 2 is very much reminiscent of this, as Mary Jane finds out about Peter's both true self and of his secret identity, and seems to forgive him and wants to spend the rest of her life with him, come hell or high water... or Venom, Carnage, Mysterio, Sandman, Hob-Goblin, Black Cat, Rhino or any from spidey's colourful rogue gallery :)
The version I downloaded was 2.1. The ".1" means it's an extended version, with over 8 minutes of scenes cut from the sans ".1" version. Viewing this version is one of my most pleasurable experiences as a movie-goer. I recently saw the "Redux" version of Apocalypse Now, but this "2.1" beats the "Redux" by miles; not by the longevity, but by subtleness of it. The scene with Mary Jane and Peter Parker by the fence is further extended, giving us a deeper look inside the life of the latter. The scene is almost flawless. Tobey Maguire almost flawlessly captured the micro-expressions, making him more than flesh and bone. See, it's these little things that count. If that doesn't sound too grabbing, then at least you get to see J. Jonah Jameson pretending to be the wallcrawler in his office... with the costume on!
Alfred Molina, you will agree, gave one of the greatest performances in a superhero genre. Willem Dafoe was amazing in the predecessor, and Thomas Haden Church was muscular and strong in the successor, but both of them weren't 1/4 of Ock's tentacles. In my opinion, this is the greatest performance given in the superhero genre, villain or hero.
In conclusion, Spider-Man 2 is a damn great film, if you ask me. Beats the first one by miles. Also, it is one of the Big 4 of the superhero genre, alongside X-Men 2, The Dark Knight and Batman Returns.
8.5/10
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Review of Spider-Man 2
Posted : 11 years, 9 months ago on 28 July 2012 12:09
Spider-Man 2 is considered by many to be an improvement on the original, and I think that's a very accurate suggestion. By eliminating some of the flaws of the first, and improving some of the strengths of the first, Spider-Man 2 surpassed the original, and is one of the best super hero films ever created.
Between college, his job as a photographer for The Daily Bugle, and being Spider-Man, Peter Parker has a lot on his plate, and he's not doing that great of a job at any of these pursuits. Yet, as he loses his spidey abilities, Parker considers throwing in the towel, even though a new villain, the 6 armed Dr. Octavian is emerging.
Many of the flaws that were present in the first film have been fixed in Spider-Man 2. One such example is the CGI work, which looks fantastic in this sequel. It's certainly not the best visual effects to appear onscreen, but it's a great improvement over the original.
One of the best parts of the original Spider-Man was the publisher of The Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. The quick talking, cigarette chomping publisher was consistently hilarious, but his screen time was sadly minimal. In the sequel, his role is greatly expanded, so he appears in more scenes. He remains one the film's highlights.
The nefarious villain, Dr. Octavian, isn't as creepy as Green Goblin, but nor is he as campy. Personally, I wouldn't be able to choose one over the other, but Octavian is a wonderfully sinister villain, though he may be too similar to Green Goblin- in some respects- for some.
Emotionally, the film expands as well, though this improvement isn't quite as dramatic as some of the others. We connect more with the characters (which is also assisted by solid acting by the entire cast), and this makes the film that much more enjoyable.
The romance, on the other hand, is considerably worse than in the original. It feels more cheesy, even a bit more forced. And Mary-Jane is beginning to feel more and more irritating and helpless. It's a shame that there's so much more focus on this aspect of the film than in the original.
The title sequence has been shortened slightly, but it's actually less entertaining than the original's making it seem longer. The title sequence should really be shortened, or perhaps it should be omitted entirely, or withheld until the end.
Danny Elfman's score has improved. The techno effects has been significantly toned down, and there are few (if any) rock oriented pieces. It's still not a great score, but it's a good one, and it serves it's purpose.
Spider-Man 2 both improves on it's predecessor, and provides solid entertainment. Even if cheesy romance create a few slow moments, improved CGI work, intense action, and superb acting make up for the flaws, and more. There aren't many super hero films out there that I've enjoyed, but this is certainly one of them.
Between college, his job as a photographer for The Daily Bugle, and being Spider-Man, Peter Parker has a lot on his plate, and he's not doing that great of a job at any of these pursuits. Yet, as he loses his spidey abilities, Parker considers throwing in the towel, even though a new villain, the 6 armed Dr. Octavian is emerging.
Many of the flaws that were present in the first film have been fixed in Spider-Man 2. One such example is the CGI work, which looks fantastic in this sequel. It's certainly not the best visual effects to appear onscreen, but it's a great improvement over the original.
One of the best parts of the original Spider-Man was the publisher of The Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. The quick talking, cigarette chomping publisher was consistently hilarious, but his screen time was sadly minimal. In the sequel, his role is greatly expanded, so he appears in more scenes. He remains one the film's highlights.
The nefarious villain, Dr. Octavian, isn't as creepy as Green Goblin, but nor is he as campy. Personally, I wouldn't be able to choose one over the other, but Octavian is a wonderfully sinister villain, though he may be too similar to Green Goblin- in some respects- for some.
Emotionally, the film expands as well, though this improvement isn't quite as dramatic as some of the others. We connect more with the characters (which is also assisted by solid acting by the entire cast), and this makes the film that much more enjoyable.
The romance, on the other hand, is considerably worse than in the original. It feels more cheesy, even a bit more forced. And Mary-Jane is beginning to feel more and more irritating and helpless. It's a shame that there's so much more focus on this aspect of the film than in the original.
The title sequence has been shortened slightly, but it's actually less entertaining than the original's making it seem longer. The title sequence should really be shortened, or perhaps it should be omitted entirely, or withheld until the end.
Danny Elfman's score has improved. The techno effects has been significantly toned down, and there are few (if any) rock oriented pieces. It's still not a great score, but it's a good one, and it serves it's purpose.
Spider-Man 2 both improves on it's predecessor, and provides solid entertainment. Even if cheesy romance create a few slow moments, improved CGI work, intense action, and superb acting make up for the flaws, and more. There aren't many super hero films out there that I've enjoyed, but this is certainly one of them.
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Spider-Man 2 review
Posted : 14 years ago on 2 May 2010 05:47
All the background we covered in Spider-Man really comes in handy for the sequel, which surpasses the preceding movie in every way possible. The Peter-MJ romance which was the highlight of the previous movie is still a strong element. Doctor Octupus is a much more interesting villain and the rest of the characters, especially Aunt May have been given more interesting nuances. To round it off, Peter/Spider-Man's identity crisis makes for a very interesting plot device. This is truly a good superhero movie - action, plot and romance in equal measures and a superb villain to match our hero.
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Excitement and entertainment!
Posted : 14 years, 2 months ago on 24 February 2010 12:23
Now this is a super-hero movie, filled with crazy action scenes, great
effects, funny moments and a little cheesiness. I can't explain why I
like Spider-man movies so much, I even liked the 3rd movie which I
admit it wasn't very good, but it was entertaining and it even managed
to be very emotional for me.
Spider-man has always been my favorite super-hero. There's just
something about a super-hero fighting crime, struggling to pay the
bills and trying to find time to study. It certainly was a hero that
revolutionized the basic concept of the rich hero which has a secret
base filled with costumes, weapons, gimmicks, wheels, etc. That AND
Spider-man's charisma appealed to me, he is a funny character, he wears
a funny costume (not too ninja-like that's for sure) and he has awesome
powers! He is not an indestructible mutant nor a green beast with
infinite strength... or even a guy who bursts into flames or shoots
laser-beams outta his ass! He IS a simple hero and has enough to be
cool and interesting, spider powers! After all he is your friendly
neighbourhood Spider-man! And by the way, the original Spider-man
created a hardening, sticky liquid/glue or whatever it is called,
making his own web, because in spite of his initial superhuman powers,
Peter Parker was also brilliant teenager and used that great intellect
to his advantage. That good analysis and perception of his also saved
his ass numerous times (I confess I used to be an avid reader of the
comics and follower of its never-ending story).
And this movie delivers all that, it shows how great of a super-hero
spider-man really is, his crazy-ass awesome villains, his cheesy jokes,
his athletic and jumpy fighting style, it's all awesome to be seen! And
for action fans, be it chaotic scenes, be it car chases, sword fights
or fisticuffs action, there are some scenes in this movie that will for
sure please all of you. Starting from the Bank robbery all the way to
the train stopping, it's candy for my eyes... Spider-man vs. Dr.
Octupus, one of my favorite fights in Cinema history.
effects, funny moments and a little cheesiness. I can't explain why I
like Spider-man movies so much, I even liked the 3rd movie which I
admit it wasn't very good, but it was entertaining and it even managed
to be very emotional for me.
Spider-man has always been my favorite super-hero. There's just
something about a super-hero fighting crime, struggling to pay the
bills and trying to find time to study. It certainly was a hero that
revolutionized the basic concept of the rich hero which has a secret
base filled with costumes, weapons, gimmicks, wheels, etc. That AND
Spider-man's charisma appealed to me, he is a funny character, he wears
a funny costume (not too ninja-like that's for sure) and he has awesome
powers! He is not an indestructible mutant nor a green beast with
infinite strength... or even a guy who bursts into flames or shoots
laser-beams outta his ass! He IS a simple hero and has enough to be
cool and interesting, spider powers! After all he is your friendly
neighbourhood Spider-man! And by the way, the original Spider-man
created a hardening, sticky liquid/glue or whatever it is called,
making his own web, because in spite of his initial superhuman powers,
Peter Parker was also brilliant teenager and used that great intellect
to his advantage. That good analysis and perception of his also saved
his ass numerous times (I confess I used to be an avid reader of the
comics and follower of its never-ending story).
And this movie delivers all that, it shows how great of a super-hero
spider-man really is, his crazy-ass awesome villains, his cheesy jokes,
his athletic and jumpy fighting style, it's all awesome to be seen! And
for action fans, be it chaotic scenes, be it car chases, sword fights
or fisticuffs action, there are some scenes in this movie that will for
sure please all of you. Starting from the Bank robbery all the way to
the train stopping, it's candy for my eyes... Spider-man vs. Dr.
Octupus, one of my favorite fights in Cinema history.
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Best MARVEL film so far...
Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 28 January 2010 06:23
Spider-Man 2 is in my opinion one of the greatest sequels of all time. To me, Spider-Man 2 is The Dark Knight out of the Spider-Man franchise. Spider-Man 2 is the most action packed and most interesting story of the trilogy. We didn't see so much of how dark Spider-Man can be but how being Spider-Man can affect Peter's personal life. This one didn't become as much of a blockbuster as the first one and didn't earn as much money but it still was one obviously. This film had the best of everything than the other two films. It is quite strange because three of the superhero franchises there has been the second/sequel one turning out the best i.e. Spider-Man 2 is the best Spider-Man trilogy, The Dark Knight is the best of the Batman films and X2 is the best of the X-Men trilogy.
Once again Tobey Maguire delivers the literally perfect performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Maguire is the perfect actor because Peter is a nerd, a bit of a heartthrob and a quite hard-hitting sort of actor as well which is what Maguire has and is really good at doing. Peter begins to deeply suffer because of his breaking down relationships with both love interest Mary Jane Watson and best friend Harry Osborn. Kirsten Dunst isn't really a very good Mary Jane Watson. I couldn't really feel her suffering mind tricks regarding Peter very much. Dunst is quite a popular actress nowadays but in my opinion, she doesn't really deserve to be completely. If she wasn't in Jumanji nor the Spider-Man trilogy she wouldn't have earned as much credit. James Franco is good as Harry. Harry doesn't become very good friends with Peter like he used to because Spider-Man "killed" his father Norman Osborn who was the Green Goblin and also Harry despises Peter being a friend and photographer to Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle. Rosemary Harris' acting as May Parker really gets on my nerves for some unknown reason. Alfred Molina was good as Otto Octavious/Doc Ock but he didn't quite give the full fearful effect to the viewers inside the villainous character of when he becomes Doc Ock.
Spider-Man is the best MARVEL comic book character ever. Spider-Man 2 is the best MARVEL film and I don't think anything else will beat it to that spot. It is my second favourite film of 2004 after Closer, it is my third favourite comic book adapted film ever after The Dark Knight and Sin City. Spider-Man 2 is definitely one of my favourite science fiction films. This one is better than the first one which was awesome but not better than sequel and far better than the extremely disappointing Spider-Man 3.
Once again Tobey Maguire delivers the literally perfect performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Maguire is the perfect actor because Peter is a nerd, a bit of a heartthrob and a quite hard-hitting sort of actor as well which is what Maguire has and is really good at doing. Peter begins to deeply suffer because of his breaking down relationships with both love interest Mary Jane Watson and best friend Harry Osborn. Kirsten Dunst isn't really a very good Mary Jane Watson. I couldn't really feel her suffering mind tricks regarding Peter very much. Dunst is quite a popular actress nowadays but in my opinion, she doesn't really deserve to be completely. If she wasn't in Jumanji nor the Spider-Man trilogy she wouldn't have earned as much credit. James Franco is good as Harry. Harry doesn't become very good friends with Peter like he used to because Spider-Man "killed" his father Norman Osborn who was the Green Goblin and also Harry despises Peter being a friend and photographer to Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle. Rosemary Harris' acting as May Parker really gets on my nerves for some unknown reason. Alfred Molina was good as Otto Octavious/Doc Ock but he didn't quite give the full fearful effect to the viewers inside the villainous character of when he becomes Doc Ock.
Spider-Man is the best MARVEL comic book character ever. Spider-Man 2 is the best MARVEL film and I don't think anything else will beat it to that spot. It is my second favourite film of 2004 after Closer, it is my third favourite comic book adapted film ever after The Dark Knight and Sin City. Spider-Man 2 is definitely one of my favourite science fiction films. This one is better than the first one which was awesome but not better than sequel and far better than the extremely disappointing Spider-Man 3.
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A Rare Sequel That's Better Than The First
Posted : 15 years ago on 16 April 2009 06:14
In this one, Peter Parker roughs thru his dilemas with the same down-to-earth fustrations as in the comicbooks, his relationship with Mary Jane convincingly reaches it's next level, & Doc Ock is portrayed much better as a villian than he ever was on the printed age.
As a hardcore nerd of this genre, I was pretty satisfied at Marvel's initial effort at trying to do what Burton did with the Batman; introduce the webhead as a serious legitimate property for film.
The most I could've hoped for this sequel was that it be at least half as good as it's predessor.
Instead, Spidey-2 turned out to become one of my favorite movie adaptations of a comicbook superhero ever.
Which I guess I should've anticipated since before I entered the theatre, my spider-senses didn't go off, all atingling an' sh*t.
As a hardcore nerd of this genre, I was pretty satisfied at Marvel's initial effort at trying to do what Burton did with the Batman; introduce the webhead as a serious legitimate property for film.
The most I could've hoped for this sequel was that it be at least half as good as it's predessor.
Instead, Spidey-2 turned out to become one of my favorite movie adaptations of a comicbook superhero ever.
Which I guess I should've anticipated since before I entered the theatre, my spider-senses didn't go off, all atingling an' sh*t.
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Spider-Man 2 review
Posted : 16 years, 11 months ago on 11 June 2007 02:18
Ugh. Out of all of Spider-Man's villains, why, WHY pick Dr. Octopus? The most ridiculous one, and you picked him, Sam. Thanks. You ruined what could have been a good sequel, had you just picked Shocker, or Chameleon. Hell, even Venom was a better villain. And Venom was horrible on-screen. This movie was ridiculous. I'd still watch it, maybe, if I'm bored enough and want to watch the movies in sequence.
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