Customer Reviews
Dynamic and entertaining, with some some fine arty touches - By: Lou Knee, 06 Sep 2008 
Very dynamic production which really swings into the action side of Spiderman. The essence of the comic strip is also well defined, with the sets suitably cramped & very inner city like. Trump card though for me was the stuttering relationship between Parker & his dame, the very edible Miss Dunst. The final flowerng of their love & the revelation of Parker's heavy secret is just superb, & cuts across the electrifying action of the movie, to land a sublime contrast which lifts this picture out of the everyday - this is a masterpiece of the genre. For all the thrills & spills, my favourite scene of the movie - the incredibly arty shot of Spidey & his muse splayed out both lovestruck on one of his webs. Maybe not that hard to dream up for a writer, but it was beautifully shot & played. It easily compensated for the slight frustration one has for some of the less than real looking CGI sequences.
Does whatever a spider can - By: Phil Hattie, 08 Jul 2008 
The first Spider-Man movie was a huge success based on any number of factors so the weight of expectation was on this film. Pretty much the entire original cast was reassembled (dream sequences & insanity are wonderful tools for allowing dead characters to pop up) & one of Spider-Man's greatest villains was thrown into the mix.
Storyline wise this is a film about Peter Parker's struggle to balance the dual identities that he has. He's no Bruce Waynein an isolated mansion or Clark Kent with the superspeed to almost bein two places at once, no Peter is just an ordinary guy who happens to have the proportionate speed, strength, & agility of a human sized spider. He is present at a laboratory experiment where kindly scientist Otto Octavius has a set of mechanical arms accidentally grafted onto his back & directlyin into his central nervous system sending him a bit mad. Peter & the newly psychotic Doctor Octopus have a few throw downs before the hero's crippling self-doubt lead him to abandon his Spider-Man persona. This is all further complicated by the fact that Pete's best friend Harry is obsessed with seeing Spider-Man dead after the finale of the first film.
As with the first Spider-Man the cast all play wonderfully. Tobey Maguire continues to be geeky cute & utterly sympathetic as Peter while winsome Kirsten Dunst is affecting as his love interest Mary-Jane (their romance is far more central to the plot of this movie than its predecessor. The supporting cast carry the day again with a subtle, occasionally heartstring tugging performance from Rosemary Harris & pure comedy gold from JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson. Hardcore thespian Alfred Molina is brilliant as the kindly Otto before his accident & then as the nasty & dangerous Doc Ock afterwards.
The effects are a big improvement with the CGI picking up noticably over the first film. A lengthy battle on the top of a train could have been a train wreck but looks magnificent. Doctor Octopus's arms, a mixture of CGI & animatronics are excellent & even manage to convey emotions. The script is funny when it wants to be, romantic when it sets out to be, & touching when it needs to be. One thing that I would say is that as a PG this has the least strict rating of the Spidey movies but it has a very harsh scene setin an operating room that I think is far less suitable for really young kids than many 12A movies are. The plotline with Peter giving up the Spider-Man identity is just a shade too long which disrupts the flow of the movie slightly but this remains a top drawer super hero flick & a great evening's entertainment.
best of the three - By: martin thomas, 07 Jun 2008 
not as bad as the original this is passable enough rubbish but its still a long way from being a great comic book movie
Excellent superhero sequel - By: Stampy, 20 Apr 2008 In one of the best superhero sequels ever made, Tobey McGuire reprises his role as Peter Parker who is struggling with life's challenges, money, love & living & what's more he is losing his powers. And with more crime arising, Parker faces difficult choices concerning his personal life.
Breaking the opening weekend Box Office record, the Spider-man franchise grew wider & this 2004 sequel has been described as one of the best superhero sequels ever made, & I couldn't agree more.
With a much better opening to the first film, we are thrust straight into Parker's life as he tries to balance his job, his money & his university classes. Having many issues gives the film depth & is intriguing to watch each situation develop.
This film is similar to the first, with a focus upon dramatic issues such as his love for Mary Jane & the loss of his Uncle Ben. There is a slight feeling of repetition butin context it is understandable & gives the characters more emotion & understanding.
There is more actionin this sequel, watch out for one of the best fantasy fight scenesin motion picture history, which so happens to be on a train. Excellent direction & nail biting close scenarios. There is always a question of realism but nevertheless that situation was simply outstanding.
The effects are great, as you would expect & much better than the first. I'm personally not a big fan of CGI but regardless this was special & was made so by Raimi's direction.
There are plenty of twists & turnsin store & with the added action & more deep situations it makes the plot even more special.
Though the love scenes are questionable they aren't as corny as the previous films & are enjoyable to watch. The green Goblin was a much better villain than Dr Octopus & J.K Simmons is brilliant as the newspaper boss & overall, Spiderman 2 is my favourite superhero film of all time.
8.5/10
Impressive CGI, but poor - By: E. Moffat, 06 Mar 2008 
Audiences may lose patience with Spider-Man 2 - it is quite dull.
If the function of cinema is just to produce CGI action then Spider-Man 2 does that with ease. The CGI is impressive (e.g. the train sequence).
Moments of self-mocking comedic brilliance (e.g. the Chinese player interjecting every so often with the Spider-Man theme tune) are to the film's credit. But there are too many over-long, cranky & sentimental sequences where the film is plodding.
Like Spider-Man 3 it is one hour too long.
The acting doesn't work either. This film needs actors who know what they're about. Batman (1989) worked because there was a sense of light-heartedness & artistic direction & the actors were well chosen & credible. Superman (1978) was equally good. Raimi's Spider-Mans do not even compare.
