Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a former brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius.Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a former brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius.Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a former brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 25 wins & 60 nominations total
Which Actors Almost Played Spider-Man?
Which Actors Almost Played Spider-Man?
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia(at around 24 mins) When Peter flips over an oncoming car, Tobey Maguire performed the stunt himself. A stuntman also performed it, but Sam Raimi thought Maguire's looked more natural so he used his instead.
- Goofs(at around 1h 19 mins) When Peter Parker saves the child from the burning building, she is old enough to stand and help him up. However, when he hands the child to the parents after exiting the building, the fake bundle he hands them is the size of the infant.
- Quotes
Henry Jackson: Hi, Peter!
Peter Parker: Hey, Henry! You've grown tall.
May Parker: You'll never guess who he wants to be... Spider-Man!
Peter Parker: Why?
May Parker: He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.
- Crazy creditsIn the extended cut, opening title says "Spider-Man 2.1" instead of "Spider-Man 2".
- Alternate versionsOn some US TV versions, there is some alternate dialogue between Peter and Mary Jane when he takes out the garbage after his birthday party that wasn't in the theatrical or DVD releases. The most notable is a two-line addition after Mary Jane says, "I'm seeing somebody now." Peter responds, "Oh, therapy." Mary Jane answers, "No, a man." That part of the dialogue especially gives the whole scene a less optimistic feel.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Gravedancers (2006)
- SoundtracksSpecial Delivery
Written and Produced by John Debney
Sam Raimi's direction is much improved from the first film. This one he seems completely at home with the big budget blockbuster and creates many memorable scenes and images, as he often does in his lower budget work. Comic fans should appreciate the homages to the works of Lee, Ditko, and Romita, The CGI improves from the first film. There's still a little bit of the rubbery animated look of the CGI humans but not as distracting as before. The action is also more impressive. The fight scenes between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus are well-done. The scene where Spidey saves an elevated train is arguably the movie's highlight. Danny Elfman's music is good but, as with the first film, not in the same league as his iconic Batman work.
The cast knocks it out of the park. Tobey Maguire perfectly captures the essence of Peter Parker, even more so than the first movie. His inherent nerdiness, awkwardness, and struggle to do what's right even at the cost of his own happiness. Kirsten Dunst and James Franco build upon their performances from the last movie. Dunst rises above the damsel-in-distress role she's saddled with quite nicely and by the end finally feels like the iconic Mary Jane ("Go get 'em, Tiger."). Rosemary Harris gets far more to do as Aunt May this time around and she's amazing. She steals every scene she's in. The supporting cast (J.K. Simmons and the rest) are all great. Alfred Molina brings Dr. Octopus to life and treats the character seriously, which is miles above the hammy performance given by Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin in the first film.
When this came out, it was the best superhero movie since Superman '78. I walked out of the theater beaming from ear to ear and feeling like a kid again. It was one of the rare summer blockbusters I went to see more than once. It still holds up and is a high water-mark for Marvel movies, in my opinion. It's followed by a terrible third film and then a reboot series that, while good, misses a lot of what makes this film work so well. This is the definitive Spider-Man movie. Lots of humor, heart, romance, and action all told in a bright, colorful fashion. Everything a Spider-Man film should be.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- El hombre araña 2
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $200,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $374,337,514
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $88,156,227
- Jul 4, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $788,818,540
- Runtime2 hours 7 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1