7.3
Summary
Peter Parker is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock. In the meantime, Parker still can't act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson, a girl he's loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn as well...
Cast
Tobey Maguire
Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Kirsten Dunst
Mary Jane Watson
James Franco
Harry Osborn
Alfred Molina
Doc Ock / Otto Octavius
Rosemary Harris
May Parker
J.K. Simmons
J. Jonah Jameson
Donna Murphy
Rosalie Octavius
Daniel Gillies
John Jameson
Dylan Baker
Dr. Curt Connors
Bill Nunn
Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
Vanessa Ferlito
Louise
Aasif Mandvi
Mr. Aziz
Willem Dafoe
Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Cliff Robertson
Ben Parker
Ted Raimi
Hoffman
Elizabeth Banks
Miss Brant
Bruce Campbell
Snooty Usher
Gregg Edelman
Dr. Davis
Elya Baskin
Mr. Ditkovitch
Mageina Tovah
Ursula
Daniel Dae Kim
Raymond
Hal Sparks
Elevator Passenger
Joel McHale
Mr. Jacks
Stan Lee
Man Dodging Debris
Kelly Connell
Dr. Isaacs
Brent Briscoe
Garbage Man
Emily Deschanel
Receptionist
Jason Fiore-Ortiz
Henry Jackson
Scott Spiegel
Man on Balcony
Andy Bale
OsCorp Executive
Christine Estabrook
Mrs. Jameson
Molly Cheek
Society Woman
John Paxton
Houseman
Joy Bryant
Woman at Web
Joanne Baron
Skeptical Scientist
Peter McRobbie
OsCorp Representative
Timothy Jerome
Injured Scientist
Taylor Gilbert
Mrs. Watson
Peter Vouras
Stage Manager
Donnell Rawlings
Pizza "Heist" Witness
Zachry Rogers
Boy saved by Spider-Man
Ella Rogers
Girl saved by Spider-Man
Louis Lombardi
Poker Player
Marc John Jefferies
Amazed Kid
Roshon Fegan
Amazed Kid
Brendan Patrick Connor
Theater Traffic Cop
Reed Diamond
'Algernon'
Dan Callahan
'Jack'
Elyse Dinh
Violinist
John Landis
Doctor
Tim Storms
Chainsaw Doctor
Susie Park
Clawing Nurse
Patricia M. Peters
Screaming Nurse
Michael Edward Thomas
Man at Fire
Anne Betancourt
Woman at Fire
Venus Lam
Child in Burning Building
Bill E. Rogers
Fireman
Joe Virzi
Fireman
Tom Carey
Train Conductor
Jopaul Van Epp
Boy with Mask
Weston Epp
Boy with Mask
Peter Allas
Train Passenger
Brianna Brown
Train Passenger
Bill Calvert
Train Passenger
Tony Campisi
Train Passenger
Joey Diaz
Train Passenger
Chloe Dykstra
Train Passenger
Simone Gordon
Train Passenger
Dan Hicks
Train Passenger
Julia Max
Train Passenger
Savannah Pope
Train Passenger
Timothy Patrick Quill
Train Passenger
Jill Sayre
Train Passenger
Rickey G. Williams
Train Passenger
Michael Arthur
NYPD Officer (uncredited)
Frank Bonsangue
Pizza Man (uncredited)
Cindy Cheung
Chinese Daughter (uncredited)
Phil LaMarr
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Andre M. Johnson
Fireman 2 (uncredited)
Peter Cincotti
Piano Player in Planetarium (uncredited)
Peyton List
Little Girl Playing on Steps (uncredited)
Spencer List
Little Boy Playing on Steps (uncredited)
Troy Metcalf
Blue Collar Guy (uncredited)
Scott Ross
Pedestrian (uncredited)
Bonnie Somerville
Screaming Woman (uncredited)
Wesley Volcy
Columbia University Student (uncredited)
Lou Volpe
Man at Web (uncredited)
Garrett Warren
Bearded Doctor (uncredited)
Joseph M. Caracciolo
Priest at Mary Jane's Wedding (uncredited)
David Boston
Pedestrian (uncredited)
Sho Brown
Passenger (uncredited)
Sal Ardisi
Parent (uncredited)
Edward Johnson
Planetarium (uncredited)
Grant Curtis
Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited)
Vince Cupone
Victim (uncredited)
William E. Corcoran
Stock Broker (uncredited)
Mohammed Hassan
Middle Eastern Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Rachel Lehrer
Hot Girl (uncredited)
Gene LeBell
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Lorelei Llee
Bank Employee (uncredited)
Joseph Nelson
Extra (uncredited)
Claudia Katz Minnick
Robbie's Assistant (uncredited)
Ronn Ozuk
Cop (uncredited)
Denney Pierce
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Carla Rhodes
Phone Booth Girl (uncredited)
Randy Reinholz
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Rachelle Roderick
Jane, Engineer (uncredited)
Angel Katherine Taormina
Female Onlooker on Street (uncredited)
Douglas Swander
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Jimmy Star
Reporter (uncredited)
Jack Wetherall
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Ken Wharton
Uptight Businessman (uncredited)
Henry Truong
Doc Ock Lab Assistant #2 (uncredited)
Al Collado
Cab Driver (uncredited)
Lee Cogburn
Train Passenger (uncredited)
Sam Raimi
University Student with Bag (uncredited)
John Cameron
Man Buying 'Spider-Man No More' Newspaper (uncredited)
Crew
Director
Sam Raimi
Comic Book
Stan Lee
Comic Book
Steve Ditko
Screenplay
Alvin Sargent
Screenstory
Miles Millar
Screenstory
Alfred Gough
Screenstory
Michael Chabon
Reviews
tmdb39513728
January 9, 2015
9
**Superheroes Anonymous**
Tragically I am a Batman. An obsessive Caped Crusader comic-book collector until 1972 when my evil mother tossed the entire bunch in the garbage. My cousin was Spider-man. His noble mother preserved his collection with plastic envelopes and to this day they remain in pristine condition.
What's truly tragic about being a Batman is that, despite Nolan's recent attempts (and questionable sincerity), the best Batman movie hasn't been made yet. As far as we know, with Batman's fate resting with Warner Bros, David Goyer, Zak Snider and Ben Affleck, the best Batman movie will not be possible for another decade or two, maybe three. I await thee Dark Knight.
Again to my cousin's good fortune, the best movie about Spider-man has been established for quite some time. In fact, as a benchmark, it is arguably the best comic-book super-hero movie ever made. I didn't much love Sam Raimi's first Spider-man, and wished my mother could have disposed of his last entry, but _Spider-Man 2_ was, and is, the ultimate movie adaptation from comic-books to the movie screen.
I was living in Shanghai in the summer of 2004 where I had to commute 3 hours on a hot and dizzy day to see it in English, and was fully rewarded for the effort. I was thrust into a imaginary super-hero world far more pleasing than anything I could remember since childhood. The 3 hour commute back home seemed like a breeze because Spider-man 2 awoke the wonder-struck boy inside me. It reminded me of a happy youth I forgot I had. It felt like Spidey was on the subway with me and would protect me from any harm. And he was just a boy himself! Batman? Who's that?
For a super-hero story, nearly everything is perfect in this movie. Doc Ock couldn't have been better. He looked exactly the way he did, at the height of Stan Lee's eminence, in the brightly coloured panels fighting Spider-man in 1968. And sounded just like I imagined he would. Peter and Mary Jane were in their element and their friendship and romantic undertaking actually mattered. The story and action played out the way a comic book should. It was both intimate and fantastic. Trippy, wonderful and scary. It was like growing up all over again. The climax was a bit too flashy, loud and over-the-top at that time, but by today's standards, when compared to climactic train-wrecks in _Man of Steel_, _Iron Man 3_ and _The Avengers_, it's perfectly splendid.
We are now being helplessly bombarded with comic book movies attacking us from every direction, all of them trying to out-do each other, jumping one shark after another. Every marginal superhero from Dr Strange to Shazam is being dusted off and hurled onto the big screen for our insatiable happy-childhood-appeasing appetite. The Marvel of Disney is launching at us one theme-park roller-coaster ride after another. Sony, with their Amazing Spider-man abominations, has completely lost it. Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four proliferations hit the wall long ago. And DC, under the reigns of Warner Bros, has transfigured into its own worst enemy. A wretched mutation not even the Joker finds amusing.
Turns out Sam Raimi's _Spider-Man 2_ is the gold standard by which all comic-book movies, certainly those of the super-hero variety, are and, evidently, will be set. Lucky cousin.
Media
Recommendations
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man
X2
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Real Steel
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Toy Story 3
The Punisher
300
The Mummy
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Bourne Supremacy
Fantastic Four
Men in Black
Angels & Demons
Back to the Future Part II
Spider-Man: Homecoming
