“Spider Man 2” is directed by Sam Raimi who is best known for his horror & thriller films such as “Darkman”, “The Quick & The Dead” as well as the “Evil Dead” trilogy. The film is based on the comic book series of the same name, written by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby. This film is the second film in Sam Raimi’s original “Spider Man” trilogy. The film stars Tobey McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, J.K. Simmons, Rosemary Harris & Elizabeth Banks who all return from the previous film to their respected characters. Alfred Molina joins the cast as the primary villain.

2 years after the death of Norman Osbourne (played once again by Willam Defoe), Peter Parker (McGuire) is torn between his role as the masked hero known as Spider Man and being normal. His best friend, Harry Osbourne (Franco) has a deep hatred for Spider Man. The love of Peter’s life, Mary Jane Watson (Dunst) is constantly back and forth with him about their relationship. His Aunt May (Harris) having a hard time moving on after Uncle Ben’s murder. Peter gets fired from his pizza job and slowly failing his college course. His personal life is crumbling down and he isn’t sure how to cope. While attending an energy fusion demonstration with Harry, Peter witnesses his idol, Otto Octavius (Molina) become fused with 4 mechanical arms as the demonstration goes horribly wrong. Octavius is driven mad after his failed experiment not only cost him his reputation but also killed his beloved wife. He turns into “Dr. Octopus”, another adversary for Spider Man, adding more torment and anxiety to Peter’s growing list of problems. The ultimate battle not only comes in the form of being a hero but also just being human & that battle will push both Peter & Spider Man to their very limits.

Following the success of the first film, this movie is one greatest super hero films of all time and also one of the best sequels. This was a fantastic film with all around great performances. Raimi had done a phenomenal job bringing the web slinger to the big screen and it definitely shows in this film with its dark atmosphere and underdog story. Hands down, Alfred Molina has the best performance as the villain. He nailed “Dr. Octopus”, going from the man with a breakthrough vision to losing it all and goes spiraling down into villainy. Much like Willam Defoe as “Green Goblin”, Molina is another experiment gone wrong but rather than go crazy mentally, his was much more somber and tragic then just a loose cannon. Everyone else in the film is great and really bring their A game.

After the release of “Spider Man 2”, Sony wanted another film which Raimi had no problem doing. In 2007, we got the much anticipated yet unfortunate disappointment that was “Spider Man 3”. Raimi’s original idea and script saw Spider Man into 2 more films following part 2 but Sony’s involvement spelled the end for his story which cause the reboot series in 2012 with “The Amazing Spider Man”. Tobey McGuire was always a good Peter Parker but not the Spider Man we saw in the comics. While his first 2 films were incredible and still hold up today, it’s unfortunate that part 3 was so bad that it tainted the trilogy as a whole as most part 3 often do. Raimi would go on direct 2009’s “Drag Me To Hell” & 2013’s “Oz: The Great & Powerful”. Raimi is also set to direct for Marvel, in 2022, the sequel to the “Doctor Strange” character in “Doctor Strange: The Multiverse of Madness”. In 2015, Sony reached an agreement to include Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Spider-Man would make his MCU debut in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” played by Tom Holland.