This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

FROM STRONG ACTING TO AMAZING STORYTELLING ... SPIDER-MAN 2 IS AN IMPROVEMENT FROM THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS ALSO A CLASSIC !!!

This sequel nails everything that's great about the comic strip hero and is one of the high-water marks for the series and for the superhero genre because it is able to simultaenously combine the goofiness of the comic strip, the melancholy of lost love, romantic ideal, a frightening, diabolical meance, intense action and an emotionally fulfilling ending. Critics said that self-pity is the central theme which is harsh because it is the weight of responsibility, and that Tobey Maguire is a tad weightless in his delivery, when really he recovers his confidence with a determination that isn't out of character. Technically, it has Academy award winning special effects used with restraint, and superbly directed by Sam Raimi.

I saw this when I was about 7 but only that one time and I forgot about it. I later became a Roger Ebert fan and found out he called this the greatest superhero movie ever made. He also called it 2004's 4th best movie. (Why Passion of the Christ was not on there beats me!) He loved it because it's about Peter Parker's emotions as much as Spider-Man. Look up the 2 reviews of his on YouTube. I saw it in September 2017 and have seen it 3 times since. It's in my top 10 for the same reason. Forget The Dark Knight, Spider Man 2 IS the greatest superhero movie ever made!

It's hard to decide whether or not I prefer this film to the first, as it tells - in some ways - a more mature, nuanced and layered tale, but what isn't hard to decide is that 'Spider-Man 2 (2004)' is a fantastic movie and easily one of the best sequels of all time. The villain is wonderfully rounded, his motivations constantly clear and his character arc drawn in full before the credits roll, and presents both a physical and psychological challenge for our hero. The story expertly balances the phenomenally fun yet still emotionally resonant web-slinging sequences (a high-speed train in danger provides one of the feature's nicest character moments whereas the whole 'bank' section is amazingly accomplished and thunderously entertaining) with the relatable central dilemma of our very human protagonist. Raimi's directing seems to be stepped up a little, too, as he leans further into his own quirky style - evident in the renowned 'surgery' scene which is one of the best in the entire film. The entire piece just gels together to make a cohesive, complex and rare example of the superhero genre at some of its very best. 9/10