Sony Pictures
SPIDER-MAN 2
Starring Tobey Maguire Maguire (Peter Parker / Spider-Man), Alfred Molina (Doctor Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborn), Rosemary Harris (Aunt May), and JK Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson) with a special appearance by Stan Lee and an appearance by Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn via hallucination
Directed by Sam Raimi
Produced by Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad
Written by Alvin Sargent
Music by Danny Elfman
Distributed by Sony Pictures
Run Time: 2 hours and 7 minutes
World Premier: June 22, 2004, in Los Angeles, California
Opening Box Office: $40 million on opening Wednesday in North America. $88 million from Friday-Sunday in North America. $180 million from Wednesday-Monday; Independence Day Weekend in the U.S.
Worldwide Box Office: $789 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Sony Pictures
Fun Spider-Man 2 Facts
As this film entered into production, actor Tobey Maguire nearly backed out of the three-film contract he’d signed with Sony Pictures when he was cast as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, noting the resurfacing of a chronic back condition that had left him dealing with a great deal of physical pain. Fans petitioned for actor Jake Gyllenhaal to replace Maguire if recasting was necessary, but Tobey ultimately stayed on. 15-years later, Jake Gyllenhaal would co-star in a Spider-Man film, suiting up as the villainous Quentin Beck / Mysterio for Marvel Studios’ and Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Far From Home. Maguire himself would join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021, reprising his role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man from Sam Raimi’s three Spider-Man films in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Spider-Man 2 commenced filming on April 12, 2003, in both New York City and Chicago. Filming shifted to Los Angeles on May 13. All filming concluded at the end of 2003 with a reported 100 different locations / sets being utilized.
The opening montage of Spider-Man 2 recaps the events of 2002’s Spider-Man through illustrations provided by acclaimed comic book artist Alex Ross.
Two supporting characters that Spider-Man fans might recognize made their debuts in Spider-Man 2. Doctor Curt Connors (portrayed by Dylan Baker) and John Jameson (portrayed by Daniel Gillies). In the Marvel comics, both of these characters get transformed into monsters, with Connors becoming The Lizard and Jameson becoming The Man-Wolf.
In Spider-Man 2, Doctor Octopus’ character arc was largely inspired by the version of the character that appears in Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Comics Universe.
Sony Pictures
In Spider-Man 2, Doc Ock’s tentacles were created through the combination of CGI and practical effects. The four tentacles that were created were a reported 13-feet long and were maneuvered through puppetry.
In Spider-Man 2, when JK Simmons’ J Jonah Jameson is looking for suggestions on a catchy villain name for Otto Octavius, one of his employees suggests “Doctor Strange.” Jameson replies “That’s pretty good, but it’s taken”, implying that this corner of the MCU Multiverse does boast its own Sorcerer Supreme. Bleecker Street is also mentioned by Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker in this film. That is the street on which Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum is located in the Marvel comics. Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko also co-created Doctor Strange. 14-years after the release of Spider-Man 2, Doctor Strange (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch) and Spider-Man (portrayed by Tom Holland) finally appeared on-screen together in live action in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War from Marvel Studios. Three years after that, Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) would co-star in a Spider-Man film in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home; a film that also saw the aforementioned Cinematic return of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker via the MCU Multiverse. In 2022, Sam Raimi finally directed a Doctor Strange film, bringing audiences Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness starring Cumberbatch.
In Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker’s discarding of his Spider-Man suit in a trashcan within an alley is a recreation of a famous panel from 1967’s The Amazing Spider-Man # 50 written by Stan Lee and illustrated by John Romita. This was Lee’s Spider-Man No More arc, one of the most acclaimed Spider-Man stories of all-time and an arc that strongly inspired the story of this film.
Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance in Spider-Man 2, encouraging a woman to “Look out!” during a fight pitting Spider-Man against Doctor Octopus.
Spider-Man 2 was the third highest-grossing film of 2004.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
On September 6, 2005, Marvel Enterprises became Marvel Entertainment; a reflection of the company’s new initiative to finance its own motion pictures through Marvel Studios. Two Spider-Man films had been made by Sony and Marvel Entertainment at the time of the announcement: 2002’s Spider-Man and 2004’s Spider-Man 2. A third film (Spider-Man 3) was already in active development at the time of this announcement. Marvel Studios would work in conjunction with Sony on Spider-Man 3, honoring the terms of their initial agreement, and Spider-Man 3 would be released in the Spring of 2007. In the meantime, Kevin Feige (Spring of 2007) would be promoted to President of Marvel Studios and production on Marvel Studios’ first independent film Iron Man would commence just prior to the release of Spider-Man 3.
Beyond Spider-Man 3, the working agreement between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures as it had once been ceased to exist as the Marvel Studios team concentrated on the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while Sony’s team did their own thing. Former Marvel Studios President and co-founder Avi Arad (who announced his formal resignation from Marvel Studios in the Spring of 2006) remained a part of Sony’s team, and a decision was made to reboot the franchise, culminating in the release of The Amazing Spider-Man (starring Andrew Garfield) in 2012.
On February 9, 2015, following a crippling e-mail hack and the critical failure of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures reached an agreement to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War after which Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures would co-produce a new Spider-Man film, which would serve as another reboot. In the Summer of 2015, Tom Holland was cast to portray Peter Parker / Spider-Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
From 2016-2019, Tom Holland appeared as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in 5 Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures projects including Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
2019’s Marvel Studios film Spider-Man: Far From Home saw Marvel Studios cast actor JK Simmons to reprise his role as J. Jonah Jameson under the Marvel Studios banner. The version of the character that Simmons portrayed is a Multiversal Variant of the character that he portrayed in Sony’s first three Spider-Man films.
In the 2021 Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures co-production Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel Studios’ yet-to-be titled Multiverse Saga was kicked into high gear when the events of that film saw Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker / Spider-Man enter the MCU 17-years removed from Spider-Man 2. Maguire’s Parker was brought into the MCU’s 616-Universe due to a Multiversal Breach triggered by an errant magical spell that was cast by Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Stephen Strange, which involved Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. The botched spell allowed Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus to crossover into the MCU 616-Universe as well and Spider-Man: No Way Home made all three of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films MCU canon via the Multiverse.
Sony Pictures
My Spider-Man 2 Review
The release of Spider-Man 2 came at a time when Marvel Studios was in the midst of revolutionizing the comic book movie genre. Marvel Studios had seen both massive and mediocre hits, with 2002’s Spider-Man and 2003’s X-2: X-Men United being labeled instant classics while the Blade films were mostly praised. The Daredevil and Hulk films in 2003 had been financially respectable, but not all that great, critically speaking. While the people working on Marvel films were still in the learning phase back in 2004, discovering through trial and error what did and what didn’t work, David Maisel was already making calculated moves that would eventually see Marvel Studios self-finance and independently produce their own movies.
At the time of its release, Spider-Man 2 was widely hailed as a comic book movie masterpiece. To this day, the film appears more often than not on critics’ rankings of the greatest comic book and superhero films of all-time. People loved Spider-Man 2, and it was a film (like X2 in 2003) that benefited significantly from a well-told origin story that could now be expanded upon, creating what was at the time, a rare narrative within the genre, and that was a film that moves beyond the origin story and allows the character to be further fleshed-out and to grow into their role as a hero. Spider-Man has a cool origin story, but there is so much more to this character, and that’s why a lot of people (including myself) prefer this sequel to its predecessor.
Spider-Man 2 takes place two-years after the events of the first film and Norman Osborn’s funeral. Peter Parker is beginning to feel overwhelmed by the pressures of his life. He is trying to (and failing miserably) balance being an employee for a pizza diner, paying rent, being a college student, and being a crime-fighting superhero. On top of that, his Aunt May is having financial troubles as well, his best friend Harry has become obsessed with bringing Spider-Man down to avenge the death of his father, the Daily Bugle continues to demean Spider-Man, and Peter hasn’t seen or spoken to MJ in months.
Peter Parker’s life is a mess, and it is taking a toll on his mental and physical health, slowly but surely diminishing the abilities that allow him to be Spider-Man.
Soon, Harry Osborn (now the Head of Oscorp’s Genetic and Scientific Research Division while harboring a personal grudge against Spider-Man, whom he blames for his father’s death) sets Peter up with a meeting with the renowned Doctor Otto Octavius, whose revolutionary work with fusion power Oscorp is funding. Peter and Octavius hit it off from the start, as Otto takes a strong liking to Peter’s wit and ambition and Peter enjoys the potential for a mentor / student relationship with Otto.
Sony Pictures
Peter ends up attending Otto’s public demonstration of fusion power; a demonstration that is able to be carried out through the use of a harness that boasts four mechanical arms that share a mental connection with Otto. The demonstration ends up going terribly wrong. Otto’s beloved wife is killed during the ensuing chaos and the inhibitor chip that allows Otto to control his mechanical arms is destroyed as well, prompting Peter to discretely flee and put on his Spider-Man outfit to defuse the situation. Harry is of course furious over Spider-Man’s interference and blames Spider-Man for the failure of the demonstration, which Harry believes has ruined his name.
Meanwhile, Otto’s arms now control him, and he emerges as the villainous entity that J Jonah Jameson labels “Doctor Octopus.” Doc Ock encounters Spider-Man during a bank robbery that endangered the life of Peter’s Aunt May. This is a really cool fight despite the CGI having poorly aged by today’s standards and features a humorous exchange between Peter and Aunt May, as she more or less calls him out as a coward when he flees the scene to go and change into his Spider-Man outfit!
From here, Peter’s life continues to unravel. The Daily Bugle accuses Spider-Man of working with Doc Ock in the bank robbery, and on top of that, he has what turns out to be a terrible chance reunion with MJ. Though Peter is thrilled to see MJ and is still very much in love with her, despite the end of the first Spider-Man film when he chose not to pursue a relationship with her due to his double-life, Peter fails to prove himself as anything but an unreliable empty seat after he fails to come see her stage performance due to getting tied-up in activities as Spider-Man. Peter’s pleas for forgiveness fall on deaf ears, and MJ shatters Peter’s heart with the revelation that she is in a very serious relationship with astronaut John Jameson; Jonah’s son.
Jameson tasks Peter with photographing what turns out to be an engagement announcement party where Peter not only has to witness MJ getting proposed to, but also a venomous attack by a drunken Harry, who angrily berates Peter before slapping him across the face right in front of everyone. Peter is rendered mentally, emotionally, and physically devastated; his heart broken, his dreams shattered and having reached his breaking point, Peter vows to be Spider-Man no more, throwing his suit away in the same alley where he (as Spider-Man) kissed MJ for the first time.
From there, Peter’s life gets somewhat back on track. He picks his grades up and even manages to at long last see MJ’s big performance. Peter professes that he is no longer distracted and admits to now desperately wanting to try to take MJ up on that offer she proposed at Norman Osborn’s funeral, but MJ begrudgingly declares that it’s too late for any of that, but endorses Peter’s new attitude, nonetheless.
Sony Pictures
Peter next sets out to make right by his beloved Aunt May and come clean with her about the events that transpired on the night of Uncle Ben’s death. Aunt May is stunned by this revolution and rendered speechless, but she ultimately praises Peter for his honesty.
With Spider-Man retired, crime is on the rise in New York City and Harry Osborn makes a deal with Doctor Octopus to provide Ock with the needed tritium to rebuild his reactor in exchange for Spider-Man being delivered to Harry. Osborn points Otto in the direction of Peter Parker; insisting that Peter must know where Spider-Man can be found, while urging Otto not to actually hurt Peter.
In the meantime, a confused MJ meets with Peter as she has had trouble getting his words off her mind and isn’t sure that she can simply walk away. Peter replies with exactly everything that MJ doesn’t want to hear however, as he has decided that he cannot simply quit being Spider-Man after all. His city needs him, and he can’t be with MJ now for all of the same reasons he couldn’t be with her before.
Suddenly, Doc Ock attacks and abducts MJ, ordering Peter to bring Spider-Man to him … or else.
Peter is instantly motivated by the endangerment of MJ and regains all of his abilities and gives chase. Peter and Octavius engage in a fierce brawl atop a speeding train full of passengers. This is an outstanding sequence and ends with an unmasked Peter saving the passengers from certain doom but being unable to best Octavius. Otto therefore takes Spider-Man to Harry, who unmasks the injured hero to see none other than Peter Parker lying before him. Harry is stunned and furious, but Peter begs him to think of MJ and to point him in the direction of Doc Ock. Harry does.
Sony Pictures
Spider-Man tracks down Doctor Octopus and they have another fierce battle during which Peter’s mask is removed and MJ discovers that Peter Parker really is Spider-Man. Peter pleads with Doc Ock to shut down the reactor, and Doc gains enough momentary control over his arms to crash the reactor into the waters below, drowning to death in the process.
Peter helps MJ down and she tries to take it all in, finally understanding why Peter is the way that he is. The only other person that Mary Jane had ever felt feelings for that were as strong as her feelings for Peter were, was Spider-Man, and Spider-Man and Peter were one in the same all along!
This left MJ with a very difficult choice, and she waited until the very last second to make one of the most important decisions of her life, abandoning John Jameson at the alter on the day of their wedding and arriving at Peter’s apartment in her wedding dress, declaring her love for him. Peter Parker had finally gotten the girl!
Before they could talk things out any further, Peter had to swing into action as Spider-Man, prompting MJ to utter the words “Go get ’em tiger” as she watched with breathless anticipation as Peter rushed out to defend the innocent.
Peter and MJ were together, but Harry Osborn was crushed by the revelation of Peter and Spider-Man being one in the same, and after finding his late father’s secret stash, a New Goblin was about to emerge.
There really isn’t anything to complain about when it comes to this movie. At the time of its release, I thought Spider-Man 2 was the greatest comic book movie ever made. From start-to-finish, it was a well-told, well-acted story that stayed true to its source material and expanded the Cinematic mythos of Marvel’s most popular character in several satisfying ways! Spider-Man 2 is a worthy film to now have as part of MCU canon and was up until Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tobey Maguire’s greatest contribution to the Spider-Man character.
Sony Pictures
Highlights of Spider-Man 2:
Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker
JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson
Spider-Man No More
Spider-Man vs Doctor Octopus Train Fight
Spider-Man vs Doctor Octopus Bank Fight
Harry Osborn’s Slow Slip into Madness
Peter Parker Comes Clean with Aunt May
Go Get ‘Em Tiger
J Jonah Jameson Donning the Spider-Man suit (as seen in the Extended Version)
Doc Ock’s Arms take control and go on a horrifying killing spree (as seen in the Extended Version)
Leave a Reply