Spider-Man 2 poster

Spider-Man 2

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...

Trailer

Director

Sam Raimi

Writer

Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Alfred Gough

Studio

Columbia Pictures, Marvel Enterprises, Laura Ziskin Productions

Release

July 16, 2004

Runtime

127 min

Genres

Marvel, Superhero, Teen Adventure, Urban Adventure, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Country

United States

Budget

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Box office

$788,253,491 worldwide ($375,087,840 domestic; $88,156,227 opening weekend)

Awards

Won 1 Oscar; 25 wins & 60 nominations total.

Cast & Characters

Tobey Maguire

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Tobey Maguire

Kirsten Dunst

Mary Jane Watson

Kirsten Dunst

Alfred Molina

Doc Ock

Alfred Molina

James Franco

Harry Osborn

James Franco

Rosemary Harris

May Parker

Rosemary Harris

J.K. Simmons

J. Jonah Jameson

J.K. Simmons

Donna Murphy

Rosalie Octavius

Donna Murphy

Daniel Gillies

John Jameson

Daniel Gillies

Dylan Baker

Dr. Curt Connors

Dylan Baker

Bill Nunn

Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson

Bill Nunn

Willem Dafoe

Green Goblin

Willem Dafoe

Cliff Robertson

Ben Parker

Cliff Robertson

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Did You Know?

Also known as "El hombre araña 2" in Spanish-language markets.

Source: IMDb · verified 2026-08-02

When Peter flips over an oncoming car, Tobey Maguire performed the stunt himself; Sam Raimi preferred his take over the stunt double's.

Source: IMDb · verified 2026-08-02

"Special Delivery," written and produced by John Debney, features on the soundtrack.

Source: IMDb · verified 2026-08-02

Critical Assessment

IMDb
7.5/10
RT Critics
93%
Metacritic
83/100

Spider-Man 2 holds 7.5/10 on IMDb (795K votes), 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Metascore of 83 from 299 critic reviews — a rare sequel that scored higher than its predecessor on every metric.

Boasting an entertaining villain and deeper emotional focus, Spider-Man 2 is a nimble sequel that improves upon the original. Rotten Tomatoes (critics consensus)

There's essentially no critic/audience gap here (93% RT, 7.5 IMDb, 83 Metascore) — Spider-Man 2 is widely regarded as the trilogy's, and one of the genre's, high points.

Ratings as of August 2, 2026

🤖

AI Verdict

AI-generated

Spider-Man 2's across-the-board improvement over the original — higher RT score (93% vs. 90%), higher Metascore (83 vs. 73), a Best Visual Effects Oscar win — makes it one of the few superhero sequels that's essentially uncontested as better than its predecessor, anchored by Molina's Doc Ock as a genuine tragic villain.

Fan & Critic Buzz

AI Summary

Fans are praising the movie's focus on character development, particularly Peter Parker's relatable struggles and Harry's transformation into a mortal enemy. Many viewers also appreciate the theme of balancing power and responsibility, which is seen as a key element of the film. Some fans are excited to see Tobey Maguire reprising his role in future movies.

Reviews

  • **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 t…

    tmdb39513728 · 8.5/10
  • I don't think anyone can review this movie better than what Roger Ebert said about it back in 2004: "It's a real movie, full-blooded and smart, with qualities even for those who have no idea who Stan Lee is. It's a superhero movie for people who don't go to superhero movies, and…

    tmdb44006625 · 8/10
  • Sony did a great job of focusing on what really matters in this movie - the character. Here we see a relatable Peter Parker who can't seem to catch a break and when he does it just feels so satisfying to watch him rise up from all the challenges he faced.

  • It was amazing to see what they did to Harry's character. He went from being Peter's best friend to mortal enemy. I can't blame him though cause what do you expect would happen if you found out your best friend was the one who killed your father?

  • Is it me or does MJ get more and more annoying with every film? Still a 10/10 film for me because I'm not here for her, I'm here for my boy, Peter Parker!

  • To me, it felt like what Uncle Ben imparted to Peter in the first film - with great power comes great responsibility - was the very essence of this film. He had too much power, too much responsibility, and he needed to find a way to balance all of that.

  • You're not a real Spider-Man fan if you haven't watched this.

  • I was completely blown away! The 11-year-old in me definitely connected with this film on another level and made me remember just how much I loved superheroes.

  • Big shoutout to Tobey Maguire for giving so much life and soul to Peter Parker. I can't imagine anyone else doing so well like he did.

  • You can definitely feel the effort that the studio put into every scene in the movie.

  • Tobey Maguire did a great job making Peter Parker a young man that you would feel for, wince with, and watch slowly as he turns from this young boy into a man.

  • This is one of the OG films that paved the way for the superhero films of today. I can't express how thankful I am for Tobey Maguire for being the pioneer!

  • Definitely a fan's dream-come-true! Studios of today should take notes from films like this if they want to produce a successful superhero film.

  • Here in this movie, we see more of the human side of Spider-Man and saw how this boy turned into a man trying his best to fulfill his responsibilities being a human and superhero at the same time.

  • I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it's one of the most engrossing superhero movies there is.

  • I really, really appreciate that they highlight character development and storyline more than the fight scenes.

  • A surprisingly outstanding sequel to the first Spider-Man film.

  • All the action, comedy, and drama had such a delicate balance. It's pretty amazing to see such a precise blend of these emotions in a superhero film.

  • If you ask me, this is leaps and bounds better than the Superhero films - even the Batman films. Spider-Man is that person anyone can relate to. He has such a big human side to him that it's hard not to resonate with him.

  • Wanna see what a flawless film looks like? Go see this one now!

From the trailer's comments

  • Who's here after Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser trailer came out? "Hello Peter?"

    @vanleyesa · 380 likes
  • Tobey's coming back❤️💙 childhood nostalgia.... The real and best Spidey ❤️💙💥💥💥

    @Jissmon___10 · 75 likes
  • The greatest sequel ever

    @luissanchezproductions9066 · 185 likes
  • Literally anybody here after "Hello Peter"🔙?

    @samsmart7286 · 43 likes
  • Childhood Hero 🔥 Tobey is back❤❤❤

    @heyadhii · 47 likes
  • I would love to see this in theaters for the first time....

    @potaragaming4159 · 65 likes
  • that guy who was in the elevator with Spiderman was that guy hal sparks who plays Donald Davenport in lab rats

    @sheilamartinez4307 · 50 likes
  • This is the best movie ever exists.

    @odedflaisher · 42 likes
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