Peter Parker is back as Spider-man, but this time he has to take on the evil Dr. Octopus in the 2004 sequel, “Spider-Man 2.” Dr. Otto Octavius is working with Oscorp on a new science project when a lab accident kills his wife and fuses metallic arms to his body giving him eight limbs. Doc Ock snaps and goes on a crime spree until he can force Spider-Man to fight him. In the end, Peter win the love his life, but loses his best friend when both learn that he is Spider-Man.

This is my favorite of the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” films. Doc Ock is a far more compelling villain than the Green Goblin, but he is also harder to pull off. It makes sense that Green Goblin would come first, and the filmmakers would want to go bigger and better for the second film. Plus, Alfred Molina plays Doc Ock with a twist of pain and torture on top of the sadism that fuels his villainy. Where Green Goblin came off as a bit one dimensional, Doc Ock is a more well-rounded villain.

The relationships between Peter, Harry and Mary Jane take a stronger focus in this film. Peter and Harry are still close friends when the movie starts, but Harry is growing frustrated because he’s convinced Spider-Man killed his father. Harry thinks Peter knows who Spider-Man is but won’t tell him, not realizing that Peter is Spider-Man and Norman accidentally killed himself while trying to kill Spider-Man. That relationship is turned on its head when Harry learns the truth.

Then, there’s the relationship between Peter and Mary Jane. Mary Jane told Peter at the end of the last film she loved him, but he turned her down. Still, after kissing him as Peter, she realized Peter is Spider-Man. Now, she’s keeping Peter’s secret while trying to move on with her life. That is until Peter finally decides to tell her how he feels… on her wedding day to someone else. It may not have worked for Dr. Strange, but it worked for Spider-Man.

This is the film where Tobey Maguire and James Franco grew into their roles. In the first film, they looked too old to be playing the parts. But, in this film, they looked just right. It’s set a year after the events of the previous film, so they look a lot closer to their ages this time around.

Nearly 20 years later, and I still love this film. I remember watching it in theaters and just walking out with a big smile on my face. It was fun then, and it’s fun now. I’m fearful for the dark days that are to come for the character, but I’m also excited because I know what’s coming once the MCU starts. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Rating: 4.5 stars

What did you think of “Spider-Man 2?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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