Release Date:  June 30, 2004
Rating:  PG-13 (for stylized action violence)
Genre:  Fantasy/Action/Sci-Fi
Run Time: 127 minutes
Director:  Sam Raimi
Actors:  Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Donna Murphy, Daniel Gillies, Dylan Baker, Bill Nunn

Oh, what a tangled web men weave, when with their masks they do deceive! 

If you’re looking for a family-friendly movie that will delight men and intrigue women, look no further. “Spider-Man 2” does the job. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in years.

Written by Alvin Sargent (“Ordinary People,” “Papermoon”) and derived from a screenplay by the Pulitzer-Prize winning Michael Chabon (“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay”), the story begins as Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is fired from his part-time job as a pizza delivery boy. He regularly skips class at Columbia, can’t keep up with rent payments on his decrepit studio and ekes out a living doing freelance newspaper photography. Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), his longtime love, is ready to marry someone else. Even Peter’s Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), who is still grieving the loss of her husband, Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) is disappointed in the hapless, undependable college student.

Quite the opposite is Spider-Man, who saves children and assists the law, much to the chagrin of unethical newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), who wants Spidey destroyed. Jameson is not alone. Harry Osborn (James Franco), who is trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, is Peter’s best friend, but Harry despises Spider-Man and wants him dead, as revenge for his father’s death. By financing scientist Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), Harry hopes to gain more wealth. But Octavius’ fusion experiment goes awry, leaving him attached to a four-limbed machine that controls both his mind and his actions. Now, Octavius wants to rule the world, and there is only one thing capable of stopping him: Spider-Man. Unfortunately, the super hero has just shunned the spider suit for a long-needed sabbatical.

Director Sam Raimi (“For Love of the Game,” “A Simple Plan”) has done a fabulous job with this film, and the script couldn’t be any better. Full of nuances, great dialogue and Godly themes, “Spider-Man 2” has something for everyone. Most important is its overarching message – that good must and will ultimately conquer evil. Evil is overcome, this film clearly says, by men who are willing to do what is right – at any cost.

“Sometimes, to do what is right,” Aunt May says (later repeated by Peter), “We have to be steady, and give up what which we want the most, even our dreams.”