Spider-Man 2

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Spider-Man 2 ★★★ ½ 2004 (PG-13)

Spidey's back, with more to worry about than ever. Mary Jane's engaged, Harry Osborne is out to avenge the death of his father (Green Goblin), and there's a new villain in town: Doctor Octopus (Molina). Raimi's first installment was the best comic book adaptation in a while, and he's managed to top it here. Peter Parker's angst over Spidey's affect on his life, romantic conflict over MJ, and guilt over his uncle's death provide more depth than any comic book character has previously been granted on screen. Even Doc Ock is three dimensional and somewhat sympathetic, in no small part because of Molina's portrayal. The effects are again top-notch and non-intrusive. Raimi shows enough humor to remind everybody why they're called comic books. 127m/C DVD, UMD . Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Elizabeth Banks, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Vanessa Ferlito, Bill Nunn, Theodore (Ted) Raimi, Dylan Baker, Donna Murphy, Bruce Campbell, Aasif Mandvi, Willem Dafoe, Cliff Robertson, Daniel Gillies; D: Sam Raimi; W: Alvin Sargent, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Michael Chabon; C: Bill Pope; M: Danny Elfman. Oscars '04: Visual FX.