The beloved second installation to the Spider-Man Trilogy turns 20 this year. And with the good tidings of 2024, the legacy of Spider-Man washes in with New Year bells. Spider-Man 2 tackles bringing the villain, Doctor Octopus, who is intensely complex in the Marvel comics, to life on the screen. Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire, starts working for cruel J. Jonah Jameson’s at The Bugle, watches love interest Mary Jane Watson slip from his grasp, grapples with recurring losses of his power, and realizes his friendship with Harry Osborne is undeniably deteriorating.
Spider-Man 2 is our first taste of Peter, out of high school, navigating both the adult and superhero world. With its stunning visuals, it comes as no surprise that the movie won Best Visual Effects at the 77th Academy Awards. In 2004, the movie placed third in movie earnings, grossing a total of $789 million at the box office.
But the movie’s worth spans beyond monetary denotation. Peter struggles far beyond the sudden loss of his superpower. He struggles with his identity, relationships, and finances — all hallmarks of the average young adult life. Yet, he has a persevering quality to him that is nothing short of admirable. Spider-Man 2 reels us in with the promise that there is much fulfillment to unlock in our lives, even with all our human struggles. Our generation has grown alongside Spider-Man 2 over the years, and this message has a meaningful impact on fans, with every stage of life we enter into.
Think of taking a first sip of your favourite drink. Or hearing a childhood cartoon’s theme song play unexpectedly. Similarly, Spider-Man 2 evokes the same sense of nostalgia from it. It’s a fantastic movie, with one of the most enthralling plots I can recall to date. And no, I don’t just say that because Mary Jane’s and Peter’s love story is so incredibly real. What could beat the feeling of kicking up your legs on the couch on a Saturday night and watching a two-hours-and-seven-minutes-long nostalgic masterpiece?
It’s easy to get lost in the whirlwind of more recent Spider-Man content. The Home Trilogy, starring Tom Holland, tacks on another plotline to keep up with. Its predecessor, the Amazing Spider-Man series, was guilty of this too — although its value to us is very much appreciated. The Raimi Trilogy, dubbed after director Sam Raimi, hasn’t decreased in its worth with the new releases, however. It encourages us to think about the humanity of Spider-Man, relate it to ourselves, and perhaps use it to place our bets on where Spider-Man is off to in the future.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, we saw the three live-action Spider-Men band together in action. But where is the character of Spider-Man web-slinging to next? Madame Web, a Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) production centering on a heroine from the Spider-Man comics, is set to release on February 14, 2024. And with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse production in full swing again, it’s conclusive: Spider-Man’s legacy lives on.