Category: Spider-Man Film Reviews

Reviews of films with Spider-Man as the main character.

RETRO REVIEW: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Theatrical Release Poster - Columbia Pictures
Theatrical Release Poster – Columbia Pictures

The following is a spoiler-filled retro review of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. It was written in 2016.

I vividly remember watching this film with my mom when it was first released. We both loved the film, and I just remember talking about it for hours. Talking about it when we were walking to the car, talking about it inside the car on the way home, and talking about it when we got home.

It’s not that Spider-Man 2 blew my mind. It isn’t one of those films that changed everything, not like I think the first Raimi Spider-Man did, or like The Dark Knight or Iron Man did. But it was just so much fun. It was everything a Spider-Man movie could and should be. It did what you want a superhero movie to do. It entertained people of all ages, and, in my opinion, it has aged really well over the years. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Spider-Man 2 (2004)” →

RETRO REVIEW: Spider-Man (2002)

Release Poster - Columbia Pictures
Release Poster – Columbia Pictures

The following is a quick spoiler-filled retro review of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

Great directors like James Cameron and David Fincher had been interested in making a film about Marvel’s famous wall-crawler, but it was up to the famous horror-director Sam Raimi to show the world just how special this character was, and he really did. Spider-Man is one of the most important superhero films ever made. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Spider-Man (2002)” →

REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Release Poster - Columbia Pictures
Release Poster – Columbia Pictures

The following quick review of The Amazing Spider-Man was written in August 2016.

Five years after the release of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, Sony restarted their Spider-Man–film franchise instead of making the fourth Raimi film. This new reboot had to reintroduce his origin, and the writers had chosen to make the Lizard the villain. For a while, it looked like it was going to be the exact Spider-Man story I had always wanted.  Continue reading “REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)” →

REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

TAMS2 Poster
Release Poster – Columbia Pictures

This short updated review (2020) of Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) includes some story spoilers.

Today I want to talk to you about success. What makes a movie successful? Is it the merchandise it sells, the box office numbers, or the score on Rotten Tomatoes? I gave this much thought when I first saw Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014, and I think I know why. I have always loved Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man films. I think Raimi really understood how to make the most of the characters and the universe, the music is obviously iconic, and I think the tone of the films is pitch-perfect. Then, along came the final installment in Raimi’s trilogy and it, frustratingly, didn’t work as well. It was undoubtedly a bloated film. However, when I look back at that third film, though, I am not all that sad. You see, I always looked at those three movies as the story of a friendship. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)” →