This sequel starts with the hero, Peter Parker (Tobey MaGuire), in a bad place. Every part of his life is in shambles. He decides it is because of his role as Spider-Man and he confronts an existential dilemma.

A new, unexpected antagonist arises, threatening the entire city, And Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) gets engaged. Can anything else go wrong?

Thanks to physics that are other-worldly and a style that emphasizes some of the cartoonish aspects of the story, this episode of Spider-Man keeps the lightness of the first episode: not as much as the original Batman television show, for example, but much more than the Batman films that came later, which used a dark tone for gravitas and style.

About the only character who seems detached from the central story, in terms of realism, is Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), who delivers some archetypal wisdom

As in the first installment, the special effects are the best part of this film. We may take these digital manipulations for granted sometimes, but they create an entire world that visually rivals reality.