What modern superhero movies can learn from Spider-Man 2 on its 20th anniversary

Sam Raimi's sequel became the gold standard of the genre by mixing excellent villains with a distinct directorial touch

Tobey Maguire excels as Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, in the trilogy from the 2000s. Photo: Sony Pictures

The summer of 2004 was a lot like the one we are experiencing now. Football fans were enjoying an exciting Euros tournament, there was an air of unease due to conflicts in the Middle East and commercial space travel was becoming a reality.

However, there is something that summer had that this doesn’t have though – the unbridled excitement for a massive blockbuster.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 arrived two years after the first. Tobey Maguire returned as Peter Parker, the young New Yorker who dons the webbed suit to fight crime using his acquired spider powers. The cast includes James Franco, Kirsten Dunst and J K Simmons and fans were introduced to Doc Ock, played by Alfred Molina, a thespian who brought an emotional touch to the film that very few superhero stories had.

Before Spider-Man 2 was released, the summer blockbuster was seldom a superhero film. It was often films about natural disasters or big action flicks starring names such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Will Smith. That has since changed of course, as both Marvel and DC soon set out to release a new superhero film every six months or so. And while there have been incredible comic book films over the years, very few have achieved what Spider-Man 2 did 20 years ago.

Perfect villain

One of the major criticisms of modern superhero films is that the villain is often forgettable or doesn’t possess an intriguing storyline. Having a villain who acts merely as a foil to the superhero is not a bad thing.

Looking at the long list of superhero films released in the past 20 years, the two standout villains are The Joker from The Dark Knight and Thanos from the two Avengers films: Infinity War and Endgame. Having two memorable villains in a sea of forgettable ones is not ideal, it shows that these heroes need more interesting counterparts.

Molina’s Doc Ock is the kind of villain that begs viewers to understand him, sympathise with him and sometimes even agree with him. His journey goes from being a mentor of Peter Parker to the terror of New York City. And it’s not just about the fleshed-out story arc, the villain should be played by a talent who can elevate the character, making him or her their own, while still being recognisable to a comic book reading audience.

Distinct directorial touch

Sam Raimi cut his teeth in low-budget horror cinema, directing The Evil Dead in 1981 and Evil Dead II in 1987. The choices made in these films show the work of an ambitious and creative young filmmaker who can extend beyond his means.

He has employed techniques such as unusual shot angles and camera movements over the years, and they regularly showed up in the Spider-Man trilogy. He also implements them in his more recent film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Unfortunately, creative choices are becoming a rare thing in the money machine that is superhero franchises. Directors are now chosen based on their marketability rather than what they can bring to a project. Yes, some have bucked the trend, but for the most part, there needs to be more directorial freedom.

All the emotions

Spider-Man 2 is loved to this day for all the reasons mentioned above. But most importantly, it's because it’s a film for everyone. There’s no complex plot or a convoluted raison d’etre, it’s all there on the screen to be enjoyed and felt.

The sequel is unburdened by the need to show how Peter gets his powers or how he reacts to the death of his uncle, all of which had already happened in the first film. The second film jumps straight in, it has action, romance, scares and even tears.

Superhero films need to be good films first, they need to make the viewer enjoy the experience and relate to the characters on a human level before they can start to thrill with big set pieces and CGI monsters.