Movie · 2014 · Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · 2h 21m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.3/10 (1.9M ratings)
His greatest battle begins.
Overview
For Peter Parker, life is busy. Between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation cannot come quickly enough. Peter has not forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away, but that is a promise he cannot keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.3/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.15/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Metacritic: 53
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Marc Webb
Production
Columbia Pictures, Matt Tolmach Productions, Arad Productions, Marvel Entertainment
Cast
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, Max Charles, B.J. Novak, Sarah Gadon, Michael Massee, Jorge Vega, Bill Heck, Teddy Coluca, Helen Stern
Where to watch
Disney Plus, fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A messy but emotionally potent superhero sequel with strong chemistry, striking visuals, and a genuinely affecting romance, even as the plotting becomes overstuffed and tonally uneven. If you care more about character, spectacle, and tragic melodrama than clean storytelling, it has a lot to offer.
Best for
Spider-Man fans who like a more romantic, tragic take on Peter Parker
Viewers who enjoy glossy blockbuster spectacle with big emotional swings
Fans of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone's chemistry
Audiences open to flawed but ambitious superhero sequels
Skip if
You want tight plotting and disciplined villain arcs
You dislike melodrama or frequent tonal whiplash
You prefer a darker, more grounded superhero style
You are mainly looking for a polished, self-contained comic-book movie
Overview
The movie works best when it leans into Peter and Gwen’s relationship, which gives the whole thing a bruised, wistful energy that most superhero sequels never reach. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone make the emotional core feel real, and the film’s best scenes are the ones that let them breathe between the noise and the CGI chaos.
Worth noting
But the story is overloaded with setup, subplots, and villains competing for attention. Electro, Harry Osborn, and the larger franchise machinery all pull the film in different directions, and the result is a sequel that often feels like it is racing itself. The emotional highs are strong, but they are surrounded by a lot of clutter.
Bottom line
As a standalone experience, it is uneven and sometimes ridiculous in ways that are hard to defend. As a tragic, glossy, very sincere superhero soap opera, though, it has a distinct identity and enough style and feeling to make it worth a watch for the right audience.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Ellie ✨ (4★) · 7411 likes
every time i watch these movies i go in thinking i’ll develop the ability to be critical and objective and then every single time i just wind up crying and wanting andrew garfield’s spidey back
sree (2.5★) · 5137 likes
at least gwen dying meant she didn't have to go to england 🙏 god bless
jonathan fujii (3★) · 3580 likes
I would’ve saved her but I understand not everyone is built like me
Andrew Dignan (2★) · 3161 likes
When I was a little kid, growing up solidly middle class, I had a lot of toys. But my parents, mindful of the expanding clutter that comes from the accumulation of “stuff,” presented me with an ultimatum: if I went long enough without playing with my toys then I’d have to get rid of them before I could get any new ones. They didn’t care what I did with them: throw them out, sell them at a yard sale, give… more When I was a little kid, growing up solidly middle class, I had a lot of toys. But my parents, mindful of the expanding clutter that comes from the accumulation of “stuff,” presented me with an ultimatum: if I went long enough without playing with my toys then I’d have to get rid of them before I could get any new ones. They didn’t care what I did with them: throw them out, sell them at a yard sale, give… more
2004 · Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · 2h 7m · PG-13 · Curator 8.2/10 (2.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, fuboTV, Netflix Standard with Ads
A benchmark for balancing superhero action with personal stakes, romance, and the burden of being Spider-Man.
2002 · Action, Science Fiction · 2h 1m · PG-13 · Curator 7.3/10 (3.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, fuboTV, Netflix Standard with Ads
The origin-story warmth and earnest heroism make it a natural companion to this version of Peter Parker.