"The current status quo in the genre makes the absurdist, irreverent tone of 2004’s Spider-Man 2 seem all the more astonishing today. Most humor in the film draws on Peter Parker’s permanent status as a nerd – an awkward, nebbish presence outside of the famous costume. A naive man-child, Parker reacts to the series of brutal challenges he faces with a melancholic pout and a half-smile. His response to being repeatedly jostled in the street is an amused, embarrassed chuckle. The total lack of realism in Tobey Maguire’s career-defining performance places Raimi’s trilogy firmly in the realm of fantasy. There is no Actor’s Studio work being done here. Contrasted with more recent comic book fare, the thrill of a big action sequence is now perpetually dampened by an insistent awareness of disastrous consequences as embodied by the brooding of an Oscar winner, a shake of their head and an existential monologue."