The last time I watched Tobey-Maguire-Spider-Man was approximately in 2023 with my sister in my parents basement (which was also my basement at the time). I always intended to continue the series, but I never got around to it, as is tradition.
The time finally came to watch Spider-Man 2 and 3 in May. I did not watch them in my parent's basement or with my sister, but I assume she doesn't care too much.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - directed by Sam Raimi
Spider-Man 2 taught me that asking someone to get chow mein is
equivalent to a marriage proposal, and I will be keeping this in mind
for the future.
I love Tobey Maguire soo much. Tobey should be in every movie.
Watched: May 23, 2026
Rating: ★★★★ / 5
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The review I posted on Letterboxd was pretty short; I guess I didn't have that many thoughts immediately after finishing that I felt like talking about on there. Another instance where I spend an entire movie talking and don't really know how to discuss it critically after the fact. It's a fatal flaw of mine, but I do have a few brief plot things to touch on. Maybe skip the next few paragraphs if you're sensitive to spoilers for this 20-year-old movie.
I just don't understand the unlimited energy source trope that I've seen in a few places. What is the point of energy if it destroys everything in the vicinity? Is the actual villain actually just some illogical force that wants to expand and expand with no sense of its surrounding? Like your average billionaire, maybe? Yes, probably that. But I guess I don't understand why Doctor Octopus was cool with that, because he is not an illogical force. Maybe the desire for scientific progress is illogical in and of itself. Anyway, this all probably would have made a tiny bit more sense if I paid attention. Either that or I'm expecting too much from a comic book movie.
Doc Ock is a pretty cool guy; iconic main villain, design-wise, but I don't think his personality in this movie is super memorable at all.
I had a few thoughts on the romance, but at this point it's all a blur and my general opinion is: just talk to each other, please. Stop angsting so much. I like Tobey Maguire angst though; I just find it really funny. Talking about your feelings is easier said than done in my experience, so I guess I understand why all movies must have the very same miscommunication tropes. Also why is MJ getting engaged so fast to a man she's been dating for three seconds? Movie romance timelines make no sense to me.
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Spider-Man 3 (2007) - directed by Sam Raimi
Can I promise you that I was paying attention to every detail of this
movie? No. But I’m willing to bet it doesn’t actually matter. There
were too many bad guys, and we just forgot about Harry for a bit there.
Idk I liked this one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Angst. Choking hazards. Steve from Blue’s Clues. Black on black suits. Tobey. Can’t complain.
Look at me go, I finished the series.
Watched: May 23, 2026
Rating: ★★★½ / 5
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I've seen my friends' ratings of these two movies, and I was expecting a pretty stark quality difference, but Spider-Man 2 and the first half of 3 are honestly pretty comparable. 3 goes a little bit crazy once you realize there are actually 4 villains that are only tepidly maybe related to one another. But honestly, the disorganized nature of the movie made it kind of hilarious, and it was an enjoyable watch.
These Raimi Spider-Man movies have birthed a lot of memes, and I love them for it. Genuinely some iconic films, and I understand why they're THE Spider-Man movies for a lot of people my age. Attempted proposal scene cracked me up.
I am not super familiar with Spider-Man canon, but I get baffled by how different the Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy/Mary Jane dynamic is in every single adaptation. Most movies pick one love interest or another, but this movie has both. It feels kind of backwards to me, because Gwen is supposed to be Peter's first love or something. In Spider-Man 3, she's just some girl.
Say what you want about amnesia tropes, but I think this movie is an entertaining example.
One of these movies—I'm not sure which—inspired me to get two model skeletons for my apartment one day. One to display and one to keep in my closet. This is what people mean when they tell me to decorate, right??
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Call me a concert fiend, because I went to another one this week: They Might Be Giants. Believe it or not, they didn't play any of the educational kids songs I was introduced to in middle school. Traaagic. How will I dance to I Am a Paleontologist or Meet the Elements? But it's okay, they played a good song I like about a Brontosaurus (I introduced this song to a good friend of mine 4 years ago, and she HATED it smh).
They Might Be Giants put on a really good show. They sang a whole song backwards. An accordion made an appearance. So many horns. I thought the two encores was a bit much, but the crowd anticipation before Istanbul was maybe worth it. My feet hurt by the end of this long ass event though.
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On Saturday, I decided to go to Boston Pride super last minute. I had somehow never made my way to downtown Boston for the parade before. 10/10 what a good vibe. I went to Micro Center on the same day, and that was also good.
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