There is a good reason we see a lot of Tobey Maguire’s face in Spider-Man 2 – why even during the action scenes his mask has been shredded. Peter Parker’s high-flying alter ego may get top billing, but it’s the conflicted kid beneath the tights who is the focus of this character-driven sequel from returning director Sam Raimi. Don’t worry, the eye-popping effects are still here, including tentacled new villain Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), but they are icing on what turns out to be a thematically rich cake.
