| Director | Sam Raimi |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, drama film, science fiction film, superhero film, thriller film |
| Runtime | 122 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $200 million |
| Box office | $797 million |
Peter Parker struggles to balance his personal life with his crime-fighting as Spider-Man. He juggles multiple jobs and faces overdue rent and schoolwork as his aunt May is being evicted. Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson criticizes Spider-Man in the paper, and Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn, blames Spider-Man for his father Norman Osborn's death and resents Peter for not revealing Spider-Man's identity. To protect her from his enemies, Peter has distanced himself from Mary Jane Watson, despite their mutual romantic feelings. Tired of Peter's secrecy, Mary Jane gets engaged to Jameson's son John.
Now a leader at Oscorp, Harry funds the development of a fusion power machine created by nuclear scientist Otto Octavius, who befriends and mentors Peter. During a public demonstration, Octavius uses a harness with four mechanical tentacles controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) to interact with the machine. The fusion reaction destabilizes, threatening mass destruction, but Octavius refuses to shut it down. The harness becomes fused to his body, and the inhibitor chip restricting the tentacles' AI is destroyed. Octavius is taken to a hospital where doctors attempt to surgically remove the harness, but the tentacles kill them. Octavius, now under the tentacles' influence, flees to a derelict harbor warehouse, where he plans to rebuild the machine. While robbing a bank to fund his plan, Octavius takes May hostage, but Peter rescues her.
Overwhelmed by stress, exhaustion, and the conflict between wanting a normal life and his responsibilities as Spider-Man, Peter's powers begin to fade. He gives up being Spider-Man and embraces civilian life, excelling at university and watching Mary Jane perform in The Importance of Being Earnest. Peter confesses his inadvertent role in Ben's death to May; though initially shocked, she forgives him. Despite his lost powers, Peter saves a child from a burning building, but another person dies. Believing he could have saved them both as Spider-Man, Peter concludes that his responsibilities as Spider-Man outweigh his personal happiness.
Octavius completes his new machine and confronts Harry, demanding the rare isotope tritium to fuel it. Harry agrees in exchange for Octavius bringing him Spider-Man, instructing Octavius to use Peter to find him. Realizing she does not love John, Mary Jane meets with Peter at a café to confess her feelings, but he lies that he does not reciprocate. Octavius attacks the pair and kidnaps Mary Jane to coerce Peter into finding Spider-Man. Peter's powers fully return, and as Spider-Man, he fights Octavius atop a New York City Subway train. Octavius sabotages the train, forcing Peter to use all his strength to stop it from plunging into the New York Harbor. Despite the passengers' efforts to protect him, Octavius captures the weakened Peter and delivers him to Harry.
Harry unmasks Spider-Man, discovering Peter's true identity. Peter persuades Harry to help him save Mary Jane, leading him to Octavius's lair. The larger fusion reaction destabilizes again, and Peter unmasks himself to convince Octavius to resist the tentacles' influence and help him. Octavius, acknowledging his folly, sacrifices himself to drown the machine in the bay. Peter rescues Mary Jane, who now knows his secret, and admits that while he loves her, he cannot be with her. Meanwhile, Harry sees a vision in a mirror of Norman demanding vengeance. Harry refuses to hurt Peter and shatters the mirror, revealing a storeroom of Norman's Green Goblin equipment.
On her wedding day, Mary Jane abandons the ceremony and runs to Peter's apartment, telling him her choice to be with him despite the risk. Their kiss is interrupted by police sirens, and Mary Jane encourages him to go help as Spider-Man.