20 Greatest Direct Sequels Ever Made
9. Spider-Man 2
Even though we've now seen six Spider-Man movies released in the last fifteen years with three different actors under the iconic mask, Sam Raimi's follow-up remains the undoubted high-point of the web-slinger's cinematic tenure.
Spider-Man 2 is both more focused and exciting than its predecessor, managing to deftly blend the bigger action sequences that a superhero sequel requires with the smaller character beats. Alfred Molina's performance establishes him as the best villain that the wall-crawler has ever faced in any of the character's big-screen appearances, and Raimi's successful juggling of heart, humor, action and romance results in one of the best comic book movies ever made.