World Famous Comics: Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)
Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris Directed By: Sam Raimi Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Sony Pictures Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product. Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 99 Release Date: November 30, 2004 Running Time: 128 minutes Theatrical Release Date: June 30, 2004
Product Description: Peter Parker's adventures as Spider-man continue as he battles Dr. Otto Octavius. Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure Rating: PG13 Release Date: 4-APR-2006 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: More than a few critics hailed Spider-Man 2 as "the best superhero movie ever," and there's no compelling reason to argue--thanks to a bigger budget, better special effects, and a dynamic, character-driven plot, it's a notch above Spider-Man in terms of emotional depth and rich comic-book sensibility. Ordinary People Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent received screenplay credit, and celebrated author and comic-book expert Michael Chabon worked on the story, but it's director Sam Raimi's affinity for the material that brings Spidey 2 to vivid life. When a fusion experiment goes terribly wrong, a brilliant physicist (Alfred Molina) is turned into Spidey's newest nemesis, the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus," obsessed with completing his experiment and killing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the process. Even more compelling is Peter Parker's urgent dilemma: continue his burdensome, lonely life of crime-fighting as Spider-Man, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)? Molina's outstanding as a tragic villain controlled by his own invention, and the action sequences are nothing less than breathtaking, but the real success of Spider-Man 2 is its sense of priorities. With all of Hollywood's biggest and best toys at his disposal, Raimi and his writers stay true to the Marvel mythology, honoring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of Spider-Man 3. --Jeff Shannon DVD Features:
The first commentary track is by director Sam Raimi and a self-deprecating Tobey Maguire speaking in tandem, and producer (and Marvel CEO) Avi Arad and coproducer Grant Curtis speaking in tandem. They discuss a number of topics, including Raimi's memory of his excitement over Richard Donner's Superman and how the character of Black Cat had to be dropped from the film. The second commentary is by six members of the Oscar-nominated effects team, and one of their primary focuses is how Doc Ock's arms were achieved by a combination of puppetry and CGI.
The centerpiece of the second disc is a massive two-hour documentary that can be viewed all at once or in 12 separate pieces. It covers the development of the story, the visual effects, costumes, stunts, and sound and music. Three shorter featurettes cover Peter Parker's struggle between his personal and hero lives, Doc Ock, and the women in Spider-Man's life, and what's interesting is how they discuss those topics not just in relation to the movies but to the comic books as well. (For example, Betty Brant and Gwen Stacy had a much greater impact in the comics.) There's a scene in which you can toggle among three different camera angles, and a gallery of 17 paintings Alex Ross created for the opening sequence. The sound and picture are spectacular, though only the Superbit edition has DTS. --David Horiuchi
One of the best superhero movies made. Very few directors really understand the appeal of superhero comicbooks. It's a short list of successful superhero adaptations.
Sam Raimi was firing on all cylinders when he made this movie. The result is solid action-adventure with well developed characters that pull you into the story keep you emotionally invested. The action choreography is stunning and the special effects are polished. Spider-Man 2 has a talented cast that really brings this story to life - with Alfred Molina being a particularly inspired choice to play Dr. Otto Octavious and J.K. Simmons delivering a larger-than-life J.Jonah Jameson. Some serious writing skill is in evidence here - the story has excellent pacing and a great sense of increasing stakes. There are moments of emotional gravity, but the tone remains light while delivering the goods at the "big moments" - just like a summer movie should.
Some nice cinematography really makes the most out of some truly inspired set pieces and it's all edited together rather elegantly. When all is said and done, there is more than enough fun and visceral thrills to go around - handled in a way that keeps the material close to it's pulp roots. More importantly, the conclusion is satisfying without everything being tied up into too neat a bow.
Part two and my personal favorite. I liked the first one but this one surpasses it on EVERY level. Spidey 2 has a better villain, better FX, better everything. The story is more engaging; the whole wedding scene at the end with Mary Jane running through the park is just soooo cool. The action is nonstop. A brilliant story, a brilliant movie. Loved it! Loved it!! Loved it!!! Superb acting from the entire cast, one of the best if not THE best super hero movie ever. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!
A Better Story And A Better Villain This review will be split into three parts, they will be split into The Story, The Characters and the Verdict. This will give you a fair and honest view of the characters, story and the movie itself.
The Story: Harry Osborn has now taken over Oscorp and he's financially backing a scientist called Otto Octavius who's experimenting with sustained fusion as a way of replacing conventional fuels. In order for Otto so sustain the fusion reaction he's developed artificially intelligent arms that attach directly to his spine that he can control as if they were additional arms. One day while demonstrating his experiment, Otto is unable to contain the reaction and it all goes wrong. The experiment becomes unstable but Otto refuses to halt it, it eventually gets worse and his wife is killed and the neural inhibitor chip on the arms is destroyed and they are fused to Dr. Octavius' spine. Thanks to the help of Spiderman the plug is pulled on the experiment and nobody else is hurt, but Dr. Octavius blames Spidey for the disaster. The AI of the mechanical arms seem to tap into Dr. Octavius' brain and begins to manipulate him into wanting to try the experiment again and set out to kill Spiderman. Spidey begins to struggle with juggling his powers, his education and his job and on top of that he has to handle the difficulty of his powers constantly halting at the worst times. Mary Jane is becoming a successful stage actress and desperately wants Peter to be there when she needs him and Harry is looking for revenge against spiderman for killing his father.
The Characters: I've discussed both Tobeys & Kirstens characters in my review for the first spiderman film and my feelings are generally the same. The character I'm going to discuss is the character of Dr. Octavius.
Doc Oc: Played by Alfred Molina this is an intelligent choice for Doc Oc as he genuinely looks like the Doc Oc from the comics. He gives us his own brand of intelligence and sophistication when showing us the mental anguish that the character is going through in the movie.
Harry Osborn: We've seen a bit of a development in this character from the first movie. In that he was the kid with high expectations and a kid who idolised his father and was chasing after the girl (MJ). In this movie we're introduced to what some could consider a very different character, he seems arrogant yet he's tormented by the death of his father so he's someone who has a lot on his mind. James Franco is great at playing the tormented figure of Harry Osborn.
The Verdict: This is clearly the strongest film of the three, the action sequences particularly the fight sequence on the train is one that really gets your heart racing. Alfred Molina really fits the Doc Oc character perfectly and he really makes it believable. It has the general comedy moments that help you relax after witnessing a strongly emotive scene or a high impact fight sequence. The mixture of CGI and real life is un-seamless which gives it all the more realistic look. This is a movie that every comic book fan should own and enjoy for many years to come.
A Web of Fun In Spiderman 2, Peter Parker, ahem Spiderman, decides to give it up. This is because he is beginning to believe that this wasn't his destiny. Was he really the one who should be looking after the city, especially when the city is still lukewarm about him? But, can Spiderman actually have the gall to turn his back on this city, especially when Doc Ock is running loose, causing havoc?
Spiderman 2 really examines who Peter Parker really is. Well, a better way to say this is that Peter Parker seems to try to figure out who he is. Is he really just the geeky guy who would love a shot at romance with Mary Jane, or is he destined to be Spiderman, the mysterious hero who is there to save the city from its malevolent forces?
Normally I'm not a big fan of comic book hero movies, but Spiderman 2 is about as complete of movie in its genre that has ever been made. It is an action movie, with plenty of suspenseful scenes and CGI effects, but it doesn't overdo them ad nausea to the point where it is being shoved down your throat. It is a comic book movie with heart and IQ. We see this as Peter Parker struggles with not only his friendship and family issues, but his own identity dilemma. How can he possibly balance the struggles of his real life with the struggles of being a hero? Is there a happy medium?
Another plus is the cast. Toby McGuire does a superb job again (for the 2nd time) as Peter Parker. He typifies the nerdy guy who would be the last guy you'd expect to be saving the city from world domination or crime. Kirsten Dunst is also phenomenal as Mary Jane, a perfect fit for this character who wants to love Peter, but doesn't feel like she knows who he really is.
There is probably a little more emphasis on Peter Parker's personal life in this film than on Spiderman fighting the city's nemesis, Doc Ock. This is good, though, because it really makes the story more real and doesn't dumb down the film to just a special effects show. Spiderman, we find out, is more human than meets the eye.
In the two disc set, disc one has a section of commentary with director Sam Raimi, as well as some of the cast, and a blooper reel. Disc two has a documentary about the making of the film, along with a documentary about the history of the villain, Doc Ock.
Over all, this is a sequel that is as good if not better than the first one. That is saying quite a bit, considering how lousy sequels usually turn out. Great movie!
4 1/2 stars
Good eye candy Pretty solid. I grew up reading Spidey comics in the late 60s/early 70s and I think Tobey really hits Parker nicely. J Jonah Jameson is also perfectly done. Not so happy with Mary Jane; she's too wimpy here, while a real tiger in the original comics. But, this is a movie with its own agenda, and it fulfills that well. Good job on making Doc Ock believable; Molina is solid. All in all, worth watching for pure comic book-style fun.
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