World Famous Comics: Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)
Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris Directed By: Sam Raimi Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: Widescreen, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Dolby, Color, NTSC Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product. Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 99 Release Date: November 30, 2004 Running Time: 127 minutes Studio: Sony Pictures Theatrical Release Date: June 30, 2004
Features:
2-Disc Widescreen Special Edition
Includes Blooper Reel
Includes Behind-The-Scenes Look into the Making of Spider-Man 2
Bonus Spider-Man 2 The Game
Bonus Spidey Sense 2 Trivia Track with Pop-up Facts
Product Description: In SPIDER-MAN™2 the latest installment in the blockbuster Spider-Man™ series based on the classic Marvel Comics hero Tobey Maguire returns as the mild-mannered Peter Parker who is juggling the delicate balance of his dual life as college student and a superhuman crime fighter. Peter's life becomes even more complicated when he confronts a new nemesis the brilliant Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who has been reincarnated as the maniacal and multi-tentacled "Doc Ock." When Doc Ock kidnaps MJ (Kirsten Dunst) Spider-Man must swing back into action as the adventure reaches new heights of unprecedented excitement.System Requirements:Running Time: 127 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396051492 Manufacturer No: 05149
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
a big improvement, but can't this guy keep his mask on? ^ Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), was an uneven, and somewhat unsteady feature film debut, for the intrepid webhead. With the preliminaries out of the way, Spider-Man 2 (2004) is a bit scattered in places, but is still a more streamlined and focused effort, that solidly delivers action, drama, and excitement. Technical advances in special effects, and a tighter screenplay, contribute to the impressiveness of the film.
Alfred Molina is cast as Dr. Otto Octavius, and he nails the character almost perfectly. Although it might have been better if they had him keep his shirt on, and made him look slimmer. Donna Murphy as Octavius's wife Rosalie, has a brief but key role, demonstrating that Otto is really a lovable, sensitive guy, who only becomes delusional, when his mind is taken over by his mechanical arms.
The sequel picks up some two years later, with Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) in college and living in New York City, but struggling to keep a steady job, pay his rent, and maintain his grades. Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) has moved on, and is involved with astronaut John Jameson (Daniel Gillies), son of J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons). Harry Osborn (James Franco) has assumed a significant role in Oscorp, and is backing Dr. Octavius's fusion experiment. When an accident occurs during a test, Rosalie is killed, and a set of `smart' mechanical arms becomes fused to Octavius's body. The arms take over his mind, and after disposing of a surgical team, Octavius decides to finance his fusion experiments by turning to crime. Doc Ock and Spidey tangle for the first time, in a spectacular battle inside a bank, which continues up on the side of a building, with a very plucky Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), in the middle of the fray.
The subtext of the film is Peter's inner conflict about being Spider-Man, which apparently is keeping him from finding happiness. The conflict manifests physically, when Peter becomes nearsighted, and occasionally loses the ability to generate his webbing. The resulting George of the Jungle like crash landings, get old fast. Peter's head gets so messed up, that he sees a psychiatrist, who screws him up even more. Peter tosses his costume into the trash, quits being Spider-Man, and returns to a `normal' life, looking like Harry Potter. Peter is blasted out of complacency, when Doc Ock kidnaps MJ.
The special effects are stunning, as Spidey returns to battle Doc Ock on a train. Unfortunately the ending of this thrilling sequence, is marred by pure idiocy, as Spider-Man makes like Fred Flintstone, trying to stop the train using his feet. Spidey winds up without his mask, this time before a trainload of witnesses. Doc Ock is relentless, and delivers an unconscious Spider-Man to Harry Osborn in return for the tritium he needs for his experiments. Doc Ock didn't bother to unmask Spidey, but Harry does, becoming perhaps the 100th person, to discover Peter's `secret' identity.
The film's final battle is visually impressive, and quite brutal, but still somehow kind of hollow and contrived, as Doc Ock regains his senses, and decides to try and redeem himself, by `drowning' the fusion reaction, and sadly himself as well. Doc joins The Goblin in supervillain heaven, after becoming the 101st, to discover that Peter is Spider-Man. MJ follows as the 102nd, and the crisis ends on a romantic, but bittersweet note. Harry receives a visit from his dead father, while in a very uncool move, Mary Jane mimics The Graduate, setting the stage for Spider-Man 3.
Spider-Man 2 is the best of the three films produced so far. The central story involving Doc Ock is strong, an effort is made to devote some quality time to Aunt May, and a few moments are spent with JJ Jameson, and the Daily Bugle gang. The MJ/Peter relationship remains pretty awkward, and sometimes silly, but is still an improvement over the first film. Kirsten Dunst shines, when put in a dangerous situation.
It seems that Sam Raimi can't resist unmasking Spider-Man. Perhaps he believes that providing proof that Maguire is really inside the costume, results in the audience identifying more with the character, but it is just so overdone. Spider-Man 2 nicely builds momentum, and moves forward strongly. It loses focus at times and gets off on a few silly tangents, some related to trying appeal to a youthful audience. The resolution may not be entirely satisfying, and but the overall ride is quite exciting and fun.
Who Ever Said Being a Superhero Would be Easy? ^ In this second installment in the Spider-Man franchise, Peter Parker has his back against the wall as he tries to juggle life as a student, being best friends with Mary Jane Watson, carrying the guilt of his uncle's death, freelancing for the Daily Bugle, delivering pizza, and, of course, being ever on-call as your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.
No matter how hard he tries, Peter just can't seem to balance everything at once and the constant sacrifices he makes in his personal life so he can help others wears him down . . . down . . . down . . . until he can't take it anymore and his spider-powers begin to change.
Then vanish.
The timing couldn't have been worse, either, because Dr. Otto Octavius's energy device backfired and has fused four robotic arms to his body, their AI worming its way into his brain, controlling him. All they care about is fulfilling their purpose and they don't care who they have to hurt to recreate the device they were made for.
Dr. Octopus's (Doc Ock) rampage through New York is met with little resistance until our favorite web-slinger attempts to take him on.
This movie thrills the inner fanboy much more than its predecessor and officially is my favorite so far in the Spider-Man series. This flick carries near start-to-finish classic superhero goodness: stellar aerial battles, eye-popping web-slinging, dual identity troubles, nerd-can't/won't-get-the-girl issues, a hardcore villain bent on his mark, trials, sacrifice--all crammed into a little over two-hour movie. But the pacing works and doesn't feel over cluttered at all.
You feel for Peter Parker every minute of this film, both when he's at the top of his game and when he's at the bottom, and when he loses his spider-powers, your heart sinks and you cry out, "No! Not Peter! His powers are part of who he is. How can you take them away?"
Tobey Maguire was extremely believable in this film and brought a real depth to Parker that--though was present in the first one--really shone through in this one. And Alfred Molina as Doc Ock? Such duality. When you first meet Otto Octavius, he genuinely seems like a nice guy, an almost fatherly figure in a way, but when he loses his project and those he cares about, things switch and he barely resembles the man he once was. Yet deep within, you see him struggling against the mechanical arms that have taken over his body and mind.
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson was hilarious as always, and Kirsten Dunst as MJ--there was more maturity in the character this time around and though she still acted kind of "high school-ish," you also saw someone struggling with who they were--more specifically, trying desperately to reach out to the man she's fallen for but who is pushing her away.
Spider-Man 2 thrilled me to pieces. I was there on opening night and I left the theatre all smiles and in a state of disbelief at how downright cool it was. I wasn't sure if it would top the first one because most sequels--till that point because the Superman movies and the previous set of Batman films were pretty much what we had to go on except for X2--usually don't nail it like the first one.
I was proven wrong.
This movie rocked so hard I went back a couple more times and bought it on DVD as soon as I could.
Check this flick out. You're in for an amazingly cool, web-slinging good time.
Recommended.
A.P. Fuchs Canister X
Glorious; simply glorious! ^ It's no surprise to many people here that I consider `Spider-Man 3' to be a travesty. I was looking forward to that movie so much and I was let down SOOOO much by the sloppy construction, poor visuals, ridiculous scripting and overall messy structure. The reason I was looking forward to it was because, as many have already stated (critics alike), `Spider-Man 2' is probably the best superhero movie EVER!
Plot holes or not, I still slightly prefer `The Dark Knight' (I love my superheroes to have a little grit on them).
Where `Spider-Man' was a nicely constructed origin story, `Spider-Man 2' becomes a brilliantly orchestrated expansion on that origin, complete with a profound moral structure that elevates the film from a mere `comic book movie'. With a solid script that really gets to the heart of the characters and makes them real and relatable, `Spider-Man 2' is an outstanding film, no matter what genre you place it in. It has layer upon layer of interesting and memorable development.
The film is, in a word, very complex (but that is a good thing).
Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Parker is struggling to accept who he has become. He still suffers from guilt, but he has masked that guilt with a newfound responsibility. That responsibility is making it very difficult for Peter to strike a needed balance between his personal life and that of being Spider-Man. This is making his budding romance with Mary Jane Watson more aggravating than it should be. His past actions (involving a certain flying villain) have posed a threat to Peter's relationship with his best friend Harry, who has vowed to avenge his father's death. When you add to that a brilliant man controlled by his own genius (a marvelous Alfred Molina), you have a recipe for some exciting and provoking entertainment.
And that is JUST what `Spider-Man 2' proves to be.
Sam Raimi is at his very best here. What I admire so much about this film is that, while Raimi definitely `goes there' in the visual department, he never goes so far that the film appears fake. That was one of my biggest issues with that Spider-Mess of a third film. Everything was SOOOO computer animated that it came off like a really bad video game. Not so here. Sure, there is a lot going on, but everything maintains a crisp, slickness to it that establishes a sense of realism. Yes, I know that it is improbable that a tentacle clad man is ever going to scale buildings and wreck havoc in the streets, but Raimi made me wholly believe that it is not impossible. His attention to detail here is impeccable. I love the way that Raimi captured what it felt like to read a Spider-Man comic book as a boy. The film has this light and airy (colorful) feel to it, yet it is laced with that suspense that only comes from truly engrossing yourself in this character and his purpose.
Bravo.
And yet still, the most impressive facet of `Spider-Man 2' is the fact that it has a real heart. It is less the story of a superhero and more the story of a complex and conflicted young man, trying desperately to juggle his life in a way that makes the most sense; paying his dues where they belong while still developing a life that will satisfy and complete him.
We are all Peter Parker, minus the superpowers.
I still firmly believe that Toby Maguire was BORN to play this part, and it is still the only role I've ever really believed him in. He is not my favorite actor, but this is one of my favorite characters, and my heart is welled up in this man because of what Maguire does here.
So, best superhero movie of all time?
"Guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight limbs. Four mechanical arms welded right onto his body. What are the odds?" ^ In 2002, Sam Raimi made a Saturday morning cartoon. In 2007, Sam Raimi made an unabashed piece of s***. In 2004, Sam Raimi made an actual film with a story.
I could really relate to Peter Parker's plight when I saw Spider-Man 2 theatrically. During that time, I was lazy and always late; disappointing my professors and yes, even employers. I was brilliant but couldn't quite pull it together. It's nice to be reminded of an actual personal connection I had to a superhero character.
I'm tempted to make an erectile dysfunction joke about Toby Maguire losing his powers but that isn't the right metaphor so I won't.
Spider-Man 2 has uncommonly witty, intentionally funny dialogue for the comic book movie genre. Here are some of my favorite exchanges:
Peter: "I've been reading poetry lately." Mary Jane: "Whatever that means."
Miss Brant: "Sir, your wife's on the line, she said she lost her checkbook." J. Jonah Jameson: "Thanks for the good news!"
And of course, anything from Mr. Ditkovich, the humorous, debt-obsessed Russian landlord for Peter's apartment building:
Ditkovich: "Rent!" Peter: "Hi." Ditkovich: "Hi? What's hi? Can I spend it?"
Ditkovich: "If promises were crackers, my daughter would be fat."
A happy, glasses-wearing, 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' montage is infinitely better than Spider-Man 3's jackass, emo-hair Saturday Night Fever montage.
High points: Alex Ross' spectacular opening title design, Ditkovich and his family (including a cameo by Louis Lombardi aka Edgar Stiles from 24), an Evil Dead-style hospital massacre, Alfred Molina, J.K. Simmons, Doc Ock lighting a cigar with one of his tentacles, the lakeside climax and "Go get 'em, tiger".
Low points: James Franco's acting, Aunt May's 30-minute monologue, little "Henry" the plot device, a mask-less Spider-Man saving dozens of saintly train passengers (in a Crucifix pose) who promise to keep his secret safe.
This superior sequel ends on a curiously dark, almost chilling music cue and a worried look on Kirsten Dunst's face that left me feeling a bit uneasy.
Spider-Man 2. ^ A little Better than the First, Alot Better than Part 3 that's for sure. Good Movie, Although I can't get over why this guy plays Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Good Spidey Flick and great to watch along with Part 1.
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