DVD Review
by Chris Alexis
| MOVIE: ***** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Tobey Maguire as PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN Kirsten Dunst as MARY JANE WATSON Alfred Molina as OTTO OCTAVIUS/DOC OCK James Franco as HARRY OSBOURNE Rosemary Harris as AUNT MAY Rated PG-13 Studio: Columbia Pictures Directed by: Sam Raimi Back to DVD Review Home |
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This film picks up two years after the events of the first one. Peter Parker is struggling to keep his two identities able to co-exist. The constant call of duty to be Spider-Man has caused him to leave important aspects of his regular life to fall to shambles. He’s fired for not being dependable from his pizza delivery job, his grades are hitting rock bottom, and to make it worse, the love of his life is moving on with her life.
When we last left Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, she had pronounced her love for him. While he loved back, quite deeply in fact, he rejected her. Fearing that if together, Spider-Man’s enemies would come after her if they ever discovered the romance. In this film Mary Jane is involved with another man, and Peter can do nothing about it.
Things get worse when one of Peter’s science idols, Dr. Otto Octavius, is transformed into the villain “Doc Ock” after a science demonstration goes horribly wrong. With the pressures of his daily life, the pain of watching Mary Jane move on, and the constant demand to be Spider-Man, Peter decides to give up the mantle of the Spider.
While the original film is wonderful, this sequel is even better for one because it captures the character of Spider-Man better than the first. In the comics, Spidey is a trash talker. He makes jokes and quick-witted comments while fighting his opponents. While the humor of the comics is set aside more by the drama, there are several scenes in which the tone was taken directly out of the comics. The “elevator scene” and the exchange within is very typical in a Spider-Man comic book.
The only real thing that sinks in this film a bit is Kirsten Dunst. Now, I’ve thought for a long time that she’s one of the most attractive stars currently in the lime-light, and I think she’s put out some pretty good performances in the past. However, in this film, she pales in comparison to the rest of the cast. This is especially evident during romantic exchanges between Parker and Watson. While you believe Maguire in his emotion and quiet suffering, Dunst acts like she’s acting. It’s a shame.
The DVD is excellent and Columbia and director Sam Raimi clearly put a lot of work into this. The film is advertised as a 2-disc set. However, you get more when you open up the package.
The first disc is the movie, with options for two commentaries. One is with the director and producers of the film and most notably Maguire himself, who was absent on the original “Spider-Man” DVD. There is a second commentary which is cool because it’s a technical commentary, less “gee whiz” comments and cute banter and more about how the nuts and bolts of putting together his heavy F/X film. Much more interesting to those interested in how movies are made. If you’re just a Spider-Man fan, you won’t get into this as much as the other commentary.
The first disc also has “blooper reel” which is pretty standard, made up of mostly actors messing up takes followed by laughing and bleeped swearing. Also on the first disc are previews for various Columbia films (even one for the original film), as well as the “Ordinary” music video by the band Train. As well, there are a few “featurettes” that debuted on the internet called “webisodes.” Finally, the first disc has “Spidey Sense 2” which is an option like “pop-up video” that displays random facts about the film as it plays.
The second disc is full of fun for the Spidey fan at large. Three featurettes are at the top of the list. The first is a 12-part documentary on the making of the film, from the first concepts all the way up through the premiere of the film. “Hero In Crisis” deals with Peter’s difficulty blending the act of saving lives as Spider-Man into his daily life. “8 Arms To Hold You” is about the origins of Doc Ock and his role in the film. Finally, there is “The Women of Spider-Man” that discusses everyone from Aunt May to Mary Jane. Also included in this is discussion of Gwen Stacy, known to Spider-Man comic readers as the original love of Peter’s life that does not appear in the two Spider-Man movies.
Another neat feature is called “Enter the Web” which is actually neat, especially for any of those interested in filmmaking, as it has various angles of the actual production of a climatic scene that you can interact with. Also included is the full gallery of art submitted by Alex Ross for use in the opening credits of the film.
Finally, there are a couple pieces about the Spider-Man 2 video game, the highlight being about the how the game was created. Not too much detail, but still an neat insider’s look at the game being put together.
The last disc is a small DVD that has half a dozen trailers for different Columbia films as well as a program originally aired on VH-1 called “VH-1 Goes Inside Spider-Man” that deals with the behind-the-scenes of both films, and runs about twenty minutes.
Overall, this is a great DVD. It’s a great movie and loaded with features that will keep you busy long after you’ve finished watching the film. Most certainly worth the fifteen to twenty bucks.
