Tobey Maguire so completely embodies the joyous, daredevil confidence of Spider-Man and the sweet, self-doubting chump-iness of Peter Parker that in just two movies he has arguably become the most compellingly human superhero in movie history. And despite exhilarating action and an equally charismatic villain in Doc Ock (Alfred Molina)--a newly-gone-mad nuclear scientist now fused to a Medusa-like quartet of evil robotic arms --this sequel is genuinely shaped by Peter's inner clash between what he's driven to do (fight crime in a Spandex suit) and his secret love for Mary Jane (once again played by the talented, irresistible Kirsten Dunst). None of the complexity here (partially courtesy of novelist Michael Chabon, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) takes a back seat to commercialism or clichés, as it did in the original (there's no soundtrack-selling cameo by Macy Gray and no cackling cartoon villain). In fact, returning director Sam Raimi breaks more rules than he follows and the resulting depth will improve the film's shelf life. If Spider-Man was good bubble gum, this movie is a Willy Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper of genuine depth and ante-upping, wildly imaginative, white-knuckled web-slinging. Highly recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras on this double-disc special edition include audio commentaries (one by star Tobey Maguire, director Sam Raimi, producer Avi Arad, and co-producer Grant Curtis; the other by effects artist Steve Johnson and puppet master Eric Hayden), a “Spidey Sense 2” viewing mode with real-time popup factoids and trivia, the 126-minute 12-part “making-of” documentary “Making The Amazing,” the featurettes “Ock-Umentary: Eight Arms to Hold You” (22 min.), “Hero in Crisis” (15 min.), and “Interwoven: The Women of Spider-Man” (15 min.), an “Enter the Web” multi-angle function segment for the “Pier” sequence, a gallery of artist Alex Ross's paintings from the opening credits, four “Web-i-sodes” segments (on costume design, “Comic-Con Q&A,” “J. Jonah Jameson,” and “Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson,” 1-3 min. each), the music video “Ordinary” by Train, a seven-minute blooper reel, a “Spinning the Game” four-minute “making-of” featurette and trailer for the Activision video game, trailers, DVD-ROM features (including “Countdown to Spider-Man 3” and a “Web of Words” online game), and Easter eggs. Bottom line: a whopping extras package for one of 2004's most entertaining films.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review—Apr. 17, 2007—Sony, 2 discs, 136 min., not rated, $19.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2004's Spider-Man 2.1 (2-Disc Extended Cut) sports an excellent transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras new to this release include eight bonus minutes of footage cut into the film, audio commentary by producer Laura Ziskin and screenwriter Alvin Sargent, a “Spidey Sense 2.1” popup trivia track, a five-part “VFX Breakdown” production featurette (33 min.), a 14-minute “Inside Spider-Man 2.1” featurette, eight minutes of “With Great Effort Comes Great Recognition” discussions on the film's awards, a five-minute “multi-angle” segment featuring composer Danny Elfman's score (5 min.), a three-minute sneak peek at Spider-Man 3, and trailers. Bottom line: although primarily released to pump up the media volume in anticipation of the May 4 release of Spider-Man 3, this extended cut's additional eight minutes is admittedly more killer than filler.]
Spider-Man 2
Columbia TriStar, 125 min., PG-13, VHS: $22.95, DVD: $29.98, Nov. 30 Volume 19, Issue 6
Spider-Man 2
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: