Rated: PG-13 for stylized action violence.
Runtime: 127 mins.
Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (comic book); Alvin Sargent (screenplay)
Cast: Tobey Maguire; Kirsten Dunst; James Franco; Alfred Molina ....complete cast
Genre: Action/SciFi/Fantasy
Tagline: Sacrifice
Memorable Quote: "I believe there's a hero in all of us. Gives us strength, makes us noble. Even though sometimes, we have to give up the thing we want the most."
But more importantly, this moment marks a turning point in Spider-Man 2 the movie. This is the exact instant at which the audience realizes the movie is reaching for more than just the commercial success of being the next super-charged summer action flick. Why bring the cgi-bonanza to a screeching halt only to focus on the emotions of its hero? Because Stan Lee's Spider-Man was always as much about the human side of Peter Parker and his struggles of balancing everyday life with the responsibilities of being a super hero as it was about fighting mutated enemies. Director Sam Raimi and screenwriter Alvin Sargent have remained true to the original by injecting genuine, heartfelt human emotions into the sequel to 2002's smash comic book-to-screen conversion, giving the entire Spider-Man franchise a turn towards significant and historical filmmaking.
It's been two years since our dorky high-schooler gained his sleek spandex-clad alter ego. Now he's struggling to maintain his role as masked protector of the city and moped-bound deliverer of pizzas. A visit to a physician confirms his instinct that dividing his attention in too many directions has caused a weakening in his spidey senses. He decides to simplify his life by dumping the spider outfit. Queue Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head as the weight of the world is lifted from Parker's shoulders. He is Spider-Man no more.
Not so fast Spider-Man. It seems a breakthrough experiment in fusion by the genius scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) has gone awry, leaving the portly practitioner at the mercy of a quartet of rogue robotic appendages fused to his own spine. Doc Ock, as named by the town paper's editor (played by the scene-stealing J.K. Simmons), blames Spider-Man for the malfunction and for the unfortunate demise of his wife, leaving him with no other option than to rebuild the device. Even at the risk of the destruction of the city.
Doc Ock's reign of terror on the city provides for some of the best special effects ever put on display. Suspended from the powerful, serpentine-like arms, each one tipped with delicate grasping fingers, Doc Ock scales tall buildings and slithers down the streets of Manhattan with a near seamless octopus-like motion. Originally equipped with an inhibitor chip to prevent the device from overtaking Dr. Octavius' central nervous system, the accessory gets a mind of its own when the chip is destroyed.
Meanwhile, Peter's long-time love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) is about to be married to another man; his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), son of the Green Goblin is on a revenge-fueled rampage to find Spider-Man who killed his father; and Peter's Aunt May is facing foreclosure. And let us not forget the burdensome guilt that Peter carries for the death of his Uncle Ben. All in the life of a superhero you might say. But while these complex emotions and personal dilemmas are typical comic book hero traits, we rarely see them successfully transferred to the big screen. Credit Raimi, Sargent and a superb cast of actors for successfully playing out Stan Lee's original character development onto film.
It's clear that Spider-Man's resonant message, "with great power comes great responsibility" is more to the filmmakers than a thematic element. With the power of the Spider-Man franchise in their hands came the great responsibility of building a memorable movie experience. With Spider-Man 2 they delivered.
DVD Details:
Screen formats: Widescreen 2.35:1
Subtitles: English; Spanish; French.
Language and Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1; English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; commentaries; trailers; featurettes; interactive features.
* Commentaries - includes 2 full-length commentary tracks:
o 1. With director Sam Raimi, actors Tobey Maguire, Producer Avi Arad and Co-producer grant Curtis.
o 2.With technical crew
* Documentary:
o Making the Amazing - A multipart documentary that the details the making of the film.
o Hero in Crisis - A deeper look into Peter Parker and his personal battles.
o Ock-Umentary - Eight Arms to Hold You - takes a look at the development and evolution of Dock Ock from the comics to the movie.
o Inter-woven: the Women of Spider-Man - A look at Mary Jane, Aunt May and other women in Peter's life.
# Featurettes:
* Four episodes of the original online featurettes from the film's theatrical release
# Deleted/Additional Scenes - Spider-Man 2: Spinning the Game - A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film by Activision.
# Interactive Features:
* Spidey-Sense 2 track with "pop-up" facts and trivial tidbits about the film and about Spidey himself.
* Enter the Web - A Multiangle behind-the-scenes look at the pier sequence
# Music Video: Features the musical group Train as they perform Ordinary.
# Photo Galleries - Features a collection of Alex Ross' paintings used in the opening credits of the film.
# DVD-Rom Features: Weblinks
Number of discs: 2 disc set
Packaging: 2 Pack
