Rating:  -
The dread franchise film has killed off many a potentially interesting character (Superman, Batman, Ripley, Rocky) & given leases of life to characters that are paper-thin (Indy Jones, Jason Voorhees, Catwoman). The latest franchise film is Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi. The 1st Spider-Man was probably the best comic book film ever made- mostly because its leads- Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, & Kirsten Dunst as his love- Mary Jane Watson a) can both act (unlike, say Christopher Reeve as Superman), b) are well cast (unlike Michael Keaton in the 1st 2 Batman films). & c) have chemistry (unlike Reeve & Margot Kidder in the Superman films). Maguire, especially, is so good an actor that he is 1 of those rarities that can run a panoply of emotions through just his eyes. He is almost irresistible to watch onscreen.... All in all, a very good film, & along with the 1st film, simply the best superhero films ever made. I hope the writers from this film stick with the whole series because, next to Batman, Spidey probably has the best pantheon of villains in comic book lore. Future baddies could include Dr. Doom, Venom, Carnage, the Sandman, Rhino, the Lizard, & Electro, among others. But, what makes good writing in such a film valuable are the little moments- like Peter's confession to Aunt May about how & why Uncle Ben really died, a surreal moment on an elevator between Spidey & a shocked citizen, references to other characters in the Marvel Comics universe, allusions & parallels to Oscar Wilde's The Important Of Being Earnest, & a street musician singing the old Spider-Man tv cartoon series theme song from the 1960s. Such touches are what invigorate this franchise above the others & what killed off the increasingly dark & directionless Batman franchise. Sam Raimi proves he is a director who knows how to milk a proven commodity without imposing his own distorted `vision' on it- unlike Batman director Tim Burton.
Rating: -
If you liked Spider-man 2, you should love Spider-man 2.1. The extra scenes are all great scenes that add nuance to the already-excellent film. They're mostly extra character bits, things that weren't needed, but certainly help paint the picture. The extra bits are so well-blended into the old footage that I didn't even recognize one new shot as such until, when watching the original version again, I noticed that it wasn't there.
Most memorable to me were J. Jonah Jameson wearing his newly-found Spider-man suit and pretending that he's the superhero, a much more rational and less venal confrontation between Peter and Harry at his birthday party (I'd always thought that scene in the original version was a bit choppy and emotionally sporadic) and a wonderful conversation between Mary Jane and her Maid-of-Honor about why she's marrying John Jameson.
The DVD set was lacking in features. There is a new commentary track featuring Producer Laura Ziskin and Writer Steve Ditko, but it's not very interesting. In addition, the other two commentary tracks were removed. For commentary buffs like myself, this should not be.
Most of the rest of the special features are all new, including a featurette about the new material. Unfortunately, these few extras have replaced the old bonus disc. You could do what I did, find a cheap copy of the original Spider-man 2, keep that bonus disc and give the movie itself to a friend so you have a 3-disc set, but that seems a lot to do just to have the complete set of bonus features.
In all, I would highly recommend this version. If you're a Spider-man fan or just a DVD geek, get this movie, just be prepared to have less bonus features than before.
Rating: -
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 and 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.
Rating:  -
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!!!!!!!
Rating: -
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.
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