Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22588 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-26
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.com

Spider-Man 2

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

Synopsis
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) attends a class field trip to a laboratory, he gets bitten by a genetically altered spider while taking photos of his longtime crush, the lovely Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Soon he discovers this bite has given him remarkable powers--heightened strength, dexterity, and awareness, along with the ability to cling to walls and shoot webs from his wrists. Hoping to win Mary Jane's heart using his new talents, Peter becomes distracted from home life with his doting Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), ultimately leading to tragedy--and his new role as the crime-fighting Spider-Man. Meanwhile Harry Osborn (Willem Dafoe), the industrialist father of Peter's friend Norman (James Franco), undergoes a transformation of his own, bringing about the creation of Spider-Man's arch-nemesis--the Green Goblin. In order to save his loved ones--and all of New York City--from the devastating force of the deluded Goblin, Spider-Man must take on the villain in a series of stunning battles.
By staying true to the essence of the comic book, Raimi accomplishes the rare feat of crafting a superhero movie with a real heart. Rather than focusing solely on action and explosions, SPIDER-MAN wisely shines the spotlight on the character of Peter Parker, played with perfect bewilderment by Maguire. The special effects, of course, are dazzling, but they are topped by an excellent cast that also includes the radiant Dunst, the menacing Dafoe, the brooding Franco, and the scene-stealing J.K. Simmons as Peter's tough-talking boss. (Raimi fans will notice cameos by the director's brother, Ted Raimi, and EVIL DEAD series star Bruce Campbell.) The result is a charming and amazingly entertaining film unafraid to combine CGI animation with sincere human emotion.
Sam Raimi's follow-up to SPIDER-MAN finds Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggling to balance his everyday life with his alter ego as the web-slinging superhero. Still carrying the burden of keeping his crime-fighting identity from those closest to him--including his longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), and his doting Aunt May (Rosemary Harris)--Parker must also face off against a dangerous new menace, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a scientist driven mad by experiments involving powerful mechanical arms. When the deranged Octavius (AKA Doc Ock) forms an alliance with the vengeful Osborn, who blames Spider-Man for the death of his father, the wall-crawling hero is in for his biggest battle yet.

Customer Reviews

A Great Pair
On their own, these are great films; together, they form the greatest set of films ever made about a character from a comic book. If Sam Raimi can pull off the same trick with the third film, he'll have produced a trilogy unlike any other in Hollywood history.

If you don't already own these on DVD, or if you have managed to miss them in the cinema, this set will be a very healthy addition to your collection of DVDs. And while you're on Amazon, check out the wonderful Spider-Man comics currently being written by Brian Michael Bendis.

Web Spinning Fun!
I bought this box set as a Xmas present for my son and after he'd watched them several times we finally sat down to watch them all together as a family.

Now, I'm not a fan of comic books, neither am I fan of action movies, but by the end of watching both films I was pleasantly surprised at how much I had enjoyed the whole package.

Both films are fun in the extreme. The acting, whilst hardly being Shakespeare standard, is great fun, the special effects are stunning and the plot fast moving and very entertaining.

Apparently according to my son anyhow, the films are also very true to the original comic book idea, which is quite comforting to know.

Great fun!

Takes your Breath Away...
Whilst I am quite a comic fan I approached Spiderman hesitantly following a dire performace from a host of actors in Batman & Robin, which kinda gets you thinking that they would never do a decent superhero flick again ever. Boy was I glad I saw these.
Both flicks in this double pack are excellent. The scripts for both are great, the casting perfect and the blend of action, romance and drama really keeps you glued to the screen throughout. I would highly recommend that both of these films be in any collectors DVD rack. Doc Ock and the Green Goblin were brilliantly played and provide two very different villians for spiderman to cope with. I cannot praise these enough and would rate these as a very valued purchase.
I wait for Spiderman 3 with open arms and my predictions on villians is Rhino (small role), Elektro (Large Role), Sandman (Large Role), a story line build up for Venom for Spiderman 4 plus an appearance of The Cat.