Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6647 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-26
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Hebrew, Hindi, Icelandic, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish
• Dubbed in: Czech
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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, honouring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of Spider-Man 3. --Jeff Shannon

Special Features
Cast and Crew Commentary
Technical Commentary
Blooper Reel
"Spidey Sense 2" Trivia track
Four Web-i-sodes
Train "Ordinary" music video
"Making the Amazing" - 12-part documentary
"Hero in Crisis" featurette
Ock-Umentary: "Eight Arms to Hold You"
"Interwoven: The Women of Spider-Man"
"Enter the Web" Feature
Art Gallery
Activision's "Spider-Man 2: Spinning the Game"
Weblinks
Previews

Synopsis
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

As Good As It Gets
Before Spider-Man was created in the early 60's, super heroes tended to be a step down from gods (and some actually WERE gods). They were powerful, morally upright, and unwaivering in their convictions. In other words, it was fun to follow their adventures, but they were a bit hard to relate to.

Stan Lee changed all of that when he created Spider-Man. He decided to make a hero who was an unpopular, nerdy kid who just happened to get stuck with powers he wasn't even sure he wanted. He had everyday problems like dealing with bullies, being uncomfortable around that cute girl he likes, and feeling left out in general. And who hasn't had experiences like these at some point in their life?

I've seen some great comic book adaptations that really got down to the core of a character (Batman), and I've seen movies that simply made me cringe and wonder how they could have been so far off the mark (Daredevil, anyone?). As far as capturing the true essence of it's title character, this movie tops them all.

In a lot of ways, this is THE Spider-Man story. This is Peter Parker's struggle to decide just who he is and what his resposibility is to the world, his family, and himself. And it's not an easy decision to make.

It's been beaten to death a bit by now, but it all boils down to what Uncle Ben told Peter: "With great power comes great responsibility." And Peter rages against this logic for the entire movie. Should he live for himself, enjoy his life, and ignore the powers he's been given? Or should he put the needs of others before his own, essentially sacrificing his personal happiness in lieu of the satisfaction and knowledge that he's made a difference in the world? This is the conflict that is at the very core of this character, and this movie captured that in ways that I'm sure made Stan Lee proud.

To be totally truthful, this movie should probably be called "Peter Parker." If you're looking for mindless action, go buy Terminator 3. This is a movie about a young man trying to find himself--it just so happens that this particular young man has some extraordinary powers.

Don't get me wrong; there are some absolutely amazing action sequences. Doctor Octopus is a visually dynamic (as well as tragic) villain, and he makes for a lot of exciting scenes. And I must say, he's played to perfection by Alfred Molina; I don't have a bad thing to say about his performance. And special effects? I get goosebumps every time I see Spidey swingin' through the concrete jungle. Spectacular!

But at heart, this is a movie about character development. I can't express how grateful I am to Sam Raimi for turning out such a quality film that stays so true to the character. He did an amazing job, mixing drama, action, humor, and just a dash of Evil Dead-like horror into a final product that left me emotionally drained and wanting more. It's gonna be tough to top this one. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

true brilliance
Spiderman is back in this action packed adventure. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has three responsibilities in his life. Photography, attending his classes and doing his homework, and also being the crime fighting superhero, Spiderman. First off, he looses his job at a pizza takeaway shop because of having to be spiderman. He starts to realize how hard it is to have three lives going at once with to much weight on his shoulders. Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), Peter's love of his life, turns her back on him when he fails to attend her play which he promised he'd see. He thinks that he isn't suposed to be Spiderman as he webs don't spin alot of the time and he loses his grip. Eventually he gives up being Spiderman so he can manage his life without losing friends, but he starts to worry when scientist, Dr.Oc's (Alfred Molina) multi million science project to help the planet goes completely wrong and turns him into a evil machine whose being controled by four mechanical arms stuck to his body. He wants to create his project again, but to destroy, and he captures Mary Jane so Spiderman will return to save her. Peter gets his Spiderman act back as he is determined but will he save New York and Mary Jane or will he fail? This is a tromendous film with a good couple of actors and actresses. It's got some great new battle scenes and a great storyline. I think it's more focused on Peter and his life than the enemy. If you liked the first then you'll like this, and probally more! One you'll enjoy............Get this!

Not Quite as Good as the First
Peter Parker (Tobey McGuire) is having a hard time balancing his priorities. Thanks to his secret identity as Spider-man, he's lost his job, his grades are failing, he's lost his best friend Harry (James Franco), and he lost the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). While he still sees these friends occasionally, Harry is obsessed by his desire for revenge on Spider-man and Mary Jane has a new boyfriend. Things are even a struggle for Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), who can't seem to pay her mortgage.

All this is enough to make Peter rethink his superhero ambitions. And, since he seems to be losing his superpowers, maybe he can put everything behind him.

All this couldn't come at a worse time, however. The brilliant Dr. Octavius (Alfred Molina) is conducting a dangerous experiment with fusion. When it goes wrong, he winds up with appendages wired into this nervous system, giving him four extra arms. The arms also begin to control his actions, and the newly named Doc Ock soon becomes a danger to the city. Can Peter pull himself together to save the day?

I loved the first movie, but this one isn't as good. They tried to replicate the emotional impact of the first movie, but it doesn't ring as true here. In fact, the emotional story slows the movie down in places. Frankly, I don't go to see superhero movies for lots of emotional story telling. Some is fine, but they went a little overboard here.

But the movie is still entertaining. The action sequences are great. The entire cast does a great job again. And the special effects have improved since the first movie. There are only a couple times I can even tell that it's not 100% real this time. The climax was weaker then I would have liked, but I am willing to forgive that.

This may not be as entertaining as the first movie, but it is still well worth watching.