Spider-Man 2.1 Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Stylized Action Violence)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 15 Minutes

Cast-

Tobey Maguire-Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Alfred Molina-Dr. Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopus

Kirsten Dunst-Mary Jane Watson

James Franco-Harry Osborn

Donna Murphy-Rosalie Octavius

Rosemary Harris-May Parker

J.K. Simmons-J. Jonah Jameson

Daniel Gillies-John Jameson

Dylan Baker-Dr. Curt Connors

Bill Nunn-Joe 'Robbie' Robertson

Elizabeth Banks-Betty Brant

Cliff Robertson-Ben Parker

Willem Dafoe-Norman Osborn/Green Goblin

Vanessa Ferlito-Louise

Aasif Mandvi-Mr. Aziz

Ted Raimi-Hoffman

Elya Baskin-Mr. Ditkovich

Mageina Tovah-Ursula Ditkovich

Bruce Campbell-Snooty Usher

Directed by Sam Raimi

"Spider-Man 2" finds our friendly-neighborhood wall-crawler facing off against Dr. Octopus.

Note: Part of the "Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.

After the unexpected success of 2002's "Spider-Man," a sequel was pretty much a no-brainer, and the hype leading up to its release in the summer of 2004 reached epic proportions. Although intended to be released in May, it was delayed a full month in order to allow director Sam Raimi and the crew to make sure the movie felt complete. Like the original, the film became a critical and commercial success but did not surpass the first film in terms of worldwide box office receipts. However, most people consider "Spider-Man 2" to be the best out of the entire trilogy in terms of story and emotional impact.

Taking place two years after its predecessor, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is still getting use to his superhero career as Spider-Man but life continues to throw obstacles at him. He lives alone in a rickety apartment, can barely pay his bills or keep up with his classes at Columbia University. Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) continues to be the object of his affection but due to his responsibilities he cannot be with her. Meanwhile, Harry Osborn (James Franco) seeks vengeance against Spider-Man, believing him to have murdered his father Norman (Willem Dafoe) and straining his friendship with Peter. Harry is now part of Oscorp's research division and is funding one of Peter's idols, the brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who is about to make a breakthrough on fusion (random trivia: the experiment presented in the film is possible in theory but just cannot be done with the technology available right now). During the demonstration, something goes horribly wrong (again?!) and Otto's body is fused to four mechanical limbs through his spine, becoming the villainous 'Dr. Octopus.' He becomes obsessed with continuing his experiment, putting New York City at great risk. Unfortunately, Peter discovers that he has now lost his powers and decides to use this chance to reconnect with Mary Jane. When Harry, completely obsessed with capturing Spider-Man, forms an alliance with Dr. Octopus, Peter must discover the courage to accept his destiny before he loses everything he holds dear.

Before I delve into the movie itself, let me just say that when I saw it in the theater back in 2004, the entire audience gave it a standing ovation. At the time, "Spider-Man 2" was the best comic book movie ever made. If "The Dark Knight" was about how easily men were corrupted and what lengths a person would go to save a city, than "Spider-Man 2" is about a young man finding himself, and ultimately embracing his destiny and place in the world. Writers Alvin Sargent, Michael Chabon, Alfred Gough, and Miles Millar really delved deep into what a man would do if he had super powers and how he would sacrifice all sense of a normal life for the greater good. There was one scene where Peter finally admits to his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) about him being indirectly responsible for his Uncle Ben's death and you think to yourself, would you be as strong as Peter to admit such a thing? To be honest, I don't think I could've been that brave and this is precisely why Spider-Man makes for such a great model despite being a fictional character. Excellent scenes like the one I just mentioned are all over the film and you'll be hard pressed not to sympathize with what Peter is going through, even if this is 'only a comic book film.' There's also a lot of humor but it never detracts from the story's more serious aspects, with the elevator scene and J. Jonah Jameson wearing Spider-Man's costume being laugh out loud funny.

The performances are even better than the original, as the cast is now more comfortable in their roles. Tobey Maguire continues to shine as Peter Parker, the everyman character that's just trying to make ends meet despite his superhuman abilities. When we imagine ourselves with powers, we'd think our lives would be easier but that's far from the truth; in fact it only serves to make our life harder than it already is. Kirsten Dunst is also great as Mary Jane Watson and although there are still people who complain about her acting ability, I just can't see anyone else playing as her. She has great chemistry with Maguire and proves why Peter and Mary Jane are one of the most beloved couples in comic books. Even James Franco went through a major improvement and perfectly captures Harry's slow descent into insanity. The depiction of Dr. Octopus by Alfred Molina is not entirely true to the source material as he's a much more sympathetic character here but this actually makes the movie stronger. It's a nice change of pace that the villain isn't defeated by pummeling them to death but having Spidey save Mary Jane again feels a little overused even though this is just the second film.

With a bigger budget, the special effects have been given an upgrade and this time around the camera follows Spidey swinging through Manhattan without getting so close that all you see is a red-and-blue blur (which was a problem in the first film). Dr. Octopus' tentacles were actually built from scratch and I applaud the film crew for utilizing practical effects as much as possible, with CGI only used when absolutely necessary. The action scenes are superb and will leave you feeling a sense of awe. The most memorable one would have to be the clock tower and the subsequent subway battle between Spidey and Doc Ock. You'll see Spidey try to stop an out-of-control subway while only relying on his strength and webbing and then raise your fists in the air when he succeeds!

Released on June 30, 2004, "Spider-Man 2" currently holds an amazing (pun definitely intended!) 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it for 'boasting an entertaining villain and deeper emotional focus,' concluding that this 'nimble sequel…improves upon the original' in every way. Roger Ebert even proclaimed the film as the best superhero movie since 1978's "Superman" and even pushed it as a potential Academy Award contender. It didn't get any Best Picture nominations but it did win the award for Best Visual Effects. Although its $783.8 million worldwide gross is less than what the original made, this is still an overwhelming success, all things considered. Swinging onto Blu-Ray in October 2007, this high definition release is pretty solid. The picture quality has just the right amount of film grain without smearing background details with an unseemly fuzz. Audio is excellent, as you're treated to another epic score from Danny Elfman and some incredibly loud kicks and punches. Hell, it'll feel like you're the one getting punched! The Blu-Ray contains the theatrical and extended version of "Spider-Man 2," dubbed "2.1," and contains an extra eight minutes of material. They're mostly dialogue scenes but the fights are longer and more brutal, making an already great film even greater. Unfortunately, there are no supplements at all. Like its predecessor, it's only the movie itself on a single BD-50 disc. "Spider-Man 2" improves upon its sequel in almost every way with its amazing story, performances, and special effects. Certainly that's enough to convince you to watch it again in glorious high definition!

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams."