Spider-Man 2 [DVD] [2004]

This is a dazzling story of love, loss, adventure, courage, heartbreak, tough choices, and tender feelings. Plus it has a rescue from a burning building, a runaway train, a world-class villain, and a really great kiss. It's why they invented movies. It's smart and funny and touching and exhilaratingly entertaining, a sumptuous treat that succeeds on many levels. Screenwriter Michael Chabon understands the mythic appeal of the comic book tradition, and his touch is evident in the story's depth, an example being Molina's brilliantly played Doc Ock. He's a villain for the ages, a man who shows us his real face so we can feel the struggle for his soul. The comic book elements are all here, with spectacular fight scenes and teen-friendly existential themes. Peter has to struggle with feelings of isolation and not being understood or appreciated. He is aware of the irony of his working for justice for others when his own life is filled with people who judge him unfairly.Spider-Man 2 has sensational special effects integrated with a first-rate script and outstanding performances to illuminate the characters and tell the story -- and to show us something about ourselves. But most of all, this is why they invented movies, because director Sam Raimi knows how to make things move. Few movies have so mastered motion. Spider-Man swoops through the skyscrapers. A train hurtles across a track that just abruptly stops. A car flies through the air. Raimi is all but re-inventing cinematic storytelling before our delighted eyes.

Despite this being one of my favourite films of all time, this purchase has been a disappointing one. The audio is clearly sped up for some unknown reason, meaning that the pitch of the music and the voices is raised -- not by much, but in my opinion, significantly enough to be noticeable. I wasn't sure if this was just my laptop playing up but I checked other versions on YouTube, and the overall length of the film, which is supposed to be 2h 15m (Google); this Amazon prime version is only 2h 2m. Something to do with copyright, perhaps? This seems to be a problem with Spider-Man 3 as well, which is shortened from its original length. I don't mean to sound obnoxious in giving such a complaint, but in my personal experience, the music in this trilogy really makes it stand out and is one of the greatest features of the Raimi-Elfman partnership. It is a shame that their work is not reflected accurately in this edition.

Batman & Robin, Daredevil, The Hulk... All of these are examples of how not to make a comic book hero movie. Of the real 'Big 3' heroes out there, Batman and Superman of DC comics have had their big budget movies and have met with mixed success. Spider Man and Marvel themselves though have really never got off the ground as far as the silver screen goes... Until X-MenThere's no denying that the success of the X-Men film and Marvel's documented financial difficulties are what allowed the studios to get their claws into these franchises and while Hulk and Daredevil may have been disappointments, Stan Lee was never going to let his flagship character suffer the same fate.Spider Man 1 was, in my opinion, the best superhero movie I had seen. The character stuck to the comic books, with a few minor exceptions(the webbing being the one that really bent the fanatics noses out of joint). The temptation to cast a Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt in the role was held at bay and some relatively unknown supporting members proved to be great in the from of Osbourne Jnr and Jameson.This was a sequel that had a lot to live up to... And boy did it deliver! Again, some of the origins were messed with, we all know Doc Ock was never a humanitarian or 'controlled' by his claws, he was evil of his own free will. Regardless, Molina was excellent as the villain, McGuire was still the dork he should have been and his wrestling with his alter ego really gave the movie the depth it needed.What makes Spiderman 2 a great movie is, not just the action sequences, but the realistic and believable relationships between the characters, with the exception of Jameson who is a welcome dose of 'over the top'. Osbourne's hatred for spider man slowly poisoning his friendship with Parker, Parker's love for MJ which he is forced to hide and MJ's pained frustration at Parker's refusal to open up, all add to the action we expect of this sort of movie.Then there is the action. Acrobatics, explosions, runaway trains, fights atop skyscrapers... This has them all. The set pieces are breathtaking and Spidey gets more than as good as he gets from Doctor Octopus. Molina may have been a less than orthodox action man, and the slight paunch evident at points supports that, but he pulled the role off magnificently.In wrapping up this review all I can say is the Spider Man 3 has some big boots to fill as this was a film that deserved all the box office records it broke and the DVD has some extras that really make it stand out as well

I thought the 4k wasn't that good in places. I agree with other comments I have seen that the HDR is great and adds vibrancy in the street scenes. the 4 stars if for the quality of the remaster. 5 stars for the film.

The train sequence is the single greatest set piece in any superhero film ever made.

Watching this now isn't probably a good idea with the dated graphics but still a better movie than the 3rd part and I realise a better movie than TASM 2

Good film my son is spiderman mad and loves it what more can I say .

The 4k disc only has 2 not 2.1 which is strange. Also on the 4k disc the audio is not right. So if you want this product for the 4k disc don’t bother but otherwise it’s a good buy. Cheapest on amazon.