Cheap Spider-Man 2 (Full Screen Special Edition) (DVD) (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina) (Sam Raimi) Price

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Customer Reviews of Spider-Man 2 (Full Screen Special Edition)

Much better than the first film
With a more character driven plot and bigger tools at their disposal, director Sam Raimi and his crew have gone above and beyond the first Spider-Man film; crafting what some have hailed as the best comic adaptation of all time. While I don't think Spider-Man 2 deserves that tagline (that honor goes to X2: X-Men United), the film sure is something special as more depth is given to Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire, ever perfect) as he struggles between being a super hero and his love for Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) as a new foe emerges. The entire cast excels here like never before, with Alfred Molina perfect as the tragic Doctor Octopus (who is a shockingly better villain than Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin) and James Franco's Harry Osborn slowly descending into madness and vengeance as the stage is set for a third film. The only real problem with Spider-Man 2 is that at times it can get too dramatic for it's own good, but the movie manages to keep steaming along as we see Spidey get pushed to his limits like never before. It's definitely worth seeing, and even jaded web-heads will admire the film.

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Look out -- here comes Spider-Man...2!
After a record-breaking opening for Spider-Man 1, the makers of Spider-Man II were hard-pressed to make this movie as good if not better. Hard-pressed -- but successful. Spider-Man II is the perfect summer sequel, even going above and beyond the first movie.

PLOT: Two years have passed since the first movie. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is struggling to keep a job, struggling to keep up in college, and struggling to continue living his double life as the city's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (Peter Parker). He also struggles to conceal his love for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), knowing that though they both loved each other, she would be in danger from those who want to hurt Spider-Man if he ever involved her in his life. This puts a strain on Peter's life, and even causes frightening malfunctions in his super powers! MJ, meantime, is enjoying a successful start on her theatrical career in an off-Broadway show. Peter's other friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), the son of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in movie one, has successfully taken over his father's corporation Oscorp, and has dreams of taking it to new heights with the scientific discoveries of Dr. Otto Octavious (Alfred Molina). Harry invites Peter to meet the great scientist, and to witness as Dr. Octavious unveils his new source of fusion energy. Otto also unveils his new assistants; four mechanical arms that respond to his mind commands. But as you probably already know, the experiment goes terribly wrong, and the arms are fused to Octavious's spine permanently. Octavious is devastated, but more so when he learns his wife died in the ensuing chaos of his experiment. Harry is devastated because his high hopes on Otto's experiment have failed -- in Harry's mind, because of Spider-Man. Doctors attempt to remove Otto's four arms, but they come alive, creating carnage and destruction in the operating room. When Octavious awakens, he flees in despair to an abandoned riverfront warehouse. He swears to begin his experiment again, bigger and better. He is willing to rob banks for resources, and destroy anyone that gets in his way -- even Spider-Man. It's up to Spidey to attempt to put a halt to "Doc Ock's" rampage.

GOOD: There's an excellent theme of definite right and wrong in the movie. Spider-Man is courageous, selfless, and a true hero. At one point, he makes a job-breaking sacrifice of saving two young children from harm. He also is noble enough to conceal his love for MJ, loving her enough to keep her safe, even at personal cost. Some have even said there are some Christian allegories present, such as when Spider-Man is desperately trying to stop a runaway subway by plastering himself to the front and shooting webs to both sides...leaving him in a familiar stretched-out position. If you've seen the preview, you also know that Doc Ock delievers Spider-Man (or is it?) to Harry Osborn...wrapped in thorny wire. (You won't believe your eyes when Harry yanks that mask off) I won't go so far as to say they're obviously intended, but there's some interesting parallels if you're looking. On the whole, most of the characters behave with a sense of goodness and decency -- even Octavious.

BAD: I think some younger kids could sit through the movie without catching nightmares, but I'll list some of the potentially objectionable content, and you can decide for yourself. Spider-Man and Doc Ock engage in some eye-popping battles, on buildings, atop a moving subway, etc. Both exchange non-bloody but painful blows. Ock dispatches police officers (probably to their deaths) with his metal arms. The operating room scene is actually quite scary...the electronic tentacles, behaving for all the world like giant snakes, throw, strangle, and drag people all over the place. One lady being dragged away digs her fingernails into the floor in a particularly cringe-worthy moment. Another attempts to saw off the arm that is pinning him to the wall, but the other arms come and quickly make an end to him. In an explosion, a large shard of glass is thrown towards a woman, who screams. The impact is not shown, but we see her slumped over, and later see her on a gurney, with a sheet over her head. A drunken Harry slaps Peter a couple of times. (Evidently, the old Spidey sense didn't kick in for that one) There are a couple of swear words, but not as many as in the first movie. It's either amusing or saddening, depending on your point of view, that sweet little Aunt May says "what the h**l" once. There's absolutely no immorality (not even wet t-shirts this time), but there are a couple of kissing scenes. The scenes can be and are intense, but there's no blood or gore.

THOUGHTS: One has grown to expect the high threshold of amazing graphics in movies today, and Spidey II certainly doesn't disappoint. This time, the camera man is also better at filming Spidey as he swings through the city. We also get some questions answered about Spidey, like "can he really shoot web balls like in the video game?", "How comfortable is the costume?" and "What happens when Spidey runs out of webbing?" There's loads of surprises in store, and several "No WAY!" moments. It would seem that a good deal of the material in this movie harkens back to the older Superman 2 movie, with parallels between Spidey's troubles with his own super powers, and Superman's relinquishing of his own, but that's just my impression.

Overall, I think I like the first movie better. Few will agree with me, but the first movie concentrated on the wonderful new changes Peter had when becoming a super hero. Spider-Man II finds Spidey much more vulnerable, and undergoing much more suffering and pain. Nevertheless, it's still an awesome movie, and I'm already looking forward to its DVD release. October is too soon to hope for, but I think marketers would be missing out on a great marketing campaign: Ock-tober!

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Big Let Down
I anxiously awaited the release of Spiderman 2. I didn't see it at the theatre. I knew I would buy it when it came out, since I liked Spiderman 1. I expected it to be good. Well, it wasn't. It lacked the "larger than life" comic book feel. The acting was bad. The script was weak. The special effects were not very special at all. There was very little of the quirky humor, which I enjoyed in the first Spiderman. I felt as if Toby McGuire was just fulfilling his contract, to do the second Spiderman. I expected more. It was a big let down. I bought it on Tuesday, the day it came out and traded it in at a local game/video store on Wednesday.