Product Description

In SPIDER-MAN™2 the latest installment in the blockbuster Spider-Man™ series based on the classic Marvel Comics hero Tobey Maguire returns as the mild-mannered Peter Parker who is juggling the delicate balance of his dual life as college student and a superhuman crime fighter. Peter's life becomes even more complicated when he confronts a new nemesis the brilliant Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who has been reincarnated as the maniacal and multi-tentacled "Doc Ock." When Doc Ock kidnaps MJ (Kirsten Dunst) Spider-Man must swing back into action as the adventure reaches new heights of unprecedented excitement.System Requirements:Running Time: 124 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396086517 Manufacturer No: 08651

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39594 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-11-30
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .30 pounds
• Running time: 127 minutes

Amazon.com
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

From The New Yorker
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is having problems with his stickiness. He keeps changing into his Spiderman duds, leaping through the canyons of Manhattan, and finding, to his dismay, that the white stuff just won't shoot in the way it used to. No option but to hang up the outfit and walk away. Fortunately, we are only halfway through the movie. Once again, Sam Raimi is the director, and once again the plight is one of uncertainty: to swing or not to swing? Not until the arrival of Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), a many-limbed scientist who likes to do antisocial things to subway cars, is our hero moved to rejoin the action. Molina is the real draw of the film, opting not for the standard evil genius but for a good, sorrowing genius who is nudged into malice by boredom and bereavement. In fact, despite the fantastical high of the set pieces, (not least the most pertinent use of a lady's umbrella since "Mary Poppins"), almost everyone here feels rather lonely and stuck. This could be the first superhero franchise that will end up requiring the services of Ingmar Bergman. With Kirsten Dunst, dreamier than ever, as Peter's beloved (but not girlfriend). -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

One of the best superhero movies made.
Very few directors really understand the appeal of superhero comicbooks. It's a short list of successful superhero adaptations.

Sam Raimi was firing on all cylinders when he made this movie. The result is solid action-adventure with well developed characters that pull you into the story and keep you emotionally invested. The action choreography is stunning and the special effects are polished. Spider-Man 2 has a talented cast that really brings this story to life - with Alfred Molina being a particularly inspired choice to play Dr. Otto Octavious and J.K. Simmons delivering a larger-than-life J.Jonah Jameson. Some serious writing skill is in evidence here - the story has excellent pacing and a great sense of increasing stakes. There are moments of emotional gravity, but the tone remains light while delivering the goods at the "big moments" - just like a summer movie should.

Some nice cinematography really makes the most out of some truly inspired set pieces and it's all edited together rather elegantly. When all is said and done, there is more than enough fun and visceral thrills to go around - handled in a way that keeps the material close to it's pulp roots. More importantly, the conclusion is satisfying without everything being tied up into too neat a bow.

Part two and my personal favorite.
I liked the first one but this one surpasses it on EVERY level.
Spidey 2 has a better villain, better FX, better everything.
The story is more engaging; the whole wedding scene at the end with Mary Jane running through the park is just soooo cool.
The action is nonstop.
A brilliant story, a brilliant movie.
Loved it!
Loved it!!
Loved it!!!
Superb acting from the entire cast, one of the best if not THE best super hero movie ever.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!

A Better Story And A Better Villain
This review will be split into three parts, they will be split into The Story, The Characters and the Verdict. This will give you a fair and honest view of the characters, story and the movie itself.

The Story: Harry Osborn has now taken over Oscorp and he's financially backing a scientist called Otto Octavius who's experimenting with sustained fusion as a way of replacing conventional fuels. In order for Otto so sustain the fusion reaction he's developed artificially intelligent arms that attach directly to his spine that he can control as if they were additional arms. One day while demonstrating his experiment, Otto is unable to contain the reaction and it all goes wrong. The experiment becomes unstable but Otto refuses to halt it, it eventually gets worse and his wife is killed and the neural inhibitor chip on the arms is destroyed and they are fused to Dr. Octavius' spine. Thanks to the help of Spiderman the plug is pulled on the experiment and nobody else is hurt, but Dr. Octavius blames Spidey for the disaster. The AI of the mechanical arms seem to tap into Dr. Octavius' brain and begins to manipulate him into wanting to try the experiment again and set out to kill Spiderman. Spidey begins to struggle with juggling his powers, his education and his job and on top of that he has to handle the difficulty of his powers constantly halting at the worst times. Mary Jane is becoming a successful stage actress and desperately wants Peter to be there when she needs him and Harry is looking for revenge against spiderman for killing his father.

The Characters: I've discussed both Tobeys & Kirstens characters in my review for the first spiderman film and my feelings are generally the same. The character I'm going to discuss is the character of Dr. Octavius.

Doc Oc: Played by Alfred Molina this is an intelligent choice for Doc Oc as he genuinely looks like the Doc Oc from the comics. He gives us his own brand of intelligence and sophistication when showing us the mental anguish that the character is going through in the movie.

Harry Osborn: We've seen a bit of a development in this character from the first movie. In that he was the kid with high expectations and a kid who idolised his father and was chasing after the girl (MJ). In this movie we're introduced to what some could consider a very different character, he seems arrogant yet he's tormented by the death of his father so he's someone who has a lot on his mind. James Franco is great at playing the tormented figure of Harry Osborn.

The Verdict: This is clearly the strongest film of the three, the action sequences particularly the fight sequence on the train is one that really gets your heart racing. Alfred Molina really fits the Doc Oc character perfectly and he really makes it believable. It has the general comedy moments that help you relax after witnessing a strongly emotive scene or a high impact fight sequence. The mixture of CGI and real life is un-seamless which gives it all the more realistic look. This is a movie that every comic book fan should own and enjoy for many years to come.