Before
I start, let me just say that it's my first DVD review. Those of you who
know me from supermanhomepage.com reviews know that comics are my usual
forte, so bear with me. Ready? Okay hang onto your hats. For those who
haven't seen 2.1 please turn away because spoilers a-plenty following
the plot summary of those aforementioned extended scenes.
DISC ONE
Plot Summary:
Two years after the death of Norman Osborn, Peter Parker is juggling two jobs (pizza delivery and of course Bugle photos) in addition to struggling to keep up with his studies and duties as Spider-Man. In twenty-four hours he loses his job at Joe's Pizza for late deliveries, gives himself more bad press for the Bugle, and renews acquaintances with Harry, still obsessed with finding Spider-Man, whom he holds responsible for the death of his father. His Aunt May is behind on her payments and still aches over the loss of Ben. Peter promises to see Mary Jane's play "The Importance of Being Ernest", for which she's received rave reviews and stardom. Harry introduces him to his idol, Otto Octavius, a brilliant physicist whose latest fusion experiment is designed to provide the world with a cleaner, renewable energy source. Due to spider-action, Peter is late for the play and barred entry.
To make matters worse, not only does he see MJ walk away with some other guy but also experiences faulty performance with his abilities. At the demonstration, Octavius attaches himself to a harness of four cybernetic arms of artificial intelligence linked through his brainstem and kept under control by an inhibitor chip. During the demonstration, there is a breach in containment and chaos erupts. Though Spider-Man manages to stop the machine, Otto's wife is killed, Harry's project is in ruins, and Octavius' harness is fused to his body, the inhibitor chip destroyed. The arms later run amok in the hospital, killing the entire medical team working on Octavius. They aid him in his escape. Retreating to a half-sunken warehouse on the pier, Octavius' arms influence his judgment an
d
convince him to rebuild the machine to prove his theory, regardless
of who stands in his way. Shortly after Aunt May gets turned down
for a loan at the bank, "Doc Ock" (as Jameson names him in the
papers) attempts to rob it. Spidey takes him on, faulty web-shooters and
all, and saves Aunt May's life, but Otto gets away. Later at the
Planetarium event that night, Peter not only learns that the man MJ is
dating is Jameson's son, John, an astronaut, but an intoxicated Harry
gives him lip about his loyalties to Spider-Man and not to his best
friend. Powerless, hitting rock bottom, and after advice from his
doctor, Peter reconciles in an imaginary conversation with Uncle Ben to
give up being Spider-Man, tossing his costume in the nearest trash can.
Temporarily things improve around Peter. His grades improve,
he finishes his paper, and even makes MJ's play in an attempt to win her
back. MJ of course refuses, telling him to wake up to reality. The
suit finds its way into the hands of Jameson, viewing it as a sign of
triumph over Spider-Man.
On
the anniversary of Uncle Ben's death, Peter attempts to assuage the
guilt May feels by finally confessing to his role in the murder,
only to be met with ostracization. Meanwhile, Doc Ock, thanks to
his stolen funds, reconstructs the machine, larger than before, then
confronts harry for more of the Tritium Oscorp originally
donated. Harry agrees as long as he tracks down Spider-Man and
brings him to Harry alive. He even sends Ock after Peter to find out
where Spider-Man is. Meanwhile, Peter reluctantly rushes in to a burning
building to save a Chinese girl trapped on the second floor. The event
makes him second guess his decision. A note from May sends him over
for him to find his aunt packing up, deciding to forget about the bill
payments and sell the house. She assures him she's forgiven him and that
she's proud of him for telling the truth. As for Spider-Man she has
nothing but praise for him and other heroes who are self-sacrificing;
her speech motivates Peter to try and reclaim his powers through sheer
force of will, but fails. MJ, who's had time to think about what Peter
said, invites him for coffee to talk about it. Peter takes everything
back, saying he was wrong. The moment is interrupted by a car flying
through the cafe window, narrowly missing Peter and MJ via his returned
spider-sense. Doc Ock then appears and threatens to kill Mary Jane if
Peter fails to send Spider-Man to the East Tower at 3. He shoves Peter
across the cafe with his tentacles and he's buried under debris, then
takes MJ hostage. Parker later emerges from the rubble, suddenly
empowered. He steals back his suit from Jameson's office and confronts
Octavius yet again. The fight carries over onto an elevated train, which
Ock sabotages as part of his strategy. It takes all of Spider-Man's
might to save the train and its passengers and is exhausted enough for
Ock to subdue him.
Two years after the death of Norman Osborn, Peter Parker is juggling two jobs (pizza delivery and of course Bugle photos) in addition to struggling to keep up with his studies and duties as Spider-Man. In twenty-four hours he loses his job at Joe's Pizza for late deliveries, gives himself more bad press for the Bugle, and renews acquaintances with Harry, still obsessed with finding Spider-Man, whom he holds responsible for the death of his father. His Aunt May is behind on her payments and still aches over the loss of Ben. Peter promises to see Mary Jane's play "The Importance of Being Ernest", for which she's received rave reviews and stardom. Harry introduces him to his idol, Otto Octavius, a brilliant physicist whose latest fusion experiment is designed to provide the world with a cleaner, renewable energy source. Due to spider-action, Peter is late for the play and barred entry.
To make matters worse, not only does he see MJ walk away with some other guy but also experiences faulty performance with his abilities. At the demonstration, Octavius attaches himself to a harness of four cybernetic arms of artificial intelligence linked through his brainstem and kept under control by an inhibitor chip. During the demonstration, there is a breach in containment and chaos erupts. Though Spider-Man manages to stop the machine, Otto's wife is killed, Harry's project is in ruins, and Octavius' harness is fused to his body, the inhibitor chip destroyed. The arms later run amok in the hospital, killing the entire medical team working on Octavius. They aid him in his escape. Retreating to a half-sunken warehouse on the pier, Octavius' arms influence his judgment an
d
convince him to rebuild the machine to prove his theory, regardless
of who stands in his way. Shortly after Aunt May gets turned down
for a loan at the bank, "Doc Ock" (as Jameson names him in the
papers) attempts to rob it. Spidey takes him on, faulty web-shooters and
all, and saves Aunt May's life, but Otto gets away. Later at the
Planetarium event that night, Peter not only learns that the man MJ is
dating is Jameson's son, John, an astronaut, but an intoxicated Harry
gives him lip about his loyalties to Spider-Man and not to his best
friend. Powerless, hitting rock bottom, and after advice from his
doctor, Peter reconciles in an imaginary conversation with Uncle Ben to
give up being Spider-Man, tossing his costume in the nearest trash can.
Temporarily things improve around Peter. His grades improve,
he finishes his paper, and even makes MJ's play in an attempt to win her
back. MJ of course refuses, telling him to wake up to reality. The
suit finds its way into the hands of Jameson, viewing it as a sign of
triumph over Spider-Man. On
the anniversary of Uncle Ben's death, Peter attempts to assuage the
guilt May feels by finally confessing to his role in the murder,
only to be met with ostracization. Meanwhile, Doc Ock, thanks to
his stolen funds, reconstructs the machine, larger than before, then
confronts harry for more of the Tritium Oscorp originally
donated. Harry agrees as long as he tracks down Spider-Man and
brings him to Harry alive. He even sends Ock after Peter to find out
where Spider-Man is. Meanwhile, Peter reluctantly rushes in to a burning
building to save a Chinese girl trapped on the second floor. The event
makes him second guess his decision. A note from May sends him over
for him to find his aunt packing up, deciding to forget about the bill
payments and sell the house. She assures him she's forgiven him and that
she's proud of him for telling the truth. As for Spider-Man she has
nothing but praise for him and other heroes who are self-sacrificing;
her speech motivates Peter to try and reclaim his powers through sheer
force of will, but fails. MJ, who's had time to think about what Peter
said, invites him for coffee to talk about it. Peter takes everything
back, saying he was wrong. The moment is interrupted by a car flying
through the cafe window, narrowly missing Peter and MJ via his returned
spider-sense. Doc Ock then appears and threatens to kill Mary Jane if
Peter fails to send Spider-Man to the East Tower at 3. He shoves Peter
across the cafe with his tentacles and he's buried under debris, then
takes MJ hostage. Parker later emerges from the rubble, suddenly
empowered. He steals back his suit from Jameson's office and confronts
Octavius yet again. The fight carries over onto an elevated train, which
Ock sabotages as part of his strategy. It takes all of Spider-Man's
might to save the train and its passengers and is exhausted enough for
Ock to subdue him.
Ock delivers a barbwired Spider-Man to Harry and takes the Tritium.
Harry unmasks Peter at knifepoint, then drops the knife in shock. Peter
snaps free of his bonds and convinces Harry to put their differences
aside for now and tell him where Otto is, especially since Harry didn't
know MJ's life was at stake. At the pier, Spider-Man shows up just as
the machine is activated. The same reaction occurs; a massive
gravitational vacuum makes its way across Manhattan, drawing in anything
metal, while Spider-Man and Octavius do battle. Ock receives another
electrical shock, giving Peter the opportunity to pull the plug, but
it's too late for that. He takes off his mask to try and reason with
Otto, reminding him of what he had told Peter about the obligation to
mankind that comes with intelligence. The physicist reasserts control
and proposes drowning the Tritium sun and volunteers to do so himself.
He takes out the support beams of the apparatus, and the warehouse is
dragged along with the machine and Octavius to the river while
Spider-Man and MJ swing away to safety. On one of his webs, Peter again lets MJ down easy regarding any chance of a relationship being jeopardized by his double life. At Harry's apartment, he hallucinates seeing his father's ghost and stumbles upon the Green Goblin's equipment and strength-enhancement formula.
At the wedding of John and MJ, MJ's matron of
honor delivers a note to John while MJ bolts for Peter's apartment. She
tells him she wants to take those risks with him and that he should
respect her enough to make that choice. They kiss, but sirens interrupt.
Mary Jane tells Peter "Go get 'em, Tiger." Peter dons his
costume and Spider-Man's off again, leaving MJ contemplating whether she
knows what she's gotten into.
EXTENDED
SCENES:
1) Birthday Scene - Harry's moment with Peter over
his desire to find and exact revenge on Spider-Man, claiming he wants
this guy as badly as Peter wants to see his uncle's killer dead. But he
backs off, saying he's his best friend and that his father loved him
like a son.
2) Backyard Scene - Not much, just MJ saying she's
surprised that the one guy who supported her dream hasn't seen the play
yet.
3) Otto and Peter's meeting - Shortly after Harry
leaves, Rosie is introduced by Otto before heading to make him lunch.
4) Carjacking Scene - Shot of Peter getting behind
the wheel of the car and unmasking while leaving the thieves dangling on
the streetlight.
5) Usher scene - a little more obnoxious
6) Elevator Scene - fellow passenger onboard the
elevator's dialogue is changed; he's now a member of an ad agency
tossing some marketing ideas Spidey's way.
8
) MJ
and her Best Friend - at a shoe store they talk about the engagement and
if MJ is really in love with the guy.
) MJ
and her Best Friend - at a shoe store they talk about the engagement and
if MJ is really in love with the guy.
9) Doctor Scene - small talk about
Peter's major in college, advice about a strong focus on what you
want given to the doc by his psychiatrist
10) Uncle Ben and Peter - Not much, just Pete
saying it's too hard and Ben saying he thought Peter had learned the
meaning of responsibility.
11) Jameson and the Suit - Jonah puts on the
costume and play acts in his office to the dismay of Hoffman, Betty, and
Robbie.
12) Elevated Train Sequence - more intense
action, such as Spidey being put in the path of another train.
Of all these, I'd name #'s 1 and 10 of the deeper,
emotional scenes that could have worked just fine the way they were; I view
nothing at all wrong with them and theorize that they were cut only for
time constraints. As for humor I'd definitely name #6 and #11 as up
there as scenes that...maybe would have worked. The obnoxious usher has
nothing on Chris Sparks trying to sell Spidey on multiple advertising
ideas, but I feel that it was stretched a little too long. As for Jonah
hopping around in Peter's jammies, that perfectly mirrored his hypocrisy
and his lack of scruples. The punchline was the reaction from Robbie,
Betty, and Hoffman outside his office. However, I feel it took away a
little bit of reality; I mean, I have a really tough time seeing this
kind of thing happening in real life when it belongs in the pages of a
co
mic book. I know that
sounds a little hypocritical considering this review as about a movie
that features a guy that crawls on walls and swings through webs, but
what makes it works is the maintaining of some semblance of reality. The
extended fight scene on the train works in the sense that seeing Peter
banged up more so by both Doc Ock AND a train on the opposite track adds
to his physically being put to the test.
mic book. I know that
sounds a little hypocritical considering this review as about a movie
that features a guy that crawls on walls and swings through webs, but
what makes it works is the maintaining of some semblance of reality. The
extended fight scene on the train works in the sense that seeing Peter
banged up more so by both Doc Ock AND a train on the opposite track adds
to his physically being put to the test.
Audio Commentary by Laura Ziskin
and Screenwriter Alvin Sergeant
Although I enjoyed hearing more of Laura's
opinions on the various motifs and underlying themes of SM2, along with
Alvin Sergeant's, I was hoping to hear from Sam Raimi or another member
of the cast. Still, it was cool to have an updated commentary track.
Laura could easily direct a comic book film because she treats it with
as much respect as you would give a regular motion picture. She
understands the nature of comic books and demonstrates respect for the
medium and a knowledge of how much of the source material you can keep
as opposed to what could be (or should be) thrown out.
Spider-Sense Trivia
This is basically when you reach a particular
scene and out of nowhere you see a small window at the corner of an in-depth
look at the making of this scene. Although it works if you're curious
about what went into pulling off the illusion, it can at times be a
little tedious.
DISC TWO
Sneak Peak at Spider-Man 3
This is a reader's digest look at the basic
premise and synopsis of the third film, profiling cast and crew. It's a
good warm-up for those who haven't seen SM3 yet.
Inside Spider-Man 2.1
This is basically getting the crew's thoughts and
feelings on such things as the philosophy behind the film,
reestablishing the relationships from the first movie, and the
difficulty cutting reasonably good scenes to maintain an even flow of
the story. We get scene comparisons between SM2 and SM2.1, such as the
birthday part scene for example. Overall it's always insightful to hear
the producers and writers feelings on such decisions and directions. It
also adds the cement the quality of 2.1 by revealing the original
animators had been brought back to add new footage to the elevated train
sequence, which is basically the cornerstone of the segment.
With Great Power Comes Great
Recognition
John Dykstra and company reflect on the visual FX
hurdles they had to overcome to surpass the material provided for the
first movie, as well as their reactions to being nominated, and then
winning, an Academy Award for Visual Effects. It's cathartic for Dykstra
considering he was one of the very first recipients of such an honor, as
well as informative for the viewer as how a pioneer views the changes
the industry has undergone in the past thirty years.
VFX Breakdown
This is basically a five-part documentary
chronicling the development of visual effects for the film. Some are
very surprising in that while one would think the half-sunken lab on the
pier was purely digital with sets inserted, it was actually a melding of
digital and practical effects. Another is the development of the CGI Doc
Ock, which was more difficult than CGI Green Goblin from Spider-Man 1 on
account of the fact that he wears no mask. Highlights such as the
development of the climactic collapse of the structure as well as the
development of the elevated train scene hold the viewer's attention and
the feature in its entirety is informative for any aspiring visual
effects students.
Danny Elfman Scores Spider-Man 2
This is a multi-angle feature that stands out from
the majority of the behind-the-scenes material on Disc Two in the sense
that we see Eflman and his orchestra conduct the music for the first
Spidey-Ock battle, as well as the rescue of Aunt May soon after.
Unedited and raw it gives the audience a ticket inside the process and
sees Danny make last minute changes to a few sections of the score.
OVERALL 4.5/5 Webs
Spider-Man 2.1 is a collector's item for any fan
of the comics and fan of the movie franchise. I'm not saying that
Spider-Man 2.1 is better than the theatrical release; there are some
scenes that should've been left on the cutting room floor as they
originally were, such as the Jonah-in-costume scene and the Hal Sparks
scene. However, Disc Two's behind-the-scenes features redeem those
errors in judgment and gives viewers a deeper glimpse behind the
curtains of one of the comic book movies that really stands out from the
rest. (Sigh) If only I could say the same for Spider-Man 3, but that's
another story...
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