Rating summary
| Movie |  | 5.0 |
| Video | | 5.0 |
| Audio | | 5.0 |
| Extras | | 5.0 |
| Overall | | 5.0 |
Spider-Man 2 Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 12, 2017
Sony's 2012 individual Blu-ray release of 2004's 'Spider-Man 2' contains a bevy of supplemental content not previously available on the 2007 boxed set. Video appears to be identical to the 2007 release but Sony has
switched up the audio to a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Read on for more on what's new.
for a full film review, please click
here.
Spider-Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
For a full video review, please click here. Note that the score in this review
reflects the overall video score awarded to the 2007 release.
Spider-Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
As mentioned above, Spider-Man 2 contains a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack rather than the original Blu-ray's Dolby TrueHD
5.1
track. This is seemingly the same track found on the "Mastered in 4K" disc. Please see that review for more.
Spider-Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Spider-Man 2 contains a bevy of supplemental content, which includes a trio of audio commentary tracks and a number of high quality
featurettes. Also included is a (now expired) digital
copy code. This release also includes two cuts of the film: Theatrical (2:07:28) and Extended (2:15:48).
- Audio Commentary: Actor Tobey Maguire, Director Sam Raimi, Producer Avi Arad, Co-Producer Grant Curtis, recorded in July 2004,
discuss the movie in varied and comprehensive detail from a number of unique perspectives, beginning with the Marvel logo and title sequence and
moving on to cover a wealth of content, including, but not limited to, story structure, characters, performances, themes, sets, the excised Black Cat
storyline, visual effects, and much more. This is a solid, well-rounded track. Available on the film's theatrical cut only.
- Audio Commentary: Steve Johnson from Edge FX, Puppet Master Eric Hayden, Visual Effects Designer John Dykstra, Animation
Supervisor Anthony LaMolinara, Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Stokdyk, and Visual Effects Producer Lydia Bottegoni deliver a much more complex,
in-depth, technical commentary that explores the film's visuals from a fairly unique perspective beyond the usual banter about digital creation and
implementation. The track may not interest everyone, but for those more technically curious the track certainly offers a wealth of fascinating
content.
Available on the film's theatrical cut only.
- Audio Commentary: Producer Laura Ziskin and Writer Alvin Sargent deliver the most intimate of the tracks. It encompass the
participants' experiences in the franchise beyond this film, with emphasis on the "2.1" version of the film. It's a bit choppy and slow at times, but still
contains some wonderful insight into story, locations, characters, and more. It's for the hardcore Spider-Man fan. Available only on the
extended version
of
the film.
- Making The Amazing (480i): A 12-part feature that offers a comprehensive look into the making of the movie, broken down by
category
that makes each one fairly self-explanatory. Included are the introductory Greater Power, Greater Responsibility (6:38), Story and
Character (8:51), Visual Design (12:03), Costume Design (13:10), Direction (14:28), The Spydercam
(7:18),
Stunts (12:13), Practical Effects (7:46), Editing (10:50), Visual Effects (13:22), Sound and Music
(16:32),
and Lessons Learned (5:02).
- Hero in Crisis (480i, 14:50): A deeper look into the Peter Parker/Spider-Man character, including interviews with cast and crew
(notably
Tobey Maguire and Stan Lee).
- Ock-umentary: Eight Arms to Hold You (480i, 22:10): Stan Lee and the film's cast and crew discuss the Doctor Octopus character,
both
in comics and in the film.
- Blooper Reel (480i, 7:31): Funny moments from the shoot.
- Visual Effects Breakdown (480i, 32:38 total runtime): A comprehensive breakdown of building the film's visual effects. Divided into
five
parts.
- Previews: Additional Sony titles.
Spider-Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Spider-Man 2 is the best of the original trilogy, the finest film of all (current) six films that feature the character in the lead, and one of the
all-time great Superhero films. This 2012 Blu-ray offers strong picture and sound along with plenty of new-to-Blu-ray bonus content. This is no longer
the definitive version
considering all that's available in the new UHD set. That said, it does add supplements not previously included in 2007 but lacks the picture quality
from the
"Mastered in 4K" discs. Note that this same disc is included in the 2013 trilogy boxed set.
