Travis Willock reviews

Distributed by
Columbia TriStar

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Cert: PG-13

Cat.no: 09661

Running time: 120 minutes

Year: 2002

Pressing: 2002

Region(s): 1, NTSC

Chapters: 28

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Widescreen: 1.85:1

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: 2 * DVD 9

Price: $29.98

Extras: Pop-Up Factoids, 2 Audio Commentaries, Branching Web-i-soudes, 2 Music Videos, TV Spots, Theatrical Trailers, Filmographies, 2 Making-Of Featurettes, Director and Composer Profiles, Screen Tests, Gag Reel, Conceptual Art Gallery, Historical Documentary, Comic Archives, Rogues Gallery, Loves of Peter Parker, Activision Game: Hints & Tips, DVD-ROM extras including a record your own commentary feature, countdown to Spider-Man 2, and full dot-comics.

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Director:

Sam Raimi

Screenplay:

David Koepp

Cast:

Peter Parker / Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire
Mary Jane Watson: Kirsten Dunst
Aunt May: Rosemarry Harris
Norman Osborn / Green Goblin: Willem Dafoe
J. Jonah Jameson: J.K. Simmons
Uncle Ben: Cliff Robertson

I was never impressed with this film. Granted the projector shook the entire time and the place was chock full of kids who cannot sit through a two hour movie. I went in expecting more than I should have but 5 months later (and $400 million dollars later) the DVD has slightly changed my views.

Bookworm Peter Parker suddenly turns stronger and faster after being bit by a genetically enhanced super spider. He can also climb walls and swing on webs that sometimes seem to connect to nothing. After abusing his powers Peter creates his suit and becomes the Spider-Man we know today.

Meanwhile, OsCorp chairman Norman Osborn is fired from his place. He was working on an experimetal glider and power suit. Donning it he becomes the Green Goblin. He's out to destroy the ones who fired him and is after Spidey. Little does he know that Peter, his son's best friend, is actually the web-slinger himself. Now Goblin must find Peter's weakness, his long time love Mary Jane Watson.

Many praise this as the best comic book movie to date. I have to agree with them on some level because it does feel like the comic minus a few events that would have changed the plot considerably. But the film falls short of greatness on many levels. One the pacing is not right, it feels like this could have been a quick summer movie at 90 minutes. An action scene and then some dialouge and more dialouge. While I'm a fan of dialouge driven movies Spider-Man's dialouge scenes are sometime unberable. There are many other gnaring mistakes that many will notice and it somewhat diminishes the quality of the film.

Now for the good aspects, each actor does a fine job and Sam Raimi (watch for Bruce "don't call me Ash" Campbell's cameo) has done a great job with the film. Raimi's vision can be seen and felt all over this film. Even the Matrix like fight scenes are decent. But overall Spider-Man is a good, just not great film.

Columbia Tristar has delivered a nice transfer here. Presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen it captures the look of the film perfectly. Colors are sharp and vivid when needed and blacks are deep. Some scenes exhibit minimal pixelization and color moire on clothes and far off objects can be seen. But these blemishes do not hurt the overall quality. Given that nearly every hit that Columbia has had is available in Superbit form (Resident Evil is due on Decmber 17th) this will be eventually too if the you're not that impressed. A seperate full frame edtion is also available.

Sound is presented in a good Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The standard scenes won't knock your socks off but the action scenes can get pretty intense.

It's wierd, they've been working on the extras for the film for over a year and there's nothing notable here except a few features. Where's the footage shot at Comic-Con or any other features I've been hearing about? If this weren't two discs I'd say I smell a rehash coming soon. Anyway, here's how it stacks up:

Disc 1:

• Audio Commentaries: One features the filmmakers and cast and the other features the visual effects designer and crew.
• Spider Sense: Opens links to various featurettes during the film. Similar to the follow-the-white rabbit feature on The Matrix.
• Pop-Up Factoids: Bubbles of info pop up during the movie. More trivia then you'll know what to do with.
• Character Files: Basic Filmographies for the cast.
• Marketing Campaign: Trailers for Spider-Man (strangely only one though there were more), Mr. Deeds, xXx, Men in Black II, Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters, and Marvels, and Stuart Little 2. Each are anamoprhic except Stan Lee's. 2 Music videos are also included here. 11 TV spots for Spider-Man round off this section.

Disc 2:

• Spider-Man: The Mythology of the 21st Century: Interesting documentary on the Spider-Man comics. Features interviews with Stan Lee and more. Runs about 24 minutes and is presented in full frame.

• Spider-Man Archives: Unique way to show stills. Select and era and displays info and covers on certain issues of the comics.

• Rogues Gallery: Select a villain (comic form) and info with a cool 3D model for each selection appears.

• Artists' Gallery: By selecting a picture you will be taken to a series of slides containing sketches, covers, and panels by certain comic book artists.

• The Loves of Peter Parker: Displays info on all of Peter's love interests over the years. Betty Brandt, the infamous Gwen Stacey, Black Cat, and of couse Mary Jane Watson.

• Activision Game: Hints & Tips: Seeing as how this PS2 (and Xbox and Gamecube) game has been out since last April this might be too late. 3 videos of hints are here for those who are interested.

• HBO First Look: The Making of Spider-Man: A 24 minute long standard featurette. Includes the usual movie clips with interviews, boring info, and at least a bit of info on the comics. Studio shot featurettes are usually better as these are really just promotional tools when HBO uses them.

• "Spider-Mania" an E! Entertainment Special: Includes interviews with the...wait for it....movie clips! There is really not much difference between this and the HBO feature.

• Director Profile: Sam Raimi: Seven minutes lon and presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. Examines Raimi's trademark stule and manner of directing through interviews with the cast and crew.

• Composer Profile: Danny Elfman: Features interviews with Raimi and Elfman. Seven minutes.

• Screen Tests: 4 in all. Tobey Maguire, J.K. Simmons, CGI Spider-Man, and the makeup and costumes. Tobey and CGI Spider-Man tests are shown in non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen.

• Gag / Outtake Reel: 3 minutes and non-anamorphic. The standard mistakes and gags you can't help but laugh at.

Though the extras may seem extensive you'll find it's pretty shallow once you dive in. I did like how a whole section on disc 2 was devoted soley to the comics. Also, go to the DVD ROM link on disc 2, while it is still in you player not the computer, and click up to find a hidden interview with Todd McFarlane.

Packaging is the same for both widescreen and full frame editions. They both have different covers. There are 28 chaptes and the menus are nicely animated.

Overall, the DVD is good in terms of quality but the extras feel rushed and slapped together. Fans will eat this up but those not into Spider-Man will find a decent rental in this.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Travis Willock, 2002.

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DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

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