Spider-Man [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

For some strange reason, I never got around to buying 'Spiderman' on DVD, but when I saw that a 'deluxe' edition was being released with a third disc of extras, I felt that the time had come to finally purchase it. It comes nicely packaged, with a cardboard sleeve to house the amaray case, but once unwrapped, I was shocked to see that the third disc was simply thrown in; No, not part of the overall package, but slipped in between the cardboard sleeve and the main case (which is the regular two disc version of 'Spiderman' available)! It has its own cardboard sleeve (like those that you get with free CD's in Sunday newspapers!) and this cheapens the item further!! There is no compartment to store it, therefore being a little useless as it is now sitting in a drawer rather than on my DVD cabinet! The disc has some interesting extras though, from the costume and set designs to looking at certain scenes in detail, and there are some sneek peeks at 'Spiderman 2', however, these can be seen on TV all the time, and the trailer can be viewed on the Apple Quicktime website. This would have felt like more of a complete package had it had all the extras bundled into less discs, but the price cannot be justified and it was a disappointing buy. Buy the regular two disc version for less, the extras just aren't worth it!

What an honour is thrust upon Sam Raimi. He had to bring to the screen the world's favourite super-hero. This movie could well have been a disaster thanks to the huge build-up and publicity and die-hard fans and all the other assorted extra considerations with a picture of this scale. However, against all the odds, Raimi came out with a final result that actually managed to live up to the hype.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the exploits of Spider-man, let me fill you in. It tells the story of shy bookish student Peter Parker who after being bitten by a genetically altered spider, is given amazing super-powers. After he suffers a tragic personal loss, he decides to use his powers so that no others have to suffer the way he has. However, this film, unlike most blockbusters actually fleshes out the relationships between the characters. Particularly good is the awkward love scenes between Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire, excellently cast), and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst, looking better than ever as a red-head), which manages to be very sweet, down to earth and dare I say, believeable.
Whilst Raimin has made some changes to the original story (e.g. updating Stan Lee's radioactive Spider to a genetically modified one), he has still manged to retain the spirit and style of spider-man. There have however been some changes that have been criticized, one of which is the new-look Green Goblin. Frankly I think he looks perfect as the suit in the film is actually a flight suit designed to look threatening but not terrifying, and the whole scare behind the Green Goblin lies in the monster behind the mask. Still think they should have stuck to the purple Noddy-like suit?
Other criticisms include the fact that the second half which throws a super-villain at Spidey, pales in comparison to the first half which deals with his origins and early exploits. True, the second half does deal mainly with Spidey and the Green goblin kicking seven shades out of each other, but it still works a lot better than most blockbuster super-hero movies. The main reason for this is that the two protagonists don't bother with silly plots like the later Batman films or such other nonsense. No, it's just battle after glorious battle as Spidey goes into the fight of his life to stop a deadly super-powered psychopath. It's just that simple, and works so well on account of some superb character acting and some really good set-pieces. The final battle scene which takes place atop a suspension bridge really shows Maguire playing with the different Spider-man/Peter Parker frames of mind, and Willem Dafoe is clearly having a great time hamming up his role as the evil Green Goblin.
This is a blockbuster movie with a difference. It has heart, it has plot, but most importanrtly, it has web-swinging in spades. You won't be disappointed. A Classic!

The special features in this disc are excellent. Stan Lee contriputed a lot. The features are not only included to the animated series. He gives comments on every one of the villans in the rouges gallery (there are 12) and the gallery also gives a detailed description of the character. There are also 2 easter eggs and the 1967 bonus episode of "The Origin Of Spider-man" which has poor animation even when compared to the rest of the series. The transfer is also crap on this episode unlike the rest of the disc on which the transfer is nice and colourfull. The episodes themself however are not the best of the series. In fact one of them was the worst and the other wasn't that far off. The episodes are "make a wish" "attack of the octobot" " enter the green goblin" " the rocket racer" and the bonus episode "return of the green goblin". The rocket racer episode is simply crap. Make a wish just tells Spideys origin which everyone knows. This disc is saved by the goblin episodes. Calling it the "Ultimate Villan Showdown" is quite silly as there are only 3 major villains. Overall good but there are better episodes which will hopefully be released soon with special features.