Has anyone reading this not seen Spider-Man 2 yet?

Wait, don’t answer that. And not because I don’t care about your answer, but because I can’t hear you, and you will look like a dolt and your coworkers will laugh at you when they see you talk to your computer. You’re not Steven Hawking. Shut your trap.

I’m going to assume that you have, because it’s been out for three years now, and a widescreen special edition has been available on DVD for quite some time. Or, if you’re half as lame as me, you bought the “limited edition” which had plenty of comic book propaganda in there and cool packaging.

Since I’m relatively certain that you’ve already seen Spider-Man 2, the format of this review is going to be a little bit different. I am just going to tell you all why Spider-Man 2 rocks, and while you are already snickering at the short 8-minutes added to this DVD, I’m going to tell you why you should still watch it. So here it is…

The 10 best reasons to watch Spider-Man 2.1

10. – There ain’t no Green Goblin
Don’t get me wrong. I really dug the first Spider-Man film, but Green Goblin has never, ever been a favorite villain, and it doesn’t help that he’s been done to death with variants like Hobgoblin in the comic books for decades. Technically, though, Willem Dafoe (Platoon), who played the Green Goblin, does make a post-mortem appearance here talking to his son, but it only serves as character building for Harry’s not-yet-complete turn to evil. Which is, surprisingly, something I look forward to. Hopefully, he won’t fly around dressed like a green douche bag when that finally happens.

9. – Otto Octavius surprisingly wasn’t a dick.
Even though he seems a bit set up from the start as a thick-headed, straight-laced asshole. The sequence with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), Octavius and his wife Rosie (Donna Murphy, World Trade Center) simply talking together over dinner is as full of heart as anything Aunt May ever says. Otto (Alfred Molina, Identity) is a loving man, and his wife seems equally enamored with him. They made for such a great couple that I actually wish we got to see more of this pre-transformation story. His convincing Parker to make poetry for Mary Jane mere hours (film-time) after he tells him he really doesn’t have time to work with him on his report is a fine set-up that only makes his becoming Doctor Octopus that much harder for Peter.

8. – Spider-Man is losing his powers!
What ends up being the best of all the subplots in Spider-Man 2 is that Spidey is slowly and randomly losing his powers. It’s uncontrollable to Spidey and adds a sense of urgency to everything heroic he ends up doing after that. The audience, like Spidey himself, never knows when he’s not going to be able to get out of a situation. It’s important to have heroes have weaknesses, too. Otherwise, they are nothing more than unstoppable machines. The writers of Spider-Man 2 realized this, and took it literally. Brilliant.

7. – The Amazing Pizza Delivery Boy!
The opening scene where Peter Parker needs to switch to his Spider-Man persona in a last ditch attempt to deliver a stack of pizzas is hilarious in every way. From a passer-by’s observation that, “He just stole that dude’s pizzas!” to the web-returning of a legitimately stolen slice, to his stumbling out of the closet at the delivery destination (as opposed to the elevator or door), every bit of the opening sequence is comic genius and really establishes both egos in record time.

6. – Doctor Octopus makes for a kick-ass villain!
I admit that I had some reservations about this one. Doctor Octopus never interested me much in the comic books, just as the Green Goblin left me unimpressed. Worse, I was uncertain exactly how they were going to pull off the look of the mechanical arms. To me, it always seemed destined to be one of those, “sure it looks great on paper, but how…” translation issues. All of my doubts were solidly put to rest the first time I saw Octavius’ suit in action. Everything moved brilliantly and smoothly, and seemed real. Even after watching the special effects features, it’s hard to believe that he doesn’t really have control of those things.

5. – Bruce Campbell is back!
In the first Spider-Man film, Bruce Campbell was the ring announcer that christens Peter Parker with the name “the Amazing Spider-Man.” In Spider-Man 2, Bruce has a funnier scene as a theatre usher who talks down to Peter and refuses to allow him into see Mary Jane’s play. It’s one great, funny scene.

4. – Sam Raimi’s in-joke ode to Evil Dead II!
Evil Dead II is, in case you don’t already know, one of the best horror films of all time, and certainly one of the best horror sequels. It also was directed by the same Sam Raimi who directed this super sized film. Evil Dead II stars Bruce Campbell as Ash, the unlucky clerk who unwittingly has to fight off an onslaught of demons and zombies. In that film, Ash makes with the chainsaw to create a defense, and he is pursued by unseen monsters shown exclusively from a POV shot. These two bits are recycled in the scene where Doc Ock’s arms go crazy on the doctors trying to save Otto. We see one of the doctor’s attacked from the POV of the tentacle, and he reaches for a chainsaw in self-defense. It’s actually a surprisingly dark scene in an otherwise exciting but kid-friendly film. This only helped make it all the more surprising. Thanks, Sam!

3. – Mary Jane is way hot!
I don’t care what any of the Dunst haters have to say. She is unbelievably hot, and in Spider-Man 2, it gets very wet and very cold (apparently). It makes for a couple of interesting plot points. I completely encourage this, and hope that the wet and cold atmosphere is again brought back in Spider-Man 3.

2.1 – J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man costume! (and other exclusive bits)
Oh my lord! Exclusive to this release, there is a sequence that was unjustifiably cut from the theatrical version of Spider-Man 2 in which the discarded Spidey-suit is found and sold to the Daily Bugle’s editor, the blustering J. Jonah Jameson. When he thinks no one is looking, the surprisingly agile Spidey-hater plays around in his office, making thwip noises while smoking his trademark cigar. It’s so absolutely hilarious and brilliant that seeing this is worth the purchase of Spider-Man 2.1 on its own.

Other great inclusions are an extended sequence of Spidey in the elevator with Hal Sparks (Queer As Folk), a bit more of the train sequence, and Harry Osborne (James Franco, Flyboys) and Peter Parker’s birthday conversation is extended. These scenes actually do help make a great movie even better.

1. – The train sequence!
There are battles in every comic film. Superman vs. Zod. The Crow vs. Top Dollar. Batman vs. The Joker. All 100 percent amazing. That said, nothing compares to Spider-Man vs. a fast goddamned elevated train. When I saw this theatrically, I was completely awed by the Doc Ock fight on the side of a building, Aunt May’s life at stake. I truly thought while seeing it that there was no way they could top it, and that the filmmakers blew their respective wad at that scene…

Boy was I wrong. The train sequence is one of the most exciting in film history, and completely brings to life a scene comic readers have seen countless times. The battle with Ock is fantastic, but Spidey’s multiple failed attempts to stop the train, combined with a constant fear that his powers could leave him at any second gives depth and emotion to what otherwise would have been just a man in tights doing his job.

But you knew all of this, right? You’ve seen the movie. Well… go see it again and get primed for Spider-Man 3.

DVD Presentation
Spider-Man 2 is a spectacle of a film; a true event movie. It doesn't deserve anything less than a stellar presentation, and thankfully, the Spider-Man 2.1 DVD comes prepared. The anamorphic video is stunningly sharp and the colors are well balanced. It correctly replicates the theatrical experience in the best way DVD can. I don’t know if I would go so far as to say it's a better or worse presentation than the previous DVD, but it’s definitely awesome. The audio sounds fantastic as well, with the 5.1 surround mix delivering all the crash-boom-bang action that one might expect from a superhero film. For the English-impaired, 5.1 surround options are also available in French, Portuguese and Spanish, and subtitles are included in all of the same languages as well. Sony kicked some serious ass with this DVD.

And the Extras Are?
Audio Commentary with producer Laura Ziskin and Screenwriter Alvin Sargent –
I felt this commentary was rather dry, with the only really interesting comments coming from Alvin. Aside from that, we already got a producer's commentary on the previous DVD (from co-producer Grant Curtis). It marks the first time I’ve ever given up on a commentary for a film I reviewed here. It’s that boring.

Spidey Sense 2.1 trivia track with integrated pop-ups –
The only feature that evolved from the previous release, this is now adapted to have new bits pertaining to the eight additional minutes of footage. It’s a fun track to go through once, but you’ll never do so again.

Inside Spider-Man 2.1 – (13:35)
One of the most valuable features for this particular DVD, it goes into depth about the alterations made for the 2.1 version of this film that weren’t in the theatrical cut. It helps point out some of the more minor differences that people may not recognize.

With Great Effort, Comes Great Recognition – (7:52)
A featurette discussing the critical response that Spider-Man 2 enjoyed upon its release, specifically when it comes to the visual effects.

5-Part Visual Effects Breakdown – (33:36)
This is by far the meatiest feature on the set. Each of these five parts examines different parts of Spider-Man 2 and goes into depth to how the visual effects were created. Specific scenes covered include the elevated train fight, the submerging ofDoctor Octopus, and the final battle. If you like effects features, you are really going to dig this one.

Danny Elfman Scores Spider-Man 2 (Multi-Angle) – (5:10)
This feature shows the orchestra recording the score for Spider-Man 2 along with the comments made by composer and ex-Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman. The alternate angle offers video commentary by Elfman as well, which makes this otherwise mundane feature more interesting.

Spider-Man 3 Sneak Peek – (2:31)
A very short talking-head piece about the general plot of the next Spider-Man feature. Clips are here as well, but the whole thing is non-anamorphic widescreen and too short to have any sort of depth.

Trailers –
Trailers are included for Spider-Man 3 and the Spider-Man 3 video game.

What’s cool about this is that all of the features here are new, with none of them duplicated from the previous Spider-Man 2 DVD. That said, all of the features on that DVD are great, while these are more average. If you are a completist, you will need both releases in your Spidey collection.

The Bottom Line
I loved the Spider-Man films, and the sequel especially kicked all sorts of ass. The 2.1 version adds eight minutes of fun scattered throughout, and it actually does add some development to the theatrical release. As a standalone release, Spider-Man 2.1 only works as a companion to the previous DVD release. The extra features are nowhere near as good and the Spider-Man 3 previews aren’t at all worth watching. Die hard fans will definitely find interest in 2.1, but the original Spider-Man 2 DVD is still the definitive release.