Since
Tim Burton’s BATMAN was released, superhero movies just seem to
get better and better. Instead of campy irreverence, these comic book
heroes are being treated with the kind of dignity and respect that should
be afforded to this type of modern mythology. I eagerly anticipate every
new release in the superhero genre, because serious filmmakers are now
turning these stories into serious motion pictures. Bryan Singer’s
recent X-MEN adaptation really set tone for this type of film
entertainment, and I am glad to see that this type of reverence to the
original material has been carried through with Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN
($29). Of course, Raimi’s hyperactive visual style is also a great fit
for the action-oriented nature of the material, which is probably why I
absolutely loved the movie version of SPIDER-MAN.
I’ve
been reading Spider-Man comic books on and off since childhood and
have always counted the character amongst my favorites. This new movie
version of Spider-Man is very faithful to the character created by
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the early 1960s, although the science behind
the character’s origins had been updated to the more modern
state-of-the-art. Tobey Maguire is an excellent choice to portray Peter
Parker, the geeky teen science wiz, who is bitten by a genetically
engineered spider and then develops superhuman, spider-like abilities.
Even better than Maguire is Willem Dafoe, who gives an amazingly good dual
performance as driven scientist Norman Osborn and his insane alter ego-
The Green Goblin. Kirsten Dunst is perfectly luscious as Mary Jane Watson,
the film’s resident damsel in distress and object of Peter Parker’s
unrequited love. The plot of SPIDER-MAN follows the origins of the
character from nerdy high school student to superhero who faces off
against The Green Goblin to save both the innocents of New York City and
those that he loves dearly. In addition to the three stars, the cast of SPIDER-MAN
also features James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K.
Simmons, Joe Manganiello, Bill Nunn, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made SPIDER-MAN available on DVD in
a 1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. A separate full screen edition has been made available
for those whose biggest concern is making sure their entire picture tube
has been filled. SPIDER-MAN may not been the absolute best-looking
DVD on the market, but the wide screen transfer offers viewers a truly
great looking picture. The image is generally crisp and provides a very
nice level of detail. There is a bit of grain here and there, but the film
elements used for the transfer are free from noticeable defects. The
brightness and cleanness of the transfer sometimes makes the film’s CGI
effects look too cartoony for their own good, but the effect was even
worse in the theater, where the image was many times larger. Colors are
vibrant and fully saturated, although the picture pushes towards red just
a bit more than it should. All of the hues are rendered cleanly- without
any visible noise or smearing. Blacks appear pure, whites are clean and
the picture produces excellent shadow detail. The dual layer DVD keeps
digital compression artifacts very well concealed.
SPIDER-MAN
comes with a very good sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack,
although I wouldn't call the mix demonstration quality. Considering the
nature of the material, the mix should have been bigger and a little more
exaggerated. Surround usage is very good during the action sequences, but
a bit too subdued during the quieter passages of the movie. The forward
soundstage is highly active throughout, which compensates for the rear
channels' subdued moments; however, surround junkies are certain to have
been anticipating more from the sound mix. Still, the sound is very
dynamic and is reproduced with excellent fidelity. Danny Elfman's musical
score does sound great and does find its ways into the rear channels,
although the musical presence in the rear channels could have been beefed
up just a bit more. The bass channel is deep, solid and gives quite a bit
of rumble. Dialogue reproduction is very clean and consistently
understandable. A French 5.1 channel track has also been encoded onto the
DVD, as has an English Dolby Surround track. Subtitles are provided in
English, French and Spanish.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the supplements, which have been spread
across both discs of this two-disc set. SPIDER-MAN includes two
running audio commentaries; the first is with cast and crewmembers that
include director Sam Raimi, co-producers Grant Curtis and Laura Ziskin,
and actress Kirsten Dunst, while the second commentary features special
effects guru John Dykstra and his team members. Both commentaries are a
bit slow, but each does have more than a few interesting moments.
Also
included on disc one is the Spider Sense interactive viewing
mode for the movie, which allows one to view supplemental footage by
hitting their DVD player's remote control enter button, whenever the
Spider-Man icon appears on the screen. Weaving The Web is a
fun feature that provides an encyclopedia of pop-up factoids on a subtitle
track. Character Files is a nicely laid out of cast
filmographies that takes a page right from the Daily Bugle. The Marketing
Campaign section offers the SPIDER-MAN theatrical trailer
(in addition to bonus trailers), as well as eleven TV spots and music
videos for the songs Hero by Chad Kroeger and What
We're All About by Sum 41. On the DVD-ROM side there is a
comic-to-feature comparison, the ability to record your own commentary and
links to the countdown to THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movie.
On
to disc two, one will find two sections Spider-Man: The Comic
and Goblin's Lair: The Movie. In the Spider-Man: The
Comic section, there are various programs related to the comic
book character's background. Spider-Man: The Mythology Of The 21st
Century is a twenty-five minute featurette that interviews Stan
Lee and various comic book artists who contributed to the Spider-Man
comic for roughly four decades. Spider-Man Archives covers
the characters career in the comics- decade by decade, from the sixties,
until the present. Artists Gallery and Rogues Gallery
offer collections of artwork by various artists, which look at the
characters that have populated the Spider-Man universe for all
these decades. The Loves Of Peter Parker looks at the women
of consequence in this superhero's life. More DVD-ROM material is on tap
in this section, including an Activision game demo and web links.
Goblin's
Lair: The Movie are the
supplements related to the film itself. Starting things off is the HBO
program on The Making of Spider-Man, which runs twenty-five
minutes and offers some fairly typical PR interviews with cast and crew. Spider-Mania:
An E! Entertainment Special is a meatier forty-minute program that
features a better round of interviews with all the usual suspects. Director
Profile: Sam Raimi is a bit on the fluffy side, but the
seven-minute program does show the director's sense of humor and love for
the Spider-Man character. Composer Profile: Danny Elfman
runs seven minutes and allows the composer describe how he created the
musical score for the film. Screen Tests include tests for
Tobey Maguire and J.K. Simmone, as well as some CGI test footage and
makeup & costume tests for the rest of the principals. Gag/Outtake
Reel offers the actors flubbing their lines and other amusing
bits.
SPIDER-MAN
is a great superhero action movie that struck a cord with the masses and
became one of the biggest hits of all time. The SPIDER-MAN DVD may
not be the most fantastic looking or sounding disc on the market, but it
is still pretty darn impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed watching SPIDER-MAN
at home, maybe more so than in the movie theater, because my home theater
system offered a cleaner presentation than what was offered in a large
auditorium. Anyway, SPIDER-MAN is a movie that every DVD collector
is going to want to own, so get out there and get a copy.
Since
Tim Burton’s BATMAN was released, superhero movies just seem to
get better and better. Instead of campy irreverence, these comic book
heroes are being treated with the kind of dignity and respect that should
be afforded to this type of modern mythology. I eagerly anticipate every
new release in the superhero genre, because serious filmmakers are now
turning these stories into serious motion pictures. Bryan Singer’s
recent X-MEN adaptation really set tone for this type of film
entertainment, and I am glad to see that this type of reverence to the
original material has been carried through with Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN
($29). Of course, Raimi’s hyperactive visual style is also a great fit
for the action-oriented nature of the material, which is probably why I
absolutely loved the movie version of SPIDER-MAN.
I’ve
been reading Spider-Man comic books on and off since childhood and
have always counted the character amongst my favorites. This new movie
version of Spider-Man is very faithful to the character created by
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the early 1960s, although the science behind
the character’s origins had been updated to the more modern
state-of-the-art. Tobey Maguire is an excellent choice to portray Peter
Parker, the geeky teen science wiz, who is bitten by a genetically
engineered spider and then develops superhuman, spider-like abilities.
Even better than Maguire is Willem Dafoe, who gives an amazingly good dual
performance as driven scientist Norman Osborn and his insane alter ego-
The Green Goblin. Kirsten Dunst is perfectly luscious as Mary Jane Watson,
the film’s resident damsel in distress and object of Peter Parker’s
unrequited love. The plot of SPIDER-MAN follows the origins of the
character from nerdy high school student to superhero who faces off
against The Green Goblin to save both the innocents of New York City and
those that he loves dearly. In addition to the three stars, the cast of SPIDER-MAN
also features James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K.
Simmons, Joe Manganiello, Bill Nunn, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made SPIDER-MAN available on DVD in
a 1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. A separate full screen edition has been made available
for those whose biggest concern is making sure their entire picture tube
has been filled. SPIDER-MAN may not been the absolute best-looking
DVD on the market, but the wide screen transfer offers viewers a truly
great looking picture. The image is generally crisp and provides a very
nice level of detail. There is a bit of grain here and there, but the film
elements used for the transfer are free from noticeable defects. The
brightness and cleanness of the transfer sometimes makes the film’s CGI
effects look too cartoony for their own good, but the effect was even
worse in the theater, where the image was many times larger. Colors are
vibrant and fully saturated, although the picture pushes towards red just
a bit more than it should. All of the hues are rendered cleanly- without
any visible noise or smearing. Blacks appear pure, whites are clean and
the picture produces excellent shadow detail. The dual layer DVD keeps
digital compression artifacts very well concealed.
SPIDER-MAN
comes with a very good sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack,
although I wouldn't call the mix demonstration quality. Considering the
nature of the material, the mix should have been bigger and a little more
exaggerated. Surround usage is very good during the action sequences, but
a bit too subdued during the quieter passages of the movie. The forward
soundstage is highly active throughout, which compensates for the rear
channels' subdued moments; however, surround junkies are certain to have
been anticipating more from the sound mix. Still, the sound is very
dynamic and is reproduced with excellent fidelity. Danny Elfman's musical
score does sound great and does find its ways into the rear channels,
although the musical presence in the rear channels could have been beefed
up just a bit more. The bass channel is deep, solid and gives quite a bit
of rumble. Dialogue reproduction is very clean and consistently
understandable. A French 5.1 channel track has also been encoded onto the
DVD, as has an English Dolby Surround track. Subtitles are provided in
English, French and Spanish.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the supplements, which have been spread
across both discs of this two-disc set. SPIDER-MAN includes two
running audio commentaries; the first is with cast and crewmembers that
include director Sam Raimi, co-producers Grant Curtis and Laura Ziskin,
and actress Kirsten Dunst, while the second commentary features special
effects guru John Dykstra and his team members. Both commentaries are a
bit slow, but each does have more than a few interesting moments.
Also
included on disc one is the Spider Sense interactive viewing
mode for the movie, which allows one to view supplemental footage by
hitting their DVD player's remote control enter button, whenever the
Spider-Man icon appears on the screen. Weaving The Web is a
fun feature that provides an encyclopedia of pop-up factoids on a subtitle
track. Character Files is a nicely laid out of cast
filmographies that takes a page right from the Daily Bugle. The Marketing
Campaign section offers the SPIDER-MAN theatrical trailer
(in addition to bonus trailers), as well as eleven TV spots and music
videos for the songs Hero by Chad Kroeger and What
We're All About by Sum 41. On the DVD-ROM side there is a
comic-to-feature comparison, the ability to record your own commentary and
links to the countdown to THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movie.
On
to disc two, one will find two sections Spider-Man: The Comic
and Goblin's Lair: The Movie. In the Spider-Man: The
Comic section, there are various programs related to the comic
book character's background. Spider-Man: The Mythology Of The 21st
Century is a twenty-five minute featurette that interviews Stan
Lee and various comic book artists who contributed to the Spider-Man
comic for roughly four decades. Spider-Man Archives covers
the characters career in the comics- decade by decade, from the sixties,
until the present. Artists Gallery and Rogues Gallery
offer collections of artwork by various artists, which look at the
characters that have populated the Spider-Man universe for all
these decades. The Loves Of Peter Parker looks at the women
of consequence in this superhero's life. More DVD-ROM material is on tap
in this section, including an Activision game demo and web links.
Goblin's
Lair: The Movie are the
supplements related to the film itself. Starting things off is the HBO
program on The Making of Spider-Man, which runs twenty-five
minutes and offers some fairly typical PR interviews with cast and crew. Spider-Mania:
An E! Entertainment Special is a meatier forty-minute program that
features a better round of interviews with all the usual suspects. Director
Profile: Sam Raimi is a bit on the fluffy side, but the
seven-minute program does show the director's sense of humor and love for
the Spider-Man character. Composer Profile: Danny Elfman
runs seven minutes and allows the composer describe how he created the
musical score for the film. Screen Tests include tests for
Tobey Maguire and J.K. Simmone, as well as some CGI test footage and
makeup & costume tests for the rest of the principals. Gag/Outtake
Reel offers the actors flubbing their lines and other amusing
bits.
SPIDER-MAN
is a great superhero action movie that struck a cord with the masses and
became one of the biggest hits of all time. The SPIDER-MAN DVD may
not be the most fantastic looking or sounding disc on the market, but it
is still pretty darn impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed watching SPIDER-MAN
at home, maybe more so than in the movie theater, because my home theater
system offered a cleaner presentation than what was offered in a large
auditorium. Anyway, SPIDER-MAN is a movie that every DVD collector
is going to want to own, so get out there and get a copy.
