• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
  
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit), English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, French, Portuguese, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
  
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
  
• Subtitles Color: White
  
• Region: ABC (Region-Free)
• Rating: PG-13/Not Rated
  
• Run Time: 127 Mins.
• Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray + UltraViolet Digital Copy)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: June 12, 2012
• List Price: $19.99

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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

[Rating:4/5]

The second film in the Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man 2, also directed by Sam Raimi, finds your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (Toby Maguire) experiencing performance anxiety as his personal life is increasingly pressured by his crime fighting life as the web-slinger. Keeping his feelings for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) bottled up inside for fear that his enemies would use her against him, Peter Parker/Spider-Man watches his crush fall for yet another man while his best friend, Harry (James Franco), has increasing hatred for Spider-Man over killing his father, Norman Oswald/The Green Goblin.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man must battle a new nemesis, Dr. Otto Octavious/Ock (Alfred Molina; Rango; The Tempest). Garnerining his nickname after an experiment in achieving cold fusion leaves him with mechanical, artificially intelligent arms fused to his body, Dock Ock goes on a violent quest to achieve his goal, redeem himself and ensure that the accident that caused his wife’s death was not for nothing.

While the second film in the franchise doesn’t have as compelling a villain as the first, the deeper motivations of each character, the extended sense of humor, the sense of angst, and even bigger special effects make it an enjoyable and compelling follow up to the original film.

Video Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Filmed using a mixture of 35mm and 65mm (for visual effects) sources, Spider-Man 2 comes to Blu-ray in a 2.35:1 AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encodement from Sony that immediately looks superior to the transfer of Spider-Man 1. The image is cleaner and sharper with less sporadic instances of minor source damage and none of the film judder that was noticeable in the previous film. Flesh tones are more accurate with less red push and black levels are nice and inky while the shadow details remain extended.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Another splendid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit) soundtrack is provided for Spider-Man 2 in this new reissue. It’s dynamic and bombastic with deep lows and smooth highs. Dialogue is clear remaining above the fray of sound effects awhile the surround channels are pretty active from the very beginning.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3/5]

There are no extras added to this Blu-ray reissue of Spider-Man 2 that weren’t available on the previous DVD release beyond the additions of the UltraViolet Digital Copy and movie ticket offer for The Amazing Spider-Man 3D. Unless you really want the old supplements, your original BD should be just fine.

The supplements:

• Extended and Theatrical Versions
• Cast & Crew Commentary (Theatrical Version)
• Technical Commentary (Theatrical Version)
• Commentary with Laura Ziskin and Alvin Sargent (Extended Version)
• Making the Amazing (1.33:1; SD):
  • Greater Power, Greater Responsibility
  • Story and Character
  • Visual Design
  • Costume Design
  • Direction
  • The Spydercam
  • Stunts
  • Practical Effects
  • Editing
  • Visual Effects
  • Sound and Music
  • Lessons Learned
• Hero in Crisis (1.33:1; SD; 00:14:50) – A look at the deepening story arc of Spider-Man in this second film in the franchise with Stan Lee, the filmmakers, and members of the cast.
• OCK-Umentary: Eight Arms to Hold You (1.33:1; SD; 00:22:10) – Bringing the Dr. Octavius to the big screen.
• Blooper Reel (1.33:1; SD; 00:07:31)
• Visual Effects Breakdown (1.33:1; SD)
• UltraViolet Digital Copy
• $10 free movie ticket offer to The Amazing Spider-Man 3D

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

This second film in the franchise builds on all the things that made the first one successful, making them bigger, bolder, and better. The BD reissue from Sony, however, brings nothing new to the table outside of UltraViolet and the movie ticket offer, so it’s an unnecessary double-dip for those who own the DVD  and don’t need the extras or bought the BD the first time around and don’t care about the extras.

Additional Screen Captures

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Purchase Spider-Man 2 (w/UltraViolet) on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

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