Written by: Michael Hickerson (SoSF Journalist)
The new release, called “Spider-Man 2.1” features eight minutes of new footage. The restored footage was given the blessing of director Sam Raimi, however the new cut is not a “director’s cut.”
New scenes include Mary Jane and a friend shopping for shoes and discussing if she really loves John Jameson as well as a scene of J. Jonah Jameson trying on Spidey’s famous suit. There are also extensions made to Spider-Man and Doc Ock’s battles.
The two-disc set features a bevy of new extras as well, many of them previewing the upcoming theatrical release of “Spider-Man 3.”
“Marvel keeps doing this with all of their franchises, so it was inevitable,” says Rafe Telsch, assistant editor of Cinemablend.com. “At least this is new material not just a repackaging of old stuff.”
The fact that Marvel is double-dipping on a DVD release isn’t a surprise to many–they’ve done it before. An extended cut of “X-Men” was released before “X-Men 2” hit the big-screen and three years ago, a three-disc set re-release of the original “Spider-Man” hit the stores before the release of “Spider-Man 2.” In the case of the “Spider-Man” re-release, it was a repackaging of the original two-disc set with a new disc of extras, hyping the release of “Spider-Man 2.”
But the big question is–should you replace your old copy of “Spider-Man 2” with the new, extended version?
So far, the reviews are mixed.
James Plath, editor of DVDReviews.com calls the new edition a “coin toss.”
“I can recommend it on the basis of video quality and the eight extra minutes,” Plath said. “But do they make or break the film? No.”
At DVDVerdict.com, reviewer Dan Mancini says that Spider-Man 2.1 isn’t a replacement for the original DVD, but “it fills in a few gaps.”
Sounds like a good one to put in your Netflix queue.
Worth getting> Not really.