DVD Review: Spider-Man 2.1

If you're a big fan of superhero movies, you better have a little extra cash to spend on certain Tuesdays, because one of the studios' favorite marketing gimmicks is this: They'll release a well-stocked DVD of, say, Spider-Man 2 a few months after its theatrical run -- but they'll leave some of the cooler "deleted scenes" back in the vault. Then a few years later when, oh I dunno, Spider-Man 3 is about to hit theaters, they'll jam those deleted scenes back into the movie, and then release a DVD with a label like "Director's Cut," "Extended Edition," or (if they're really clever) "Spider-Man 2.1." It sounds like a pretty tacky way for a movie studio to wring a few extra clams out of its loyal fans, doesn't it? Perhaps. But what if the new version actually ... makes a damn good movie even better?

You have to take these things on a movie-by-movie basis, of course, but in the case of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2.1, the eight extra minutes of "new" footage does a lot for the flick: It strengthens the relationships between Peter Parker and his two best friends, it adds a few moments of levity to the proceedings, and (yay!) it actually adds a few fresh moments of high-end mayhem! (I won't spoil the specifics, but if you liked the "train battle" and the "bank robbery brawl," then you're going to really enjoy the new extensions.)

Clocking in at a meaty 136 minutes, Spider-Man 2.1 manages to improve upon an already damn fine film. None of the new material is what you'd call integral to the plot, but if you're already a fan of the film, I can't imagine why you wouldn't dig the "new stuff" offered here. (One particular line from Harry to Peter -- one that compares Harry's animosity towards Spidey to Peter's hatred for the man who offed his uncle -- really should have been in the theatrical cut.) Plus there's a scene with the hilarious J. Jonah Jameson that the fans should absolutely adore.

The extra features are all brand-new, too! Screenwriter Alvin Sargent and producer Laura Ziskin provide a commentary track that covers everything from pre-production to post-release. The chatter-track is a little on the slow side, truth be told, but it still packs quite a few tidbits. Also on disc one is a "Spidey Sense 2.1" track, which offers textual trivia onscreen throughout the movie -- plus it kicks in with some pretty nifty picture-in-picture footage from the set. Nice touch.

Disc two contains some very entertaining stuff: "Inside Spider-Man 2.1" is a 13-minute piece about why and how the "new stuff" was placed back into the movie. "With Great Effort Comes Great Recognition" is an 8-minute segment with the Oscar-winning FX crew. "Visual Effects Breakdown" is 32 minutes of precisely what it sounds like, and "Danny Elfman Scores Spider-Man 2" is a 5-minute piece that can be watched in two angles ... which I guess makes it more like ten minutes. Rounding out the disc are a 2.5-minute promo piece for Spider-Man 3, the Spidey 3 theatrical trailer and a teaser for Spider-Man 3: The Video Game.

I know what you're thinking: "I don't feel like buying a movie I already own just because a few scenes deemed unfit for the theatrical release have been jammed back into the flick," and that's a perfectly legitimate gripe. There are tons of "extended edition" DVDs that really don't deserve your $14. And while Spider-Man 2.1 is not anywhere near a "new experience" like the Lord of the Rings extended cuts are, there's definitely enough here to keep the Spiderheads happy. It's a "double dip" that's worth it, basically.