Oddly, Tobey Maguire says little throughout the film commentary. Disk two has featurettes on how the villains’ special effects were done, the trailers, and a few more minor features. All in all, a solid DVD package, with a sterling cast commentary; in fact, the more I think of it, it’s one of the best commentaries featuring three or more people I’ve ever listened two, for it is never dull, quite joyous in tone, and usually quite focused and informative on each scene as it plays out. Perhaps the best individual comment comes from Kirsten Dunst, who points to the appeal of the characters’ narrative arcs over the course of this film and trilogy as being the reason these films surpass other comic book franchises. And she is correct.
The Spider-Man films are the zenith of comic book filmdom, and, save for a bit of middle filmitis, and too many villains (but the screenwriters almost reconcile this flaw anyway), this film comes damned close to being the best of the three. Its comic book sensibility (not striving to be ‘too’ real), its writing, acting, and even special effects, add up to an enjoyable experience.
Is it Antonioni, Bergman, Kurosawa? No. But, as a comic book film, it doesn’t have to be (and, likely, it simply constitutionally could not be, for it is based on an art form for juveniles). Still, it’s significantly better than its critics claimed, and this is likely because there is a tendency to subconsciously anticipate failure in such a successful series. The difference between bad critics and great ones is that they don’t just anticipate failure, they long for it. I put my expectations aside, let the film play out, and was rewarded. What a concept!
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