BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Director Sam Raimi and stars of the smash hit SPIDER-MAN reunite for this blockbuster sequel that's crackerjack entertainment from start to finish. As Spider-Man faces his greatest challenge yet, you'll be caught in the web of this phenomenal Hollywood hit that's been hailed as "smarter, hipper, faster, funnier and flat-out more electrifying thatn the original (Aaron Hills, Premiere Magazine)".

FILM REVIEW: After the lacklustre first film, “Spider-Man 2” proves to be a breath of fresh air and finally establishes Spiderman for the hero he really is. This film trounces every aspect that was lacking in the first film by having a solid, unique story, a great journey for the hero, a superb villain and of course, spectacular set pieces and much improved effects.

In many ways the first film was limited in its appeal to male adolescents. This film however puts Peter Parker in a position where he asks himself is it worth doing what he’s doing? Has he lost himself to the hero he has made? Who is he away from being Spiderman? It’s an age-old journey that’s easily identifiable, with the concept of "being Spiderman" substituted for any number of things in our lives; careers, personal lives, etc. The theme running through this film is that it’s not worth being something if you lose touch with who you are inside because eventually you’ll not only lose yourself, but you’ll ultimately won’t be able to be who you want to be. In this case, Peter Parker loses touch with himself and his friends because he is so focused on being Spiderman, and in the process starts losing his ability to effectively be Spiderman, losing the strength of his powers. Halfway through the film he gives up being Spiderman so he can just be Peter Parker. An identity crisis is a strong foundation for any story, but especially for this one, which is executed with precision and care by director Sam Raimi, making for a solidly entertaining film with heart and finally establishes Spiderman as a distinctly separate superhero to the rest (side note: sure Superman gave up his powers in “Superman II” but that was for love).

One of the huge improvements in this instalment is the villain. “Doc Ock” just kicks ass, and is played with empathy by Alfred Molina. This time, the villain’s face is not hidden behind a big green ugly mask so we get to see his menace (and soft side), making for more effective and powerful scenes. He’s also just plain tougher and meaner; watching him use his robot controlled tentacles to climb up buildings, grab people and toss them around, and rip through bank vaults is just plain cool, something that the Green Goblin just didn’t do in the first film.

Tobey Maguire actually steps up to the plate in this film and delivers a performance with range as Peter Parker. You really feel for his plight as he goes about trying to work out who he really is and wants to be. Kirsten Dunst is great again as Peter’s love interest, as is James Franco (Harry) who this time has a lot more to play with in establishing a growing rift between himself and Peter.

The set pieces are also magnificent; Spiderman fighting Doc Ock on the side of a building is marvellous, and another fight scene between the two on a subway train is nothing short of spectacular. But for all its technical wizardy and whiz-bang stunts, the best parts of “Spider-Man 2” reside in the quieter moments as Peter tries to grapple with his identity. A touching dream-style sequence in which Peter discusses his love for Mary Jane contrasted with his responsibilities of being Spiderman with his dead uncle Ben is quite moving, and ultimately leads to the film’s strongest scene where Peter drops his Spiderman costume in the rubbish bin and walks away in to the darkness.

This is an excellent film. Entertaining, well acted, brilliantly directed with strong themes we can all relate to.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: Given this is Sony's flagship franchise, and that they did such a brilliant job with the first film on DVD, it comes as no surprise that the transfer of this film is magnificent. What's surprising however is that they seem to have improved over the first film (not sure how they did that given the first film got an excellent transfer!). The soundtrack is spectacular and will give your home theatre a good work out. Overall, the technical side of this DVD is just about perfect.

EXTRAS REVIEW: Like the first film on DVD, this film contains a wealth of extras but possibly not as extensive as the first film which is a slight disappointment. There is a lot more on the making of the film covered in a 12-part documentary, as well as additional featurettes and trailers. You get the sense from the docos that they cast and crew really felt they did good work this time, borne out by Maguire's line, "the second film kicked the first film's ass!" Really? There's also an excellent director's commentary on the first disc with director Raimi, the producer and Tobey Maguire, and an additional commentary with the visual effects team. Overall, a great collection of extras but perhaps a slightly more extensive documentary would have been nice.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.