Loaded 'Spidey' discs swing onto DVD

Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" was released amid a sea of buzz this past May, following hot on the heels of Bryan Singer's "X-Men" -- both adapted from popular Marvel Comics. "X-Men" changed the company's cards, and "Spider-Man" blew them into another stratosphere, easily becoming the summer's most financially successful film. \nTobey Maguire headlines as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Maguire, based on previously-inhabited dorky roles in "Wonder Boys" and "Pleasantville" and exhaustive pre-production workouts, is an ideal choice to fill-out the webhead's tights.\nWillem Dafoe co-stars as Spidey's nemesis, Norman Osborne/The Green Goblin, the scientist father of Parker's school chum, Harry ("Freaks and Geeks" alum James Franco) and inevitable harasser of Parker's two lady loves -- girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson (the very cute Kirsten Dunst) and his sweet-natured Aunt May (Rosemary Harris). Dafoe is excellent in the film, tackling the role of the Goblin much like he would one of his more serious roles. Playing opposite Maguire, there is an interesting dichotomy established between each man's alter ego and their positions as both superhero and super villain. \nAs lensed by Raimi, the film is wonderfully stylized, but never to the heights of his best work, "Evil Dead II," and is thematically reminiscent of Richard Donner's "Superman," with an hour dedicated solely to Spider-Man's origin story.\nThe DVDs boast a wide array of extras both cool (the documentary "Spider-Man: The Mythology of the 21st Century," featuring key comic contributors Stan Lee, Todd McFarlane and both John Romita Jr. and Sr.; and "Weaving the Web: Subtitled Factoids," which plays alongside the film like "Pop-Up Video") and lame (PR specials from HBO and E! and the Chad Kroeger music video "Hero").\nDisc one also sports two commentary tracks: the first features Raimi, co-producer Grant Curtis (i.e. Raimi's lackey), Dunst (who's kind of dumb) and producer Laura Ziskin (reminiscent of someone's annoying mother); the second is hosted by special-effects whiz John Dykstra and his crew. Raimi is the primary bright spot on the first track, as he recounts taunting his brother, and Dykstra and Co. enliven their track with plenty of info about the comic. (What do you expect? These guys are dorks.) \nIf you were one of the few who missed "Spider-Man" during its theatrical release, I'd highly recommend you check out the newly released two-disc widescreen special edition. If you've already seen it, pick these discs up. While not perfect, it's a solid flick.