Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin DVD Review
Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin
Release Date: October 29, 2002
Format: DVD
Run Time: 100 Minutes
Episodes:
-The Spot
-Goblin War!
-Turning Point
-Guilty
-Return Of The Green Goblin
Description: It's double the action, double the thrills, and double the goblins as Spider-Man is unmasked and tangled in a web of treachery in Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin, new to DVD and Video. The Webslinger faces the ultimate challenge when his arch-nemesis discovers his identity and kidnaps his one true love, Mary Jane Watson. The stakes have never been higher as the dreaded Green Goblin tries to take control of the city and bring Spider-Man to his knees. The action gets even hotter when Kingpin and the Hobgoblin join forces in an all-out war with America's greatest crime fighter. It's a world of high-flying excitement you won't want to miss.
Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin
Review and Media by Stu
This is the second Spider-Man: The Animated Series DVD that Walt Disney Home Entertainment has released, this one to cash in on the live-action Spider-Man movie coming to DVD, and features episodes surrounding the movies villain, the Green Goblin. The episodes range from the best the series had to offer, "Turning Point," to the worst, "The Spot." However, it works well, as the four main episodes work well as a 'movie' type disc, with the bonus episode "The Return Of The Green Goblin" acting as a 'sequel' of sorts. I would recommend the disc on the brilliance of "Turning Point" alone, but that's not the only thing the disc has going for it.
Both the video transfer and the audio are nice, but nothing really stand-out compared to other TV-on-DVD releases from other studios. The video looks great, better than broadcast quality, but nothing earth-shaking. Still, the audio was especially impressive for me, as I watched them on VHS a lot beforehand, and it all starts going to crap after a few viewings, but they are represented clearly here, and it's worth it solely for some of the fabulous vocal talent in just these five episodes. Neil Ross, Chris Barnes and Mark Hamill are all sounding their best here. The transfer works well, it makes things which painfully stood out in their original format, such as the dodgy CGI buildings, look tolerable and in some cases, quite cool.
The bonus features are a nice inclusio, with Stan Lee's Soapbox the undoubted highlight. Lee talks about the creation of Spider-Man, why he was so different from the other spandex-clad heroes at the time, and how the character has managed to remain so successful through his 40-plus year history. He also talks about the creations of the villains, specifically the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus.
For those who don't care for the 90's cartoon, there's something for you here, as Disney included two bonus episodes from the classic 1960's Spider-Mancartoon, complete with the greatest theme song of all time. It's obvious the disc is here for the kiddies, but I can't see these single discs lasting forever. The show has barely left the air for 10 years yet continues to pull in solid ratings in reruns. I bought this disc because the episodes are strong enough to justify it, but this is one of the few occasions were the viewer would struggle to understand the story without the rest of the season's episodes. Let's hope Disney moves to more complete Spider-Man: The Animated Series DVD collections soon.
Review written in 2002
