Original Cut or 2.1?

[jeffjhicks]

2.1 the original just doesn't do it for me anymore

 

[arachnid-guy]

Disliked Jameson suiting up...and the elevator scene. But the little scenes with Peter doodling in class and turning on the police scanner we see more prominently in 3 as well as the extended fights and extended Peter/MJ scenes, Otto scenes make this a more complete 'definite' version of 2. without...detracting from the main tone and 'feel' of the original.

I liked how they showed more of Peter's life- even in those small scenes.

 

[Chris Wallace]

The Jameson suit scene & the elevator bit-no, they weren't cinematic triumphs by any means. But they weren't enough to destroy the movie for me, either, It is what it is. Sometimes you get some bad mixed in w/the good. But what sticks out in my memory is the meatier stuff; MJ talking to Vanessa Ferlito, the extended fights, Harry expanding on his vendetta. These elements would have made the theatrical version so much better, IMO. The other stuff-again, not perfect. But it didn't bother me any more than the "raindrops" bit or the bad street musician or Joy Bryant making her little air-headed comments.

 

[arachnid-guy]

The Jameson suit scene & the elevator bit-no, they weren't cinematic triumphs by any means. But they weren't enough to destroy the movie for me, either, It is what it is. Sometimes you get some bad mixed in w/the good. But what sticks out in my memory is the meatier stuff; MJ talking to Vanessa Ferlito, the extended fights, Harry expanding on his vendetta. These elements would have made the theatrical version so much better, IMO. The other stuff-again, not perfect. But it didn't bother me any more than the "raindrops" bit or the bad street musician or Joy Bryant making her little air-headed comments.

Indeed.
I feel the same way. The smaller, extended scenes enhance the feel we got with the original so much more! It feels 'natural'.

 

[Chris Wallace]

And what movie doesn't have one or two things you could do without? Would "Batman" have been better without the scene in Vicki's apartment (the only purpose of which was to establish Jack Napier as the killer of Bruce's parents, which I also think was a bad idea?)? I think so. Could we do without a Bruce Campbell cameo in future Spider-Man installments? I would say yes. Could "Die Hard" have benefitted from the absence of that idiot Ellis? Would "Malcolm X" have been a better movie if Spike had simply told the story straight without writing himself a character so he could be in it? Absolutely, IMO. But no movie is perfect.

 

[The Joker]

And what movie doesn't have one or two things you could do without?

12 angry men

 

[Chris Wallace]

I can't even comment on 12 Angry Men; never saw it.

 

[The Navigator]

2.1. Better characters, pacing, and a tad more violence.

 

[Papa Burgundy]

original, better flow and pacing. though some extended action was alright, but i find original perfect as is. that cover kicks ass though.

 

[Jick]

original, better flow and pacing. though some extended action was alright, but i find original perfect as is. that cover kicks ass though.

^^just my thoughts, too.

 

[DACrowe]

Original cut.

I appreciated the added fight scenes and extended Peter/Harry birthday party scene and extended doctor/check-up scene.

But overall the pacing slows a little in 2.1 and there are a number of jarring extras that are unneeded that actually HURT the film.

1) Jonah dressing up as Spider-Man. That is a Spider-Man 3-sized camp mistake that we luckily avoided in SM2.

2) Spidey taking off his mask to drive a car. The story itself doesn't make all that much sense as to why he didn't just swing to the theater and change in an alley (likely faster than driving). But it is so quick in SM2 you accept it. He also didn't TAKE HIS MASK OFF IN HIGHLY POPULATED TRAFFIC. You know how easy it would have been for somebody to get a picture of a maskless Spidey driving a convertable?

3) Elevator scene change. It was very funny and sly in the original cut. But as much as I love Hal Sparks the new take was just too cheesy and broke the fourth wall with a sledge hammer. This is again a SM3-sized camp mistake.

4) MJ talking to her friend. While it was nice to have an MJ scene where she is not directly talking to or about Peter Parker and seeing a day in her life, this was just bad writing. It felt like a scene out of a bad Kate Hudson romantic comedy and dragged the movie down. She needed a scene where she talked to her confidant in the movie, but it needed to be handled with some seriousness. This was not.

Those are the major reasons I prefer the original cut.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The Jameson suit scene & the elevator bit-no, they weren't cinematic triumphs by any means. But they weren't enough to destroy the movie for me, either, It is what it is. Sometimes you get some bad mixed in w/the good. But what sticks out in my memory is the meatier stuff; MJ talking to Vanessa Ferlito, the extended fights, Harry expanding on his vendetta. These elements would have made the theatrical version so much better, IMO. The other stuff-again, not perfect. But it didn't bother me any more than the "raindrops" bit or the bad street musician or Joy Bryant making her little air-headed comments.

2.1 added so much to Spidey 2 despite having a few poor additions in there. But on the whole most of the scene's did improve the movie for me.

 

[Team Andino]

Its been awhile since Ive seen either version but from what I remember I did enjoy 2.1, though the one thing that made me go "Seriously?" was when Doc shoved Spidey right into the on coming train and Spidey webs right back like nothing happen.

 

[Pirate Queen]

2.1 is fun every once in a while, just for a change of pace. But I still prefer the original.

I wish there was a way to mix and match what scenes you want before you watch, then sit back and enjoy your own customized Spider-Man movie.

 

[Chris Wallace]

With the right equipment it might be possible.

 

[Trevor Goodchild]

They should totally make an option for it on blue-ray dvds.
Like, if there are deleted scenes, some people might wana choose to put them back in.
Of course then there's that whole question of tampering with the artist's vision.
There’s a reason why not all directors do extended cut dvds…

 

[Leenie]

I prefer the original cut, overall. I still think that 2.1 is nifty though. I'm glad it's in my DVD collection.

Things I liked about 2.1:

• The birthday scene: I liked the extra dialogue between Peter and Harry. It's a nice addition to bridge Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 together.
• MJ and her friend talking: I can see why it was cut (especially since people want more action instead of talking), but I liked how MJ fully explained her situation with relationships. It explains her character a LOT, I think.
• The extra footage from the first Spidey vs. Ock fight: I thought that the two of them going into the building for a bit was really cool.

Things I disliked about 2.1:

• The extra footage in the car/robbery scene: I HATE how Peter takes off his mask while he's driving the car! I mean, how can people NOT see him there?
• The extra footage from the train fight: Granted, the stuff looked cool, but come on! Spider-Man was hit by a TRAIN. He shouldn't be recovering from that so quickly!
• The alternative elevator scene: It was amusing, but the scene in the original cut was so much funnier. Plus, this alternative take dragged on.

Something I'm ambivalent about 2.1:

• Jameson wearing the Spidey suit: It was really funny and everything, but it does not belong in the movie. I wish that this scene had just been a DVD easter egg in the original cut's release. That would have been great!

 

[arachnid-guy]

I'm pretty much the same, Len. But the good scenes DO shine through.

 

[TheVileOne]

I don't really miss the Ferlito scene or the extra bits here and there they restored.

However, some of the restored train footage does not look very good with the new CG.

 

[Sentinel X]

Im going to go with Spidey 2.1. The only things that I hated in Spidey 2.1 was:
- Jameson pretending to be spidey...ugh!! terrible
- Extended elevator scene. Theyre pushing it!
- Peter taking off Spidey mask in car....wow, come on.

Other than that the 2.1 cut was superior because I always wanted the action scenes in SM2 to be longer and thats basically what 2.1 did
I especially liked the modification to the first Spidey and Ock encounter....and I also liked the modified train fight.

 

[TheVileOne]

They weren't that longer. There was only like 10-20 seconds put back in.

 

[JaD]

It's weird I have the Spider-Man 2 giftset (with the comic book, artbook etc.) but I remember seeing the 2.1 on FX. It seems worth the extra money almost haha. Maybe if I can get it for cheap, sure. Can probably get it for pretty cheap off Amazon.

 

[Eelectro 2]

love 2.1. i'm torn with the elevator scenes though...i like both. and other than 2.1 being the actual title, the pizza guy saying "GO!" is better in the theatrical than the extended. the added scenes add so much more. i always felt certain scenes were abrupt in the theatrical (like the birthday scene)

 

[Slushy]

2.1

 

[brianbuck]

2.1 adds more Hal Sparks. Hal Sparks' epic level of suckage is only exceeded by Dane Cook.