Film
Spider-Man 2
2004
Special Poster – 27″ x 39″ (69 x 98 cm)
United States (USA)
Near mint minus; originally flat (as issued)
Sam Raimi
Alfred Molina, Bill Nunn, Cliff Robertson, James Franco, JK Simmons, Kirsten Dunst, Rosemary Harris, Tobey Maguire
“Then you know why we can’t be together. Spider-Man will always have enemies. I can’t let you take that risk. I will always be Spider-Man. You and I can never be…”
The sequel to the Spider-Man movie is everything a fan of the first could ask for. Imagine the surprise to see such care, effort and appreciation put into every character within the movie, with excellent acting, direction, sound, computer animation… all of it seamlessly integrated into a film that is very aware of the history, the fandom, and the expectations associated with the Spider-Man franchise. “Spider-Man 2” is the perfect film for the comic book genre, and the perfect sequel for Spider-Man fans. A special promotional poster was issued to promote “Spider-Man 2” (2004), the second film in Sam Raimi’s trilogy. The image shows Spider-Man web-spinning his way over a sun drenched New York and has been designed in plastic with a relief effect, almost 3D so that the title and Spider-Man figure are raised from the background. Manufactured in Italy, this was exclusively only ever available in the US and printed in extremely low numbers due to production costs. One of the most popular characters ever created with a huge and loyal fan-base, the original film poster offered here represents a a very collectable item of movie memorabilia.
Trivia: When Peter dumps his Spider-Man suit in a garbage can, it’s a recreation to a panel from the iconic comic book storyline “Spider-Man No More”, Issue #50 from The Amazing Spider-Man. As in the film, the outfit is found and brought to J Jonah Jameson, then reclaimed by Spider-Man who leaves a note like the one in the movie.
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“Peter Parker is an unhappy man: after two years of fighting crime as Spider-Man, his life has begun to fall apart. The girl he loves is engaged to someone else, his grades are slipping, he cannot keep any of his jobs, and on top of it, the newspaper Daily Bugle is attacking him viciously, claiming that Spider-Man is a criminal. He reaches the breaking point and gives up the crime fighter’s life, once and for all. But after a failed fusion experiment, eccentric and obsessive scientist Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into super villain Doctor Octopus, Doc Ock for short, having four long tentacles as extra hands. Peter guesses it might just be time for Spider-Man to return, but would he act upon it?”
“Spider-man 2”, at least, accomplishes one thing above all else- this time, when the Spidey flings himself through the air, it doesn’t look as fake as it did in the first film. If anything, this time I did feel the exhilaration that the filmmakers intended. They, being the team at Edge FX, have taken the huge lot of profit from the first film, which became the smash of smashes in the comic-book movie genre, and on that end the film is a success. But even on the human front with characterization the film is a bit of an improvement, which is always tricky for a sequel to do. Two major action sequences involving Spider-man (Tobey Maguire) and his nemesis, Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina, in a compelling turn), are shot and edited to a wonderful, creative impact. And, in an interesting bit when Doc Ock escapes a hospital, echoes of Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead comes through with subtle, if grin-inducing touches. The work done on the villain as well as the hero shows, and it helps that Ock is a sleeker, more threatening presence with his mechanical arms than the weird madman in Willem Dafoe‘s performance.
There are also other factors that give “Spider-man 2” it’s worth of entertainment, even as if follows story turns that we as the audience have seen in plenty of other movies (comic-book or otherwise) from Hollywood. There’s a nice dosage of humor to tip the scale on the romantic/non-romantic drama, courtesy of J.K. Simmons‘ added time as the over the top newspaper editor, and as well to a few bits of business in dealing with the problems of being a guy in a costume (plus, there are a couple of fun cameos from some Raimi regulars). The performances aren’t bad by the leads, but they haven’t improved too well, and with the script that they’re given some of the lines don’t work as well as they should. Some are appropriate in their corny quality, some aren’t. One of the key performances that comes through is Rosemary Harris‘ Aunt May, who’s the most effective of the dramatic parts to the story.
So, is “Spider-man 2” as great as everyone’s saying, that it’s one of the great sequels and comic-book films of all time? To me, almost- it actually gets even more engrossing and interesting in its comic-book atmosphere on repeat viewings. It has a fresh appeal as a mainstream, thoughtful action film and, like Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy in the horror genre, it will live on when other superhero movies bite the dust.
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.
LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
