Rating:  -
This review will be split into three sections, they will be The Story, The Characters & The Verdict. This will give you a fair and true description of the movie and its characters and will give you my personal opinion of the movie which should help you make an informed decision on whether to watch this film for the first time or whether to stay away like you have already done for six years.
The Story: Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker an aspiring photographer who one day is taking pictures of his crush Mary Jane Watson for the "School Newspaper" when he's bitten by a radioactive spider. After the incident Peter goes through a change and gains powers that are similar to a spider, he can walk up walls, shoot web, he gains super human strength, agility and has the ability to sense danger before it comes. One day after Peter uses his powers to take part in a wrestling event to try and win some money, his uncle Ben is shot dead, Peter discovers that his uncle was shot by the man he'd let pass by after stealing money from the wrestling promoter who'd cheated Peter out of money. Peter tracks down the criminal and through a series of incidents the man is killed for which Peter makes the decision to become a superhero, thus giving birth to the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility." The best friend of Peter, Harry Osbourne is the son of the CEO of Ozcorp Industries Norman Osbourne. Ozcorp industries develop weapons and other experimental devices for the United States Army, they're also working on an experimental treatment that would increase the speed and strength of soldiers. One night Norman tests this treatment on himself, but something goes wrong with the treatment and it develops an alternate evil personality that we come to know as the Green Goblin.
The Characters:
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker was a genius choice to make and at the time he was chosen, Tobey was very much an unknown actor but he's now an A-Lister and it's thanks to his stellar performance as the troubled Peter Parker. You gain this sympathy for Peter as he's the typical geek who always gets the worst of everything, you begin to feel like you really want him to succeed in getting the girl and getting the great career being a photographer for the Daily Bugle.
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane was again a genius choice of casting as the chemistry between the two was something inspirational. Kirsten is a really good fit for this character and through the movie you expect her to go with Harry but you know she really wants the excuse she's looking for to get with Peter. To be able to convince the viewer that you're going to go in the opposite direction than is obvious for the story to progress is something special and I hope if there is a Spiderman 4 then these are the first two to get re-signed as the main characters.
Willem Dafoe: I've never really been familiar with Willems work and I think a lot of people went into this movie and said "who the hell is he?" when he first came on the screen. After about the first half hour and after first seeing him play the psychotic Green Goblin, we came to realise that although to many casual movie goers he may have been an unknown we came to recognise that he was the perfect choice for this part.
The Verdict: Many would agree that the Spider-Man character is Marvels greatest creation and the mainstream success of this movie would not dispute that in the slightest. Personally I loved this film, the action sequences between Spidey and the Goblin are intense and something that although they're minimal they get the job done in establishing the characters and the story. The relationship between MJ & Peter is at times heart wrenching as you first see that Peter is starting to win her over then when he saves her as Spidey she's won over by him. Peter becomes stuck in sort of a four way relationship and one of the other people he's competing with is himself. Because of the reason he can't tell MJ he's spidey it becomes heartbreaking to see her love struck by him and yet Peter can't tell her that he's Spiderman. This is a really good movie that gives us a great blend of both character development and action. It takes a completely fantasy element like an average man getting superpowers and puts it in the real world setting with real characters that people can relate to, this is something Stan Lee set out to do when originally creating the spiderman character and this is something that is carried on with the movie.
Rating: -
I wasn't a big fan of Spidey growing up so I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie.
I had no idea who any of his villains were either.
I was raised on Superfriends not marvel.
I was pleasantly surprised.
A tight movie with a quick and clever script.
Great acting and a likeable good guy.
The villain was..........hmmmmmmm.
He was funny but kind of corny.
Still, I give it five stars, it's fun for everyone and how often does Hollyweird do superhero movies right?
Almost never.
Recommended!!!
Rating: -
The '02 cinematic release `Spider-Man' is simply one of the best comic book superheroes ever to make the leap to the silver screen. It has it all; super special effects and action sequences, just the right touch of comedy and a sweet high school romance all rolled into one fast moving, highly entertaining movie.
Tobey Maguire makes for the perfect Peter Parker (sorry, just had to string those three P's together), timid high school science geek turned powerful, costumed superhero. With the addition of Kristen Dunst in the role of next door neighbor and love interest Mary Jane Watson, James Franco and Willem Defoe as the notorious Green Goblin this is a film that can be viewed and enjoyed again and again!
Rating: -
This is another movie that made my 3 year old granddaughter very happy. Thank you very much for it and the fast delivery.
Rating:  -
An origin movie that doesn't feel like it. Obviously, they had to show how Peter became Spiderman, but that doesn't have to take the whole movie, as we can clearly see. In fact, one of the things that really works here is that the origin of the hero and the origin of the villain are both developed as fast as they can and at the same time. The audience doesn't feel rushed at all in the process, and you may not even notice at first that the Goblin is created the very same night as Spiderman. Each wakes up a new man and then sets out to get to know their new abilities.
Some of the Goblin's lines are hackneyed ("We'll meet again, Spiderman!") but with Dafoe's delivery, you can see the theatrical megalomania as a natural part of the character. A few of the effects using CG characters could use a bit more polish to make them feel real, but they thankfully use real actors whenever realistically possible.
On the whole, there are a few missteps here, but mainly on the technical aspect, which doesn't truly detract from the story. It is largely personal preference whether you prefer the first or the second in this series, but it's hard to say that this first outing was anything but a success.
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