Rating:  -
For me, this is the best superhero movie yet (including "Superman(1978)," "Spider-Man II" and "Batman Begins"). It is true to his origins, develops the characters well and it connects very well on a human level. While there is humor, it is not the corny "action hero" humor that plagued so many Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and other superhero movies such as the Batman movies. In fact, the Spider-Man comic books themselves always had a good deal of humor and this movie is consistent with that. Even though Sam Raimi had established himself as a director prior to making the Spider-Man films, he is the perfect choice for this because he understands the character and the nature of this comic so well. So rarely is a superhero movie made by a director who fundamentally understands its subject. In that sense, this movie is a dream come true for fans of this comic. Until "Batman Begins," this was really the first superhero movie to accurately portray its character onscreen. As with the comic books, it makes the violence seem as though it really should hurt, yet our hero is practically unscathed. This seems counterintuitive, yet it makes the movie faithful to its comic hero source and ultimately more realistic. And then there is the love story, which is realistic because Mary Jane dates Harry Osborn, the good looking, wealthy jerk actually unworthy of her. True to life, she dates him for all the wrong reasons and unwisely stays with him despite common sense. She is the unattainable for Peter Parker, the intelligent, thoroughly decent kid who has the misfortune of being penniless and average looking. Once he attains his powers, he knows he will forever endanger those close to him. This turns his ostensible blessing into a curse. Not an enviable position because it affects those closest to him. The movie features excellent graphics and effects, very good acting, a terrific story and script, and just about everything one could want in a movie. The sum total is a film so entertaining and so good, even my wife left the theater proclaiming it her new favorite film. (While her regular viewing entails Bollywood films, her other favorite films include "Titanic" and "Pride and Prejudice.") High praise indeed.
Rating: -
This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. If you like action and adventure movies this will be a thrill for you. The 2nd disc on the special edition is loaded with extras. I like Spider-Man 2 as much as this one. It is a lot darker and little bit more scary than the second one, and there is a little blood. I think kids under 8 should not really watch this movie. Overall this is a great movie. It's a lot of fun!
Rating:  -
Peter Parker your normal geek, smitten with his neighbor Mary Jane Watson-Kirsten Dunst. He lives with his aunt May and Uncle Ben. The latter role was done perfectly by Cliff Robertson. On a trip to a laboratory, Peter is bitten by a genetically altered spider. His dna is changed and he gets Spiderlike powers. He then tries to earn money off of his new powers, but things go awry. Soon he is isolated from his family and friend Harry Osborn with a shocking result. Harry's father Norman has a company on the verge of losing a giant government contract to create a super-soldier. Norman's obsession leads to the creation of the evil Green Goblin. You can imagine the resulting conflict between him and Spiderman. This was not a great film, but it was worth watching as all involved were well cast.
Rating:  -
This movie is really really good. It reminds me of why I loved comics as a kid. The script stays very close to the original Spider-Man comic. Its cool to see Peter Parker stumble into his super powers and learn how to use them. The performances are amazing. I dont think Willem Dafoe has ever had a bad performance but he absolutely shines as the menacing Osborne / Goblin. Especially the scene where he confonts himself in the mirror -- cool! Tobey Macguire is perfect as Peter Parker. The original comic portrayed Parker as a nerd who becomed this hero, and Tobey plays the part perfectly. Kirstin Dunst plays MJ to a tee. She is the perfect girl next door. Very sweet and incredibly sexual at the same time. The CGI looks kinda wacky at times but because of the lighting / cinematography Sam Raimi allows us to fall into this world seemlessly. Other movies that rely heavily on CGI end up looking stupid - but in this movie it fits because Spider-Man does move with that agility and speed in the comics. The movie is 2 hours long but flows easily and you are never looking at your watch. Go see this movie. I can only hope that the inevitable sequels do not tarnish this fantastic film.
Rating: -
Nerdish Peter Parker [Tobey Maguire]is bitten by a radioactive super-spider on a trip to a spider museum or something like that. This gives him all the powers of the spider, including being able to shoot webs, jump from building to building and the power of Spidey Sense.
Norman Osborn [Willem Dafoe], a businessman at the head of a company, wants to test the same genetically enhanced spider on himself. It ends up turning him into the Green Goblin.
That's sort of the plot for the movie "Spider-Man". It is based off of the comic book "Amazing Spider-Man".
Given how the Superman and Batman franchises had their movie debuts in the 80s, it's kind of amazing how the Spider Man comic book held off making a movie for this long.
But you don't care about all that stuff. You care about... Was this movie good? And the answer to that is yes. Tobey Maguire was not any fan's choice to be Peter Parker/Spider-Man, I don't think, as a lot of people have complained about him playing Parker.
He did a fine job, however, as did the rest of the cast. I don't see what all the complaining is about.
The action scenes leave a little to be desired. Although the fight scenes are less dark than "Batman Begins" or something like that, they are just okay.
The movie stays true to the comic book for the most part, but the movie is too long for its own good and some parts are pretty boring.
That being said, I still think this was pretty good. I have yet to see "Spider Man 2" so I don't know how that squares up to this movie, but if it is better, it will definitely deserve 5 stars.
I will ultimately give it a 4.5/5.
PROS: Good acting, stays true to the comic book, Okay action scenes.
CONS: Just okay action scenes, a bit long.
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