After being chomped by a genetically altered spider, shy high schooler Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) is endowed with amazing superpowers. Kirsten Dunst plays Parker's smitten (not bitten!) girlfriend who willingly falls into his web, and Willem Dafoe is a mad scientist who becomes the Green Goblin -- Spider-Man's erstwhile enemy. The CGI scenes of Spidey swinging from building to building are enough to give Tarzan pause!
| 2 hr 1 mins |
Nominated for 2 Oscars, Won 11 other awards, Nominated for 39 other awards. See all awards »
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There's something I admire about Spider-Man's powers. He has the ability to soar high through the air without a single worry of falling or smashing into a wall because he can either shoot another web to swing upon or simply take the fall. It must feel so exhilarating, so free to be able to flip and throw yourself around like that, especially all over New York's towering skyline. Much more alleviating than being a normal human being who's afraid of heights at the very least.
As a superhero origin story, Spider-Man excels. It captures that emotion and wonder of discovering you have a gift that is unique and known only to you. What would you do with this newfound talent? Would you use it to benefit yourself? Or is there a greater purpose? As Uncle Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility." [ show more ]
Spider-Man is still far from perfect, though. I believe Mary-Jane should have died at the end, with Spidey unable to save her while choosing the kids--the greater good--over his more selfish desire of MJ. It would have had greater emotional resonance towards the commitment to his role as Spider-Man and that excessively-quoted line of Uncle Ben's. I think the movie would have been so much better that way. The comic was a bit like that, and Mary-Jane wasn't the one thrown off the bridge, it was a blonde bombshell named Gwen Stacey. Then they should have brought in MJ for the second Spider-Man. Oh well.
And the Green Goblin should have been CG. His power ranger outfit blows. [ show less ]
Having seen the trailers for this film I have to say that I didn't walk into the cinema with high hopes. The computer effects looked badly integrated, the Green Goblin's costume looked awful and comic book adaptations usually have such painful scripting and plotting. Thankfully I was wrong on most counts (The Goblin still looks rubbish).
As it turns out, this is probably the best super-hero film I've yet seen - certainly up there with Superman and Batman. People seem to automatically comment that the script and acting was bad because they expect it to be the case in these films; and indeed it usually is. But if you go into Spider-man without this prejudicial attitude you'll be pleasently suprised. The acting is generally great - there is never a time when anyone is not believable as their character and you think "Hey, that's an actor, not Peter Parker". The effects do look artificial but the pace of the movie means you don't have time to dwell on this and the script is fine! What do people want, Shakespearian soliloquies? That would sound incredibly out-of-place in modern day New York. There are few of the painful cliches or dreadful dialogue that plague films like The Phantom Menace and the catchphrases like "friendly neighbourhood spider-man" are fully in-keeping with the character. [ show more ]
The comic turns from J.J. Jameson hit the mark, the snarling facial contortions of Willem Defoe were suitably evil-looking (and the conversation with his mirror-image was a great touch). My only gripe was with the Green Goblin's costume. Very monotone green and not very scary.
All-in-all a great film that I wouldn't hesitate for a second in recommending. [ show less ]
I thoroughly enjoyed "Spider-Man," which I saw in a screening. I thought the movie was very engrossing. Director Sam Raimi kept the action quotient high, but also emphasized the human element of the story. Tobey Maguire was very believable as the gawky teenager in the early part of the film and then, after his run-in with the radioactive, genetically engineered spider, as the athletic, acrobatic superhero of the title. His boyish glee at discovering his new superpowers was infectious and got a lot of laughs. I also didn't mind the changes to the "Peter Parker: The Amazing Spider-Man" comic book story that the film's writers made, e.g., having Spider-Man's web come out of glands in his wrists rather than being an invention of Peter Parker's. Especially good were Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson as Aunt May and Uncle Ben Parker, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin, James Franco as Harry Osborn, and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. And in a small but memorable role, J.K. Simmons ("Oz," Law & Order") as newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson was hilarious. Perfect casting. I also thought the special effects were very good. Although I could easily tell when Spidey was a computer-generated image (or a stunt double for that matter), it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie. However, I saw the movie with a six-year-old, who found the villainous Green Goblin -- superbly personified by Willem Dafoe -- very, very frightening, so I would advise against taking children younger than 10 years of age to this movie. "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic book was a childhood favorite of mine, and I can honestly say that Sam Raimi has done it justice! I'm going to go see this movie again (sans terrified six-year-old).
