Rating: 
Summary: Not Your Average Superhero!
Review: I missed seeing this movie in the theaters and couldn't wait for it to hit the video stores so I could see what everyone has been talking about. I'm not a big fan of CGI effects, so I wasn't buying all the hype about them. I was pleasantly surprised to find that CGI effects have improved greatly. Although it is still noticable when a digital actor is performing a stunt, the CGI actors are quite well-done. I was also pleased to see that many fo the stunts were done by the actors themselves - most especially the fight scenes. It's nice to see that the makers of this film didn't go overboard with all of the effects, remembering that there has to be some acting and a storyline to make the film worth seeing.
It should be noted that this is not exactly the Spider-man of the Marvel Comics we all read as kids. The spider that bites Peter Parker is not radioactive in this movie - just bio-engineered. Some of the story was altered in a way to make this a modernized version of the comic book tale. Some other things you should know before seeing the movie: Spidey's web is not manufactured, but a part of his genetically altered self. The time-frame of the movie requires that the Peter Parker - Mary Jane Watson relationship develops alot faster. You know there will be sequels, but look how long it took for Parker and Watson to get together in the comics.
Despite some of the changes made to the original story, I loved this film. I especially liked seeing a more in-depth look at Mary Jane's life outside of the "in-crowd". Tobey Maguire's portrayal as the class-nerd-turned-superhero is excellent. Kirsten Dunst does a great job as Mary Jane. And what can I say about Willem Defoe's performance as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin? Superb! No one will ever top this portrayal of the Green Goblin! The rest of the cast also does a great job in their roles as well!
As far as the special items on the DVD, I haven't had the chance to check them all out, but I will say that the gag section was great. I was only disappointed with the screen tests. The only true screen test in the buch was J.K. Simmons' reading as J. Jonah Jameson. The other scenes in this section are really practice scenes, not screen tests. Otherwise, a great DVD! You should definitely check it out!
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely fantastic!
Review: Obviously, I enjoy the film. I'll leave reviews of that up to other people. I want to write about the limited edition collector's gift set.The extra DVD is worth the price of the set if you are a comic geek such as myself. The interviews with Stan Lee are wonderful. Watch and learn again why we love this man so dearly (though Kevin Smith might have stopped saying "uh-huh" and "right" after almost every word Stan said). The interview with Stan's wife is equally delightful. We get to listen to The Man read a fantastic poem he wrote years ago, and we are treated to some home movies! The comic reprint, the film cell and lithograph are definite Must Have's for any comic fan. The "regular" DVD extras are also fantastic. The interviews with the different comic writers and artists bring a lot of insight into the evolution of our favourite Webhead, and the synopses of the various villains encountered by Spidey are great. I haven't listened to the commentary tracks yet, but am certain they will be great....
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING!!!
Review: I'm not a huge fan of action adventure movies - I can take or leave them, and I'm certainly no Marvel Comics buff, but Spidernman was superbly done, brilliantly cast and a movie I'd watch again and again! Tobey McGuire was no less than perfect as Peter Parker/Spiderman and brought real substance to the character. Kirsten Dunst sparkled as MJ and had endearing chemistry with Tobey McGuire. I can't wait for the sequel, so long as McGuire and Dunst are not replaced! For an acurate review, see "medmeeting" May 6, 2002. I agree with that review. The viewer from Springfield, USA, Oct 29, doesn't know what they're talking about, obviously isn't a comic buff either, and wouldn't know a good movie if they starred in it.
Rating:
Summary: It works for fans and film students
Review: Throughout the extras on the DVD for "Spider-Man" runs a subtext that the fan base -- that notoriously cranky demographic of male comic readers -- had to be accommodated, not antagonized. The filmmakers must have become pretty good at wrangling this dynamic. The extras on the swinging new "Spider-Man" DVD -- pointedly segregated at one point into sections for the comic and the movie -- should appeal both to Spidey fans and serious film folk alike. The two-disc set is packed with extras that are well-organized and, for the most part, worth the effort to wade through. The movie looks fine, especially considering all the disc space devoted to extras. The DVD faithfully renders the feature's surprisingly restrained color scheme of rich reds (Spider-Man), algae greens (the Goblin) and golds (the ambers of the dawn sun hitting Manhattan). Images range from OK (the Parker household set) to spectacular (the shining scenes over Gotham). The amazing look of the trailers collection hints at the potential for a reference-quality DVD. Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 only. The fun takes a while to get started, but the soundstage soon enough does a home invasion on the viewing room. Rear effects consistently keep listeners on edge, delivering a few solid jolts (the Green Goblin's flashback, for instance). Director Sam Raimi and co-producer Grant Curtis provide entertaining commentary, their talk paired with a separate session by producer Laura Ziskin and star Kirsten Dunst. Many producers waste their DVD commentary time playing straight men to creative talent; Ziskin offers a rare perspective on what it's like to be a working producer, playing the budget game for time and money. Dunst says her Mary Jane character probably hasn't figured out that Parker is the web crawler: "She isn't that smart." The actress' famous wet-shirt scene passes without comment, but she reveals that she shot a solo bedroom dance in her underwear that was cut ("It was a little too much"). Raimi's a DVD commentary veteran, always upbeat, offbeat and informative. He spends a lot of time crediting co-workers like the second unit directors, giving the scope of just how intensely collaborative modern action films are. The film has two huge effects scenes -- the Times Square clash between Spidey and the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and the concluding sequence of our hero swinging through Manhattan. Both are covered in detail on an interesting separate commentary track from effects designer John Dykstra and digital co-conspirators Anthony LaMolinara and Scott Stokdyk.
Rating:
Summary: Special Effects Masterpiece, No Strings Attached...
Review: Since i was a kid, ive been waiting for Spiderman to come to the big screen. I thought it was impossible, the web slinging, the dangling above crouded streets, the costume is even a difficult one. Bottom Line: Nobody has pulled off a comic strip movie that followed the story line as closely, and captured the characters like Spiderman. Great Effects, Great Costume Design, Great Body on Kristen Dunst... i loved it.
Rating:
Summary: "With greart power comes great responsibilty..."
Review: Possibly the best Superhero movie since the first two Supermans. What Spider-Man has going for it, are actors really enjoying their parts, a great script that doesn't insult the original conception and also that doesn't isolate casual viewers who may not know anything about the web-slinger, and a top notch director, Sam Raimi. And finally, can this be said? A movie about a Superhero with 'daylight" scenes. I'm a so sick of "superhero" movies in the dark. You get to see the action when all around is light. Toby Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker and our hero. Great execution, great timing and great special effects make this something more that just another Batman or X-Men, this is something special.
Rating:
Summary: Spidey Rules!
Review: Holy ... Tobey's good!!! Wow! Even my brave little5 year-old-brother loved this spider hero! He even agreed that it is much more exciting then the cartoon because of the effects. Tobey and Kirsten Dunst have great chemistry, but not as much as Kirsten and Jesse Bradford in Bring It On, or Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge. I personally think that this movie is wwwaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too intense for kids under ten. I seriously think that adults 35 and up will really appreciate this because of the the old Spider-Man tv show. You have to at LEAST rent this, and then buy it of course!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD
Review: I'm not going to bother telling you what's in the movie; you've probably already seen it. So I'll tell you about the DVD. The commentary is not that good. It keeps changing between the two males talking to each other and then to the two females talking to each other. Highlighting the selections is troublesome, as the DVD relies on cute red dots to show you what option you are on, rather then clearly highlightling your current selection. The feature showing Spidey's rogues' gallery was excellent, with brillant 3-D drawings of the villians. Also of interest is a feature showing the 4 main love interests of Spidey's. Best of all is the 30-minute documentary of Spidey in the 21st century. Everyone should love it. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A review of this box set, not of the DVDs really...
Review: I purchased this the other night. While I was happy with the purchase price and the contents, I was very disappointed in the packaging for a limited edition set. Basically, what this set contains is a standard widescreen release edition of the SpiderMan movie (...) plus a standard DVD of Stan Lee's Monsters and Marvels (...). Now, if you were to buy these separately, they'd run you [$$] alltogether, so, this box set is a slight savings over buying them individually. That's a real win. The extras in the box are nifty - a piece of the celluloid movie, a signed lithograph, and a reproduction of the original SpiderMan comic book. All are fabulous and make this box set an interesting purchase. My major gripe with the packaging is this - it's about ten times larger than it needs to be. There's a big ol' cardboard spaceholder on one side of the box concealing that the box is mostly empty space. This could have been done better to conserve shelf-space for the avid DVD collector. Overall, however, this limited edition set is well worth the money if you were also planning on eventually purchasing the Monsters and Marvels documentary. Otherwise, I'd hesitate to say that the extras are worth the tons of extra shelf space that this collector's edition requires for storage.
Rating:
Summary: Great Comic Strip Film!
Review: Spider-Man is probably the best comic strip film ever made! It has the same feel as one of the old Super-Man episodes, but much more colorful, and better special effects. The DVD is packed with features. The biggest complaint I had with this edition is the theatrical ratio format of 1.85:1. Most widescreen editions are released in 2.35:1 ratio, which separates it completely from the full-screen format. Another complaint I have is the casting. Tobey Maguire is a very good actor indeed, but I felt that he was a bit too dorkie for this role. Kirsten Dunst is good, but not a strong enough actress to star in a huge block-buster like this. However, the action, special effects and fun will more than make up for the movie's pitfalls. Go get it!
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