Rating: 
Summary: If only the special effects were good as the movie itself!
Review: I had feared that Tobey McGuire would not perform well in this role after his lackluster narration for the game. Thankfully he pulled of Peter Parker brilliantly. I was amazed as to how well casted this movie actually turned out. The movie seems a bit on the long side, but this is actually a good thing. I've been complaining that movies of late have been relatively short. Its not as long as Fellowship of the Ring, but it is longer than X-Men, and that gives us more time for character development, and while I would have liked to have seen Mary Jane and Harry Osbourne focused on a little more over all the characters were all fleshed out nicely. This is a very emotional film, and I appreciate Raimi's focus on Spider-Man as the tragic hero. This is what Spider-Man is, and that is the critical point that I think that some critics were missing. Spider-Man fights to keep a positive swing (pun intended) on things. He is very much surrounded by constant negativity, and villains deliberately try to go after his friends and family just because he's Spider-Man! The problem with being Spider-Man, for Peter, is just being Spider-Man. This has been the focus of the comic book for years, and while the argument over organic web-shooters, versus mechanical web-shooters can go on for ages it works well with the film. Everything about this film is brilliantly done, well thought out, and at time so well done it is frightening (William DaFoe as the Green Goblin, arguing with William DaFoe as Norman Osbourne.) In this film you see Spider-Man try so hard to write the wrongs of the world around him, only to end up getting hurt. The tragic hero manages to keep a smile on his face and spout witty remarks just the same. The best part of the movie is how real the characters felt. It's a bloody shame that NOTHING about the CGI animations looked or felt real. With as real as the characters felt, the lackluster videogame looking CGI animations worked against the over all film, and in many instances an easy fix should have been available for the sizable budget this movie had. The problem? Probably that ILM has all of its good people out on Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and probably wasn't available to do the CGI sequences. The sad fact is that only ILM can do CGI sequences and have them look good. Every movie without ILM's best people on board has terrible effects. Which is why, were I shooting it I would have done the special effects in a very different way. It is hard, but not impossible to get a human to move that way. All you'd need to do is digitally speed him up. Also, in the first act of the film there is a scene where Peter Parker is chasing after the car jacker who killed his uncle and the entire scene is painfully CGI, and taking McGuire's real face and grafting it to the CGI body would have drastically improved the scene. When Star Wars and other movies offer stunning CGI visuals, and even Nintendo's remake of Resident Evil has such attention to detail right down to loose threads in the clothing there is no excuse for such bad CGI. The effects are the only thing that keeps me from giving this a perfect score, because this could have otherwise been the best comic to film adaptation of them all. This movie is a five star film in a three star package, and that's what holds it back. The worst part is that just a few minor alterations would have made a world of difference. I hope that they do touch up the CGI for the DVD. If not then lets hope that the sequel will have better effects.
Rating: 
Summary: Spiderman- Movie of the Summer
Review: Spiderman is a great movie!!! Not only are the special effects breathtaking, the storyline is true to form. Stan Lee was an Exec. Producer for this movie and made sure that the storyline was accurate. This movie gets 5 stars in my book. If you like superheros you are sure to like this movie. It's for big kids and little ones too!!!
Rating:
Summary: With great power comes great responsibility.
Review: The potential that director Sam Raimi showed with his mainstream hit Darkman comes to fruition in Spiderman (that Raimi throws in several visual/plot homages to Darkman adds icing to a delicious cinematic feast). Wonderfully the movie never looses sit of it human characters and the action does not overwhelm the story, but serves it. No movie is perfect and decriers, mockers, and comic book haters will gladly carve into this megahit with relish, pointing out its shortcomings (and there are a few). But for me it is one of the very best super hero movies made. A must see.
Rating:
Summary: on a scale of 1-5? 10!!!!
Review: This was nothing short of incredible! I am a person who is quick to note anything on the level of cheesiness, and be turned off immediately! This movie has one of the best mixtures of comic book cheese and reality based acting i have ever seen! It was completely fun, as it should be, because this is what we go to the movies for - - but i found it extremely enjoyable even with the added "comic bookiness". I went in not really knowing what to expect, but i know i left COMPLETELY satisfied. I cannot wait for DVD! Sam Raimi is THE man!
Rating:
Summary: more than expected
Review: This movie lived up to all my expectations and more. It stayed with it's comic book roots, and combined it with realism of the world in which we live. The casting was immaculate. Willam defoe was perfect as the green Goblin. If the next 2-infinity of Spider-man movies are done in the same way, then the sky is the limit. Everyone should see this movie. I waited to see it since I saw the made for TV version in 1975. I saw that when I was 5 and 20 years later, justice has been done to one of the greatest super heroes to grace comics.
Rating: 
Summary: Spider-Man visually Amazing,but not quite Spectacular enough
Review: "Spider-Man" is the imaginary friend of generations of kids and adults, who grew up reading the various comic books bearing his name, watching the numerous television cartoon permutations, and wondering when the friendly neighboorhood webslinger would get his shot on the big screen.Well, thanks to Sam Raimi and Columbia Pictures, Spidey finally gets his chance. A large budget served the production well. Every aspect of Spider-Man's familiar legacy along with the quirks and costumes of his friends and enemies are on-screen in A-quality detail. This is a welcome change for those of us who had to suffer through the no-frills "Spider-Man" TV movies of the late '70's. The production value is enhanced by a spot-on cast of Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst as the love interest Mary Jane Watson, J.K. Simmons doing a perfect J. Jonah Jamison, and the marvelous Willem Dafoe as Norman Osbourne (aka the Green Goblin). Utilizing both cast and production to optimal effect is Sam Raimi, a confessed comic-book fanboy and accomplished director noted for his visual flair. All these elements are blended successfully on the screen. Where "Spider-Man" fails, ultimately, is in the story. The appeal of Peter Parker is that, unlike Superman born into his power or Bruce Wayne traumatized into his calling, Peter is the true everyman who finds himself in a position to help people. That part is executed well-enough, as Peter learns the lessons of life from his Uncle Ben ("With great power comes great responsibility"), but does not realize it until he learns the hard way - just like the rest of us. However, after his initial shock into action, Peter spends the rest of the film doing everything right and escaping the consequences of hard choices that define those who possess power and those we call "heroes". In a number of specific instances, including one scene on a bridge taken from one of the most memorable sequences in comic book history, the movie cops out on the hard lessons of heroism that defined and endeared Spider-Man as a cultural icon for these generations past. The tone of the movie, that of a determined yet remorseful Spider-Man, clashes with that of the story itself - where Spider-Man wins out with nary a consequence to be suffered. Because the imagery and story does not match the attempted tones and themes, the end of the film rings false. While a well-done film, "Spider-Man" does not equal the efforts of the two previous major superhero films "Superman" or "Batman". "Spider-Man" is a good film, but in invoking its comic book roots and not staying true to them, that which made the character special was lost and ultimately the film is only a shadow of what it might have been.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Comic Book Adventure Movie!
Review: . Review: One of the best comic book hero movies to come out, melding comic book-fantasy into drama through script writing and impressive special effects. Peter Parker, AKA Spiderman (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) make a good romantic team while Green Goblin (Defoe) delivers a solid bad guy character (ok, the costume was a bit weak). Story: Peter Parker gains super human (spider-like) strength and vision after being bitten by a genetically enhanced super spider. This enables Peter to easily climb buildings (or, anything), lift heavy objects, and sense impending danger, etc. Spiderman's story portrays his struggle with his own youth, and his life's challenges of betrayal and murder with hie new found gifts. Audience: Great movie for comic hero buffs, adventure movie watchers, and not-so-young kids. The story balances drama and humor delivering an emotional roller coaster. Scare Factor: While it is a comic book story representation, the story and depictions isn't necessarily for the youngest children.
Rating:
Summary: Too much hype!
Review: Peter Parker was such a nice boy with a very nice Aunt and Uncle. It was a storybook family picture, which was refreshing. The part of the movie that turned me off, was the disrespect that Peter showed his Uncle in one scene. The love and support Peter got from his Aunt and Uncle was not worthy of the comment Peter made to his Uncle about don't try to be my father. The writers could have thought of a much more noble reason for "OUR HERO",Spider-man, to seek revenge. Disrespecting people in authority is rampant in this country amongst our youth, and portraying Peter Parker as having this same disrespectful attitude was unnecessary. Aside from that issue, the storyline as a whole was lame. It was lacking in creativity and villians. Since the end of the movie was inviting to a sequel, my suggestion is to start the team of writers brainstorming now, so that Spidey II doesn't come across as being written in a day.
Rating:
Summary: The Golden Age of Comic Book Movies is Here
Review: "Good things come to all that wait" works like a charm here. One has to applaud the folks from Marvel for waiting until the right time to make this movie. In their cash-strapped years, it had to be a huge temptation to accept any kind of money for the rights to their characters. Had they went with a movie before the technology was ready, any effort would have been a big disappointment. Had they not held out for a reasonable degree of integrity when it comes to the comic book origins it would have been a disaster. But for once everybody did just about everything right, and the results are smashingly good. Most important, the plot sticks faithfully (and lovingly) to the now forty-year-old storyline. We get the teen-aged orphan, raised by an aunt and uncle, getting bit by a special spider that transfers it's powers to the boy. The boy at first uses his new-found powers frivolously, but is quickly sobered up big-time to the responsibilities he has somewhat inherited. With few exceptions, the movie goes to great lengths to keep millions of fans happy. There were only a few big breaks from the storyline, and I have no problem with them. The books had him bitten by a radioactive spider, the movie has a genetically altered spider. Big deal. A bigger, more important difference is the fact that the movie Spiderman's body produces it's own webbing, while the book has him shooting web cartridges that he invented himself. I like the new way much better, as it stretches credibility to think that the teenager could all of a sudden invent this miracle product, AND need to store hundreds of cartridges around the city as replacements. Casting is as perfect as can be. I had thought a younger Tom Cruise would be a great Peter Parker, but Toby Maguire now owns the role, showing the shyness and vulnerability of the character perfectly. I had thought Kirsten Dunst not voluptuous enough to be Mary Jane, but just getting her wet removed all doubts. The portrayals of J. Jonah Jameson, Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and Harry Osborne are also done well. Special effects are the only place I have problems. The biggest is this stupid plastic mask worn by villian Green Goblin. It just looks dumb, and they should have somehow animated it. Also, some of the action sequences go too fast to drink in. But when you can see the magic, yes, it does look like he can crawl up walls and swing between buildings. When he fights a group of criminals, the body language of his Spider-moves takes the care to show something beyond just human gymnastics. The movie does have something for everyone, and I hope everyone sees it to insure a string of Spiderman movies. Very young children will like when the costumed folk are on screen, but get a little restless during adult dialog. However, those generally not into comic books much (i.e., females), can follow the romantic line between Peter and Mary Jane, and for that matter, Spiderman and Mary Jane. Tobey Maguire, just like Peter Parker, has lucked out big time with some pretty hot screen kisses. Of course, there are also those millions of fans, some that have waited almost forty years for this to happen, to finally get their due. To these, of which I'm included, this movie's for you.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome for all ages...
Review: This movie was simply perfect from start to finish. I seems like you're only in the theatre for half an hour because it is so entertaining that time flies by so fast! People were so pleased with the movie that they actually applauded at the end. I can't remember the last time a movie that was hyped this much actually surpassed the hype, but Spiderman certainly does just that.
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