Rating: 
Summary: Better than other movies based on comic books!!!
Review: I didn't expect to see Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, I thought it would be someone like James Marsden. But he played good as Spider-Man. I expected Spider-Man too have too much dialouge and less action, like X-Men, but it has a whole lot of action and not to mention suspense. I can't wait until the sequel comes out! Kirsten Dunst was great! She always wears stuff that fits her and the world. I've seen her movies since she was in Little Woman and Interview With A Vampire, based on the Anne Rice vampire series novels. Willem Dafoe is always the nemesis these days. From Speed 2: Cruise Control, to Shadow of the Vampire, to Spider-Man, and he always does a good job at being one, even at acting insane. Sam Raimi is a good director because he knew how not to make Spider-Man: The Movie boring, but how to make it exciting and action-filled, tons of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Someone Finally Does Justice To A Marvel Character On Screen
Review: I was afraid to see this movie. I was afraid that I'd be disappointed,afraid that this would be a farce or a live-action cartoon with no human interest and that it would kill everyone's perception of everything that the comic book medium could be.I wasn't sure about Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst being in the movie. I was concerned when I heard they were making Spidey's webbing organic and threw out the web-shooter idea. I became dismayed when I read that Roger Ebert only gave it 2 1/2 stars and at this point,almost had to be coaxed into seeing the film.You see,I'm a lifelong comics fan and Spider-Man is my all-time favorite comic book hero.I have grown-up with him. Peter Parker looks like me,and I've always felt that I was him. He was the first comics character I felt I could relate to. The comics have had their ups and downs creatively throught the years,but all in all,I've remained loyal to 'ol Webhead(J.Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr. are really working wonders with the character these days) I almost thought we were going to see "Spider-Teen" or "Spider-Dude". I was afraid to see this movie. Boy, were Ebert and I dead wrong! There were minor problems with it,I felt,but overall,"Spider-Man" was everything I had hoped it would be:the best darn comic book movie ever made. Roger Ebert felt that the action sequences were fake-looking and said that "Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon" handled this type of superhumanity more effectively.I felt "Spider-Man" captured Spidey's actions perfectly. In the movie,Spider-Man and the Green Goblin have the fluidity in their movements that reminds one of the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man era. Spidey fights like he does in the comics(throwing guys around,double-punches,etc.)and the Green Goblin is as sinister, dangerous,and cunning as a large predator on the loose. The fight scenes are choreographed well,evoking the fantastic and the brutal all at once. Any comics fan will be reminded of the immortal "Death Of Gwen Stacy" storyline during the chilling,final confrontation between hero and villain.New York becomes a character in its own right. Watching the film,you really get the impression that Spidey owns the Big Apple.The city is like an old,familiar friend to him as he effortlessly swings from rooftop to rooftop,looking for vermin that would soil or irritate NYC and the good people who live there(the scene where all of the citizens start pelting the Goblin with debris and such almost brought a tear to my eye). "Spider-Man" is as much a tribute to New York and its residents as well as the comic book form and Spidey himself. I had been pulling for Freddie Prinze Jr. to get the role as Peter Parker,but Tobey Maguire's performance made me forget about all of that. Maguire evokes Parker's quiet,shy,sensitive personality perhaps better than any other actor out there and balances it masterfully with cocky,devil-may-care attitude of Parker's alter ego. Now, I can't imagine anyone else playing Parker other than Maguire. The same can be said for Dunst's Mary Jane Watson. I originally thought that she would have made a better Gwen Stacy(Parker's first true love in the comics). After seeing her as Watson,I became convinced that she was the correct choice. Dunst really tapped into the fun-loving,starry-eyed yet troubled working-class girl that MJ has always been. MJ's a flirt and a dreamer,and Dunst made her come to life(I wish she would have said the line "Face it tiger,you just hit the jackpot!" like she did in the comics,but oh well). I jumped for joy when Willem Defoe was pegged to play the Green Goblin,and Defoe doesn't disappoint. I was hoping that the filmmakers would build the costume and mask around Defoe's chisled visage(just look at that face,he is the Goblin! I love it!),however they opt for a "body-armor" look that works pretty well in its own right. Defoe's portrayal of Norman Osborne's madness is frightening. Defoe didn't turn the Goblin into a buffoon like others would have. Defoe's Goblin is deadly,swift,and truly an alter-ego. Defoe makes you believe that Osborne and the Goblin are two separate people inhabiting one mind. The Goblin mask speaks to Osborne,and Osbourne speaks back to it. He makes Osborne seem sympathetic,and in a way,almost tragic in the tradition of the great Marvel comics villains.Under different circumstances,Parker and the senior Osborne could have been like father and son,and Defoe as well as Maguire show that through their stellar performances. All of the other performances are great too. From James Franco's Harry Osborne(poor,little rich kid),to J.K. Simmons' J.Jonah Jameson(I wanted to see Dabney Coleman play him,but Simmons fleshes him out well),and even Randy Savage as Bonesaw McGraw(The Macho Man is jakked in this one!). Cliff Robertson's Uncle Ben is as loving as the comics character was,and Rosemary Harris turns Aunt May into the grandmother we all had or wish we had. My beefs about this picture are minor. The score was totally wrong for this one. Danny Elfman sounds like he was doing another Batman film by mistake. There is nothing quirky about "Spider-Man",and the music should have reflected this. Spider-Man was to me the first "rock 'n' roll" superhero. Think about it,he defies authority,debuted in the early 60's(a turbulent time in American history),gets chased by cops,is misunderstood by elders,is full of bravado,is a smart-aleck,and is loved by the people. I wanted to hear electric guitars instead of a bouncy,pretentious orchestra. "Spider-Man" is set in New York,not a fictional city like Gotham where Elfman's music fit in better. The Green Goblin's costume also takes some getting used to. Like I said before,I wished they would have taken advantage of Defoe's face(oh that face gives ya the willies,no pun intended). I would have rather seen a form-fitting mask,rather than the bulky helmet the Goblin is given here. I have always loved heroes and heroism,fictional and otherwise. "Spider-Man" only reinforced that adoration. Spider-Man is our folk hero,an American myth,our everyman,and I think is in everyone of us. Peter Parker is the kid who we think is geeky,but is cooler than we will ever know. Spider-Man is the mousy librarian who plays in a heavy metal band by night,the housekeeper with a bestselling novel in her head,the accountant who dreams of being a director,hell,the construction worker who dresses in drag and sings Ethel Merman tunes while off-duty. Spider-Man is rock 'n' roll,romance,youth,daring,creativity,and anything anyone ever wanted to be when they grow up. The movie made this all clear.I hate to admit it,but I'm finding myself getting as choked up writing this review as I did while watching the conclusion of the film when I realized that they actually succeeded in making my favorite hero of all time come to life in masterful fashion.Watching the movie made me take a look into myself and realize more than ever that I too am Peter Parker and Spider-Man or at least wish I was. "Spider-Man" is a sometimes harrowing,but ultimately wonderful film. Everyone will find something to enjoy in it. The action fans will rejoice when the battles take place,the romantics will fall head over heels with the love triangle,and those who just plain like a good flick will come away wanting to cruise the skyline of their hometown via webstrands.I want to personally thank all who were involved in the making of this picture. "We"(meaning comics fans) really needed this movie to be excellent. Not only did you all deliver,but you all seemed to have the time of your lives while you were at it.I want to see a franchise. I want to see Jack Black as Dr. Octopus,Henry Rollins as Venom,Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kraven The Hunter,Kevin Spacey as Electro,Ben Kingsley as the Vulture,Portia de Rossi as the Black Cat,Ed Harris as the Scorpion,and I could go on and on. Go out and see this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: not up to the level of other comic book films
Review: **1/2 Perhaps it isn't all "Spider-Man"'s fault that it was released 24 years after the original "Superman" or 13 years after the original "Batman" movies. But the fact is that those films beat this new film considerably to the punch, which probably explains why "Spider-Man," for all its sophisticated special effects, feels decidedly Old Hat - especially compared to the infinitely more complex and sophisticated "X-Men" from a few years back, not to mention the brilliant "Darkman" from way back in 1990. That last comparison is particularly apt since" Spider-Man"'s director, Sam Raimi, virtually cut his teeth on that film. In "Darkman," Raimi brought a seriousness of purpose and a uniqueness of vision to the project that helped to carry the comic book movie genre to new artistic heights. "Spider-Man," though inoffensive, seems bland and benign in comparison, calculated to reach the widest audience possible (which apparently it has succeeded in doing, a fact that says less about the quality of the movie, perhaps, than about the undemanding tastes of modern moviegoers). "Spider-Man" seems so by-the-book in its narrative, tone and purpose that it never soars much above the ordinary and never carries the audience to the kind of exciting, visionary world one would expect from a film of this type. The movie is blessed in one all-important respect though: its inspired decision to cast Tobey Maguire in the lead role of Peter Parker, a mild mannered nerd who becomes a super hero after he's bitten by a genetically altered spider. Maguire's winning and disarming performance is the film's one incontestable virtue. All else seems problematic, beginning with the storyline, which plays virtually by rote. One needn't list all the conventional elements, starting with the poor, picked-on geek who can't get the girl he loves to even acknowledge his existence, the loving, older guardians who support their boy in everything he does, the tortured super villain (in this case, the Green Goblin) who is both the hero's alter ego as well as his arch nemesis. All this is, of course, par for the course, but I guess the thing I object to the most is that the tone is simply too innocuous and sunny. The film can't generate any real suspense or excitement because the threats seem so halfhearted. By the same token, the film doesn't have much of a playful spirit either. The love scenes between Spider-Man and his truelove, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), work only because the actors themselves are so likable in the roles. Otherwise, the romantic element is as underwhelming and clichéd as virtually every other feature of the film. Probably the most unaccountable aspect of the plot is that, despite the fact that Spider-Man does only good for the citizens of Manhattan, we keep being told that the citizens are ambiguous in their attitudes towards him. Yet, we are given no reason to credit this possibility for even a split second. It is an arbitrary plot device thrown in to try and generate some desperately needed suspense in an admittedly pretty lackluster screenplay. Which pretty much leaves us with the special effects. Though adequate at times, many of the shots of Spider-Man swooping along the streets of New York City, his web suspended from the tops of skyscrapers, seem strangely unconvincing. Perhaps since we feel no immediate involvement in the proceedings, the special effects sequences never manage to catch us up in the excitement of what they are showing us. One keeps hoping and expecting to be carried away by the film, but it simply never happens. "Spider-Man" simply does not rate the box office revenue it has earned.
Rating:
Summary: What happened to the Spider?
Review: I'm not actually a comic book fan. in fact, I think that most comic book series get repetative after the third mastermind is introduced, but I have to give this movie 5 stars. I always thoroughly "spoil" myself with other reviews before I see a movie, and I have to say that all the criticisms are completely unfounded. The acting is top-notch, the story (bit with plot) was very engrossing and believable, and the Green Goblin costume (exept the head) looked exactly like I'd imagine a top-of-the-line military bodysuit to look like. The only weird bit was that the military would request a goblin motif for their next-gen supersoldier suit. Oh, and, What happened to the Spider?
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, even for a non-comic book reader!
Review: I went to see this movie initially because it was something to do. I wasn't expecting much, but boy was I blown away. This is the first movie this year to get in my head and stay there. I've already gone back to see it two more times. I can't vouch for its accuracy to the comic books, but in and of itself it was a great film. Maguire was perfect. Defoe, of course, was perfect. Even Dunst was good. I left the movie feeling inspired and rejuvenated. I can't wait to buy the DVD. If only Attack of the Clones had been this good.
Rating: 
Summary: Dumb
Review: I mean, besides Tobey Maguire looking kinda fine, this movie would be more of a flop to the critics than it is to me. It's categorized as an action film - I don't see any "heart-stopping" action in it. It was basically a typical childish love story about a losery guy who's had a crush on a girl for a very long time and once he's become a superhero he saves her life over and over again (all of which they weren't even believable) he falls for her and she falls for him and so on.
Conclusion? I want my two hours and my $... back.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the BEEEESSSSSTTTTT!!!!!
Review: Spider man the movie is simply the one and only best movie in the planet!!!!!
I watched it twice in two days in a row!
Rating:
Summary: Tobey is Spidey-Hot!
Review: I have seen Spider-man twice now, and it was better the second time. Seeing it first, got the point across. The second time left room to explore the movie in detail, and left me with little to say that is negative. Tobey, in the past, has shown artistry in his work as an actor and I am impressed by him. And now, he has left his boyhood behind, and turned into a phenomenal young man almost overnight. In Spider-man, he looked like he was having fun, and not over acting. Although, some parts were a little over dramaztized, mostly on Kristin Dunst's part, the overall acting was well done. Kristin was convincing, and Tobey's tears were almost genuine when he cried. I was just slightly disappointed in how they portrayed Kristin's character Mary Jane as a confused, alomost childish girl, who did not know what she wanted from life. But that is easily gotten over. Point aside, as a Spider-man fan growing up, I was a little bothered by some of the inconsistencies in the film... webbing coming straight out of his arm? PUH-LEEZ. But only a true Spidey fan would be intimidated by such effects, and even so...it is fabulous creativity on the part of the film's creators. The movie was fun, exciting... maybe a little cheesy in one or two parts... but I will be owning it as soon at it is humanly possible. Classic quote from this film... when Aunt May says to Peter, "You're not Superman you know." Not a Spidey fan?? Not to worry, Tobey's smile alone makes it worth seeing. 5 stars and 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: A shoddy and boring enterprise
Review: Sam Raimi has made a subtly acted mainstream movie with 'The Gift', but unwisely returns to the style of 'Darkman' for this belated comic book adaption, presumably because he felt it worked a treat the first time. Arguably, it didn't, the stylised affectations failing to engage on that occasion, either. Perhaps it's too hard to translate the 'realism' of the 'Spiderman' strip to celluloid, and Raimi doesn't try. Also, it's too old a strip to successfully incorporate the anochronistic aspects within a contemporary setting. The film also suffers from the use of too much shorthand in attempting to cover ground in Mr Parker's eventful life, making us lose interest in the second half. The audience in the late show I saw frankly giggled through the cack-handed love scenes. Parker ultimately managed to juggle a private life with heroism in the strip, thus making his vow of celebacy in the feature perplexing to the viewer. The original's charm and intrigue came from it's campus setting and if not for 'Buffy', which covers similar ground, it might have worked better as a series. Certainly, the first two 'Superman' films handled this sort of material with more wit and aplomb. As it stands, the film has trouble competing against modern fare such as 'The Matrix'. Perhaps sensing this, the producers introduce some unnecessarily graphic violence into the proceedings. This is inappropriate in my view, not to mention emetic as the film so closely resembles 'Inspector Gadget' in it's childishness. A poor commercial decision too, as much of it's target audience are now excluded from viewing 'Spiderman' in the UK. The comic strip conformed to a voluntary comics code and was never that violent, if memory serves, thus adding to one's cynicism.
Another aspect that disappoints is the lack of widescreen presentation. Surely, this picture was crying out for panoramic vistas of the city. I felt short changed, as I always do when confronted with this restricted aspect.
I have to say this is a minority view, as the public and critics have largely embraced Raimi's approach to the material.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I saw this with my 5 year old godchild. I am 29,not really a SM fan, but with all the hype I figured I would take my godchild to see it since he likes SM. I found it boring, and the action scenes were nothing special. It was such a ripoff of Superman that it was so predictable.I was actually rooting for The Green Goblin. I was very dissapointed in this venture. I hope this is it and not a umpteen of SM movies after this one. Tobey if you are reading this, take acting lessons...
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