Rating: 
Summary: Expected More - Got Less
Review: I wanted to like this movie a lot. But I was disappointed. The film dragged in places and was obviously heading for a sequel. The special effects were good, but couldn't move the film up in my estimation. The best part of the film was when he was trying to figure out how to shoot his web from his wrist. Having spent my $[money], I walked out of the theatre wishing I had spent it on renting two other films at my local video store.
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Summary: DELETE
Review: DELETE
Rating:
Summary: Fie to CGI! I loved it!
Review: Look, folks, what exactly are you complaining about? This movie had almost everything right! Well, let's get the bad stuff out of the way:Green Goblin's Costume - Personally, I think it may have been better if they just spent ten bucks on green makeup and a purple hat and cape than that mask and mecha thing they had going on. Organic Web-shooters - 'Nuff said. The Ending - Well, it leaves questions for the next one, huh? OK, then, genius, what was so right with it? Acting - All the way! Maguire perfectly encapsulates nerdish shyness and superhero charisma (plus, you gotta respect a guy who had to bulk up without meat, so he did it with tofu. Yes, pounds upon pounds of tofu.) Kirsten Dunst managed to pull out a great performance, despite my abject and complete hatred of her. Whoever played JJJ was spot-on. I am still freaked out by Willem Dafoe's incredible dual-performance. CGI - Yeah, that's right. I liked the CGI. Flame me as much as you want, I don't care. It just looked right. Have any of you out there actually seen a spider move? The CGI is supposed to be unbelievably fast! Long and short of it: Spider-man fans should see this movie. Action movie fans should see this movie. Everyone who enjoys two hours of escapism should see this movie. Excelsior, True Believers!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Arachnid
Review: This movie has everything! Humor, Action, Romance, Grief, and mystery. Totally cool movie!!!
Rating:
Summary: #1 Movie of 2002 (well, it should be)
Review: SPIDER-MAN is an ultimate must see. It is action-packed, comedic and somewhat romantic at the same time. As you all know, Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man and he does an excellent job of it, as he is one of my favorite actors, now. Kirsten Dunst (Bring It On)is perfect also for the role of Mary Jane (MJ) Parker, who falls in love with the mysterious "Spiderman" which she doesnt know who is under the costume. Willem Defoe (Speed 2:Cruise Control) plays the evil green goblin through his alter ego - he always plays an evil character - don't get it - he sort of scares me though!!!! Lines are long, and tickets are booked most of the time, but definetly worth the wait. Excited for the sequel (i'm sure they're probably be one). And - sit in the front if you like lots of action and high sound volume, the front is the best view!!! SO, GO SEE IT and I hope my review was helpful for you. I guarantee you will love it.
Rating:
Summary: "SPIDERMAN" FAILS TO CATCH ME IN ITS WEB!!!
Review: The new movie "Spiderman" proves how Hollywood over-kill can squash any sense of fun found in the adventures of comic book heroes. The movie is uneven, long and overdoses on computer special effects. The beginning scenes offer promise as Peter Parker (played fairly by the pensive Tobey MacGuire) is bitten by a super geneticized spider and metamorphisizes into Spiderman. However, the spider theme is hurriedly abandoned; it would have been great to have Parker cohabit with the anachrids as Bruce Wayne did with bats in "Batman". Once the villain enters the picture, the Green Goblin, the movie stretches for its plot. Wilhem Defoe is wasted as the Goblin; his costume could have been from the Power Rangers TV show and his banter with his alter-ego in the mirror is truly laughable and ridiculous. Kirsten Dunst is bland as the heroine and the viewer wonders how Parker could stay infatuated with her for so long! Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris are also wasted as the Aunt and Uncle of Parker, and the moral message is simple beyond belief: "With Power comes great responsibility". Haven't thousands of movies and books dealt with this theme over the years? Danny Elfman's score is a copy of his own Batman themes, and director Sam Raimi (remember the 1980's bomb "Dark Man"?) copies a scene out of Burton's film by having a bunch of giant balloons showcased at a city event. "Spiderman" has none of Burton's macabre or Richard Donner's (director of 1978's "Superman") sense of fun and tongue in cheek homage. Also, the computer special effects make people move in positions which would break most people's backs or necks, regardless of whether they are superheroes or not.
Rating:
Summary: Great Entertainment.
Review:
Those of us whose childhood fantasies were fed by superhero comic books -- instead of television -- always looked forward to superhero movies, and often came out of the theater disappointed; but not this time. Sam Rami succeeded where generations of directors and endless, like-minded TV series often failed. He found and inflamed the dormant desire for awe in admiration of the strong, yet tender, heroic male; the one we read about in adolescence, and whom we secretly kept close to our hearts as adults.
Yet this is not a nostalgic movie with old fashions or a middle-aged audience in mind. It is as fresh as a teenager movie and as action packed as any Hollywood blockbuster, while at the same time it is an excellent film in every respect. It is exciting, funny, touching and perfectly paced. In other words it is great adventure entertainment, and I highly recommend it.
I will not go into the details of the story, one that, after all, is not so different from others, in order to not spoil it for those who have not seen it.
I do want to single out Alvin Sargent, a seasoned screenwriter, and his team, for writing a script that makes characters interesting, believable and sympathetic. The action is measured, the suspense is tolerable and the plot is interesting, tight and unburdensome. No superfluous talking here. No long-winded car chases or overly brutal fights. In fact, I was glad to see one of the criminals fall by accident, rather than to be killed by such a gentle superhero.
Tobey Maguire, whose memorable performance in "The Cider House Rules" propelled him to super stardom, is the surprising and fortunate casting choice for the role of Peter Parker, the high school boy turned Spider-man. He gives a sensitive rendering of a young man who, having been bitten by a genetically modified spider, develops superhuman abilities. His portrayal of this dual, human and supernatural character is not only convincing, but given the actor's own likable personal traits, it is very sweet and moving as well.
Kirsten Dunst in the role of Mary Jane is as likeable as Maguire, and well cast as Spider-man's long - and widely -- sought after sweetheart.
The villainous character's incarnation, in a subplot that involves the US Dept. of Defense, is unexpected, spectacular and amusing. It adds just enough spice to an otherwise predictable outcome.
The manner of updating the decades old context of Spider-Man is inspired, and it includes a lot more than biologically re-engineered arachnoids. One of my favorites was WWF wrestling as his first proving ground. This, and many other aspects of the movie will endear it to young viewers. (Never the less, keeping in mind its 2-hour length and some violence, I would not recommend it for young children.)
"Spider-Man" is a feast for the eyes. The producers' choice of locations, colors, special effects, costumes, and even make up, deliver a hint of comic-book sketching, just enough to make us surrender to the screen, only without any of the gaudiness or spooky retrofuturist gimmicks that would easily turn off sophisticated audiences. The hero's aerial acrobatics are, as one would expect, more fantastic than those of Olympic gymnasts, but delivered with the smooth interpretation and subtle touches of skillful choreography. And behind all this we see New York in all it's earthly glory, as if the choice of Manhattan for the film's backdrop was intended to present this legendary city of ours from the perspective of a box seat in one of its great venues for the performing arts.
Rating:
Summary: something for everyone
Review: I must have been waiting for this film since i was 5 years old.And it was worth the wait!Spider-man was always my favorite super-hero and it was about time a movie was made about him.There are a few things that were changed for the film (basically combining Gwen Stacy with Mary Jane Watson;the web coming out of his wrists instead of web-shooters)but it doesn't take away from the story.The CGI special effects are very poor at some parts,but that isn't enough to take way from the movie-going experience.The entire cast was incredible and I was very impressed with the job Sam Raimi did.I am probably going to see it another time or two while it's still out.If you're thinking about seeing this movie,go for it!Even if you're not a 20+ year Spidey fan like me,you'll still enjoy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Behind Superman and Batman as a top superhero movie
Review: Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is a movie which may actually appeal more to casual fans of Spider-Man, than fans of the comic book. While writing this review I thought of casual and hardcore fans, though I did not think of non-fans. I mean, no one will accidentally walk into the Spider-Man movie. The movie follows the earlier legend of Spider-Man rather than the revised story of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic books. However the storyline the Spider-Man movie follows, follows well, and establishes the origin story of Spider-Man very faithfully to the comic books. Toby Maguire is excellent as Peter Parker, and is very convincing as a young man coming to terms with his superpowers. Kirsten Dunst is also quite good in her role as Mary Jane, while Willem Dafoe is quite a good Norm Osborn. However the best acting performance came from J.K. Simmons as J. Joanah Jameson, who is quite hilarious in his performance. The script is also well written; at times very funny and at other times very touching. When it comes to establishing Peter Parker and Norm Osborn, the Spider-Man movie succeeds fantastically. It is amazingly touching and its characters feel surprisingly human. However when it comes to establishing the character of Spider-Man, the movie falters a bit. Spider-Man in his costume never feels joyful or at all like the smart mouthed Spidey we know. Unfortunately he hardly speaks, and is far too mysterious. I mean this attitude is great for someone like Batman, but certainly not suited to Spider-Man. Any fan of Spider-Man knows that Spidey is full of one-liners and wisecracks. Unfortunately in the movie, Spider-Man is too quiet and believes in action rather than words. I must admit to the fact that the special affects are fantastic. And even though the joy of being Spider-Man is never fully established through dialogue it is thoroughly established through action. Spider-Man looks fantastic swinging past fast moving vehicles, and doing Matrix like moves. The scenes where he utilizes his abilities, are especially well done. All in all the Spider-Man movie is a visual feat, and its unmasked characters are extremely well developed. If I compare it to other superhero movies, I'd put this one behind the Superman and Batman movies. What those movies had though, was a great soundtrack, which the Spider-Man movie sorely misses. Also, those movies' superheroes had a lot of heart when they were in their costumes, while Spider-Man seems too robotic, much like Al-Gore. Like Batman, Superman, and The X-Men movies, Spider-Man does a good job when it comes to the character development of its unmasked hero. In fact I'd take it a step further, and say that Peter Parker is as well developed as Clark Kent was. Unfortunately as Spider-Man, he is more like Al-Gore than Spider-Man. Perhaps the problem was that Peter Parker was still new to being Spider-Man, and had not yet developed his Spider-Man personality. I think that that was the movie's only problem, it's Peter Parker lacked character when he put on the Spider-Man suit. I don't want to close on a negative though. The Spider-Man movie is quite good. It features some good character development, some superb action, witty dialogue (from everyone except for the webslinger), and great direction. This movie will do for superhero fans, what the original Superman movies did.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but slightly dissapointed
Review: I was first interested in seeing Spider-Man when I viewed the previews on TV. I thought maybe just the reception was bad during the animated sequences, but not so. The effects are just cartoony, maybe thats what they were going for. Anyone, I thought the movie stareted off well-We learn about Peter Parker and how he gains his ability, as well as how the Green Goblin reaches his state. AS time went on though, I became less and less interested. The movie was lacking real dircetion, the Green Goblin doesn't have any goal, he just fills in as you all-purpose villain, just waiting for Spider-Man to stop. There were some small children in the theater, and all of them seemed scared when the Green Goblin was on screen, which is good in some ways, but it also goes over the top with this when he is having his own psychological battles with himself. Also, because of the violence, I would also have to reccomend that no children under 10 see it, no matter how hard they beg. BAck to the movie, everyone delivers great performances, and it is a superb cast. Sometimes the movie seems to lag (it is over 2 hours), and often the "romantic" scenes just fall flat. To sum it up..... 1) Would reccomend children under 10
2)Special effects are mostly cartoony (although there are some good rip off's of "THe Matrix" in it
3)Great cast with good performcanes
4)lags at times. Hope that helps
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