Rating: 
Summary: To Comic Purists, It Comes Close!
Review: Well, I saw Spiderman on opening day and I thought it was good. Not great, but good. See when it comes to superheroes, I'm very critical of Spiderman. I grew up reading Spidey comics thru most of my youth and really have a connection with him. He's unlike all these other famous superheroes. Spidey was tempted by material gain and suffered because of it. But lets talk about the film. Tobey Maguire played Peter Parker great. I really thought his performance was very strong. But the funny thing is, when he changed into Spiderman, something was lacking, and I'm not talking about the costume. See, Tobey has this sort of wimper in his voice that's great for Peter Parker, but you still can hear it at times when he's Spidey, and that doesn't sit well with me. Spiderman is a superhero with a sense of humor. While he's fighting bad guys he uses lots of funny one liners, and I'm not talking campy now. It's just his way of lightening up the tension of the fact that he could be injured or killed. At least that's the way I perceived it. I loved it in fact. Spiderman is not really cocky, persay, but he's of course not a cream puff either. I didn't care much for Kirsten Dunst's performance as MJ, but I guess to the average person she was ok. I just thought see missed out on a lot of who Mary Jane Watson was. Yeah they included the problems she had growing up with her family, which is true in the comic book, but something was missing in her performance. Let's talk about the asthetics. You know, when doing a film about a comic book superhero, things are gonna be condensed. Hence, many things that took place hundreds of comic book issues apart from one another are used in the film on the same day or practically the same week. The origin of Spidey was done well. In fact it was one of my favorite parts of the movie. I'm still a little unsure about the decision of having his web fluid come from his own body instead of him creating webshooters and web cartridges himself like he did in thecomic book. Maybe it seemed too farfetched a concept? I'll give 'em that. But they do change certain reasons for doing things. In the film, Peter, now with his newfound powers, wants to impress Mary Jane (MJ) by getting a car. He sees an add in a newspaper saying "$3000 to wrestle". So he goes to take on this mammoth wrestler and beats him, but only receives $100 because he beat him in the first round and the underhandedness is he had to last 3 rounds to earn the $3000. Well, in the comic book Peter decides to try the wrestling gig to make some money and become famous. In the comic he receives the full amount of prize money. They changed it to incorporate this whole love thing between him and MJ, who did not live right next door to him growing up. Actually she wasn't the girl Peter was interested in during the timeframe that most of the film takes place in. I guess that's what really annoyed me...the disclusion of Peter's first real girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. The part in the film that they did get right is that Mary Jane did date Harry Osbourne, but that was while Peter was with Gwen. To be honest I enjoyed Gwen Stacy a bit more, but I guess I was in the minority in that opinion since she was killed off in the comic book by the Green Goblin, no less. They changed this in the film of course. In the comic book, the Green Goblin kidnapps Gwen and taunts Spiderman, holding him at bay, until finally deciding to drop her to her death. Spidey does get to her before she hits the ground, but the shock of the fall was what killed her. This was taken from one key comic book (Amazing Spiderman #121) followed by the next issue (#122) where the Green Goblin is killed, by his own doing. And they did get this right in the film, so that was good. Some things were dead on, like Norman (Green Goblin) Osbourne discovering Spiderman's secret identity and then making the people Peter loves suffer (he traumatized Aunt May, who did end up in the hospital in the comic book). I guess I'm such a purist that all these things bothered me more than it would a person who doesn't necassarily read the comic books. Like I said, it was a good film, but not great. I'm sure there were a lot of factors involved on why Gwen Stacy wasn't used. Perhaps three deaths in the film would've been too much (Uncle Ben, Gwen, and the Green Goblin). I don't know. But I guess this is the perfect example of what you get when you condense a comic book into movie form. Oh yeah, and Willem Defoe was quite good as Norman Osbourne. The costumes were nice, though in the comic book the green goblin's mask was more attatched to his face and not some big helmet that he wore. Spidey's costume was very impressive. I also enjoyed the cameos by Bruce (Evil Dead) Campbell as the wrestling announcer and Ted Raimi (Sam's brother) as one of the workers at the Daily Bugle. I'd still recommend seeing it and buying the DVD which has a lot of nice bonus features. The nice treat for me was towards the very end of the credits the actual Spiderman theme song from the 60's animated series was played. It sure beat the crappy rap song that preceded it. So go see the film and have a good time. It's not perfect, as comic book fans like myself will atest...but it's a lot of fun! "Spiderman"-bring on the sequels! "You do too much...you're not Superman you know". - Aunt May
Rating: 
Summary: this is a fun popcorn movie
Review: I'm a long time fan of the Spider-Man comics, so I went into this film with cautious optimism. I'd been burned by comic movies many times before. I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. This was an excellent adaptation of the comics! In fact, I'd say this is one of the best comic movies ever made. I personally feel it's in the class of the first Superman and Batman movies. I loved the X-Men movie, but I think Spider-Man surpassed it. I'm so happy they got it right. They got the perfect mixture of romance, action, humor, and drama in the film. It's a rare thing to see it all come together so well, but they pulled it off. You feel like you're a friend of Peter Parker's and you're following him on this incredible journey. I had several favorite scenes. The first of which was when he first discovered his powers. There's like a 20-minute stretch where you're just laughing and amazed at the same time. As he discovered his power to stick to things and shoot webs, it's really hilarious. His confrontation with Flash is fun and cool. There's nothing better than seeing the geek triumph. And Peter's first attempts to actually shoot a web and swing on it were classic. "Up, up, and away, web! Shazam!!" I know some people hate the organic web shooters, but I think they turned out perfect in the film. It was a good move to change it from the comic and it not only added some funny moments, but it made Spider-Man more like a spider. Another awesome scene is when Peter pursues the burglar in the movie. If you've read the comics, you know what an emotional moment this is. It's even more powerful and exciting on the big screen. When this happens, Peter has yet to perfect his powers. As he tries to chase down a car, he stumbles, fumbles, and almost gets killed multiple times. He's not yet the graceful superhero that he eventually becomes. But his anger, determination, and thirst for revenge drive him, and it makes the chase all the more desperate. It's one of the best action scenes ever in a comic movie. By the time it's over, you really understand his motivations for becoming a superhero. My third favorite scene is the final battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. It's a brutal knock down, drag out fight that is very impressive. While Spider-Man has been a dominant force throughout the film, he pretty much has his backside handed to him by the Green Goblin. It's his first real fight for simple survival, and it really feels like it. And the ending is faithful to the comics, too. It really sets things up for the sequel. What sets Spider-Man apart from bad comic movies is the characterization. For every action scene, there are two scenes of simple conversation between characters. Sam Raimi goes to great pains to make you care for ALL of the characters before he gets into the action. You feel sorry for Peter when he's picked on. You sympathize with Mary Jane's as she goes from one abusive relationship to another. You understand the tension and love between Harry and his father Norman. You really care for Aunt May and Uncle Ben. So when these extraordinary events start taking place, you have an emotional attachment to the characters. You really feel what they feel. Tobey Maguire is a great Peter Parker. He's shy and geeky in school, yet smart-mouthed and confident as Spider-Man. He was a questionable choice early on when casting the role, but he really proved himself. Kirsten Dunst is great as the girl next door. Just like the comic character, her happy exterior hides an unhappy soul. Dunst makes it easy to see why she'd start feeling attracted to Peter. Willem Dafoe was a perfect Green Goblin. Then again, he's always been good at playing psychos. Dafoe is successful at making the Green Goblin both evil and sympathetic at the same time. He also dances along the line of being over-the-top without ever quite going over it like a lot of the Batman villains did. Finally, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson is absolutely hilarious. He's actually the one that goes over-the-top and it's perfect. He's cheap, rude, and a loudmouth. You can't ask for anything more. Overall, Spider-Man is a wonderful moviegoing experience for people who love the comic and those who have no idea what "Excelsior!" means. Oh, and watch for cameos by Xena's Lucy Lawless as a punk rocker, Stan Lee saving a little girl, Bruce Campbell as the ring
announcer, and more.have to echo some of the gripes of other people who have reviewed this movie. The first is the soundtrack by Danny Elfman. The music is pretty good for this film, but there is no definitive Spider-Man theme. Batman had a great one. Superman had a fantastic one. Spider-Man got nothing. The music is rather unmemorable. I hate saying this in light of the fact that I generally love Elfman's work. My second gripe is the effects. They ranged from jaw-droppingly amazing to very, very fake. I thought the effects worked best when the camera was either sitting still or moving slowly. It was times like that which you could appreciate the gracefulness of Spidey and what he was doing. The rest of the time the camera was moving, twisting, and turning so wildly that it was hard to figure out what was happening. It made for more dynamic scenes, but all you could see was a blue and red blur wiggling on the screen. If it's between decent effects or a great story, I'd take the great story. But it would be nice to have both. My final complaint is that the movie felt like it skipped a beat in the middle. Peter goes from graduating from high school and being semi-competent with his powers to being a full-fledged superhero in New York. The only thing that bridges the two is a montage of scenes where New Yorkers talk about Spidey's exploits and we see flashes of him in action. It's fun, but it felt like something was missing. I wanted to see more scenes of Spidey fighting crime. I suppose it had to be shortened in the interest of time, but I would have liked to have seen more. 'Nuff said.
Rating:
Summary: The Moose Hole - 'Spider' Weaves a Web of Great Filmmaking
Review: Look in the sky! It's a bird ... It's a plane ... Oops! Wrong comic book brand! Even without this comic catch phrase, one can easily say many things about the rising stock of Marvel in the movie industry. It is thanks to the successes of films like Blade and X-Men that finally pushed one of most highly anticipated comic-book adaptations over the top to completion. The movie version of the famous web-slinger has been in development for nearly ten years, mostly due to court battles as well as the lack of enthusiasm by the movie-going public for these types of films. But all the built up anticipation will find a rest as the famous comic-book superhero makes his way to big screen for the first time ever being played by a relatively unknown young actor. Will the fan base accept Columbia's film despite the lack of famous characters in front of and behind the camera? The only thing that can be said is that the ten years of built up hype and anticipation will finally come to end. Whether it will be a glorious success or a tremendous failure is not yet known accept to those that see the film and judge for themselves. Either way, it will be an exciting ride for all those involved. The story centers on the life of the young Peter Parker and the origin of the now famous comic-book superhero, Spider-Man. Peter Parker, a shy and geeky teenager, is raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May after the death of his parents when he was little boy. As far back as he can remember, he has been head over heels for Mary Jane Watson, the girl next door, but he has never gotten the courage to ask her out, let alone talk to her. On what seems to be a normal class field-trip, Peter is bitten by a genetically altered spider and his whole world is turned upside-down. He quickly notices that his body is changing but as time goes on, he begins to gain control over his new abilities and uses them to win a wrestling match. When he doesn't receive the money from the operator of the wrestling match, Peter ignores the burglar that robs the man at gun point. But when he discovers that the robber later killed his Uncle Ben, Peter devotes his new abilities to fighting crime. Now dubbed Spider-Man, the new superhero must master his abilities perfectly to take down the Green Goblin, who is actually his best friend's father who goes insane from an experiment gone wrong. The story for Spider-Man does a wonderful job of combining romance, action, comedy, and suspense all in beautifully well crafted script that remains consistent despite a couple integrating story lines. At the time of its release, the cast for Spider-Man was a relative bunch of unknowns but each member works well in their own way in this film outside of this handicap. It has to be said that there was quite a bit of hesitation on the part of Sony executives when Sam Raimi, the director, had chosen Tobey Maguire to take on the role of Spider-Man in this high budget feature film. This was quite reasonable considering Maguire had so little real acting experience outside of low budget films like Wonder Boys and Cider House Rules. But those fears can now be put to rest as the young actor proves that he can express vivid emotions even when his face is hidden behind a mask. Kirsten Dunst, who had gained some exposure in films like Jumanji and Bring It On, presents the perfect amount of "girl next door" charm that gives the story its real heart, which can only compliment her acting ability within the film. And William Dafoe, who takes on the duo role of Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin, shows true acting talent especially in the scene where Norman argues with his alter self in the mirror and in his mind. Overall, Spider-Man manages to spin a web that is able to capture many integral story elements in an amazingly beautiful pattern that doesn't out do itself. Though the film manages to pull off great things, there are a couple of things to pick at here and there. One of the most prominent examples has to be the musical score conducted by Danny Elfman, who also worked on the soundtrack for another superhero film, Batman. The score is quite unmemorable and doesn't have quite the kick one would expect from this high-profile a feature. Another problem is that some of the scenes with Spider-Man, in costume form, seem too fake compared to other computer effects but this is quite a small complaint in comparison to the rest of the film. The highly anticipated comic-book adaptation has already been declared the movie of the summer before it even has the chance to get out of the gate. Whether the general public makes this statement true or not, Spider-Man is a prestigious effort that gives huge compliments to the filmmakers and all other parties involved in finally bringing this comic-book fanboy vision to the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: The best superhero movie in years!
Review: When SPIDER-MAN came out in 2002, I never taught that it would be such a big deal. But when I saw it, I realized that it's a very good movie. The story is about Peter Parker, a normal teenager who's in love with the High School's sweetheart, Mary-Jane Watson. When he gets bitten by a spider at a research center, he starts noticing that he has special powers. He uses his powers to avenge his Uncle Ben and to fight the Green Goblin. The movie is very good because of the script that holds perfectly throughout the movie and the performances of Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe are excellent. The special effects are very elaborate and are in fact the best in years. SPIDER-MAN is the best superhero movie since 1989's BATMAN, which is also very good. The DVD of SPIDER-MAN is excellent and I would say that it is the best DVD of 2002. SPIDER-MAN is also the best movie of 2002 by far, since that STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES kinda sucked. The DVD contains many documentaries about the movie and the comic book, interviews with the cast and crew and many other features. SPIDER-MAN is truly a DVD you must own.
Rating: 
Summary: Total fluff
Review: I was very excited about this movie when I heard that Sam Raimi would direct it. I thought he did good work on the Darkman movie, but I think he lost some of his edge, because this movie was just plain bad. If it had been a debut of a new filmmaker this movie would be forgivable, but Mr. Raimi should be very, very ashamed. The story is basically non-existant, the bad guy is just plain stupid (why didn't they choose Doc Octopus as the bad guy), the acting is awful and even the CGI is sub-subpar. Let's just hope they won't make more of these or give it to someone with a little more depth. If you want to see a really good superhero-movie try Ang Lee's the Hulk.
Rating:
Summary: My fav movie
Review: I saw this movies at my cousins,I was really into the movie.I became in love with it, I wanted to watch it again and again.I played the game I watched the movie, does it get better.Alot of high flying stunts, I could tell u that.You dont have to be a Spiderman fan to watch this, the movie is worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and overrated
Review: If you did not have spiderman poster at your bedroom when you were kid, you simply do not have good reason to love this movie.
Sam Raimi had big budget, some reasonable actors (McGuire, Dunst and Defoe), cult superhero comic book as script base, but he created an absolute failure. Plot is laughable and very childish, characters are unbelievable and what is most important, it lacks any kind of special graphic novel "environment". Instead it is just boring teenage action movie. However, as it had huge success among critics and in box office, producers probably decided that there is no need for any improvement and made even worse one - Daredevil. I bet Spiderman 2 will not be any better, so I suggest to forget about franchise and enjoy GOOD comic book adaptations like - BATMAN,X-MEN or BLADE.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: If the comic book were as bad as this movie, the movie would have never been made. The only thing in this movie that I can remember is that the Green Goblin looks like Donald Rumsfeld. Other than that, its a yawner.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: One of the most important things for taken a comic book to the big screen is that the director. It's shows by this movie. There are a couple "creative licenses" but not enough for the die hard fans to scream. Toby is a great Peter Parker. I didn't care for Kirstin Dunst. Willem Dafoe did a great job as the Green Goblin. Could be over the top but the scene with the mirror defined the character! Surprising fun was
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. He was everything you would imagine about the character! If you are a big fan then this set is great for the extras. A great film and you won't tire watching it!
Rating:
Summary: After being a long-time Spider-Man fan as a kid...
Review: ...this was a revelation! Too many comic characters just don't translate well, if at all, to the big screen, but Spidey isn't one of them. Not in this version, anyway. I was talked into going to see it by my best friend, as I wasn't interested at first...and I am SO glad she did!
"In spite of all you've done for them, eventually they will hate you!"...truer words were never spoken. What makes both the original comic and this film so poignant is that this wisdom comes from the VILLAIN. And he's right. The articles in the Bugle are as negative as they are favourable: 'yes, he saved those people...but who put them in danger in the first place?', and the reader (or the audience) can't possibly miss the implication.
Driven by tragedy, first losing his parents, then his beloved uncle (at the hands of a petty thief he, Peter, allowed to escape), eventually coming to hate his powers and the responsibility they force upon him, Spider-Man was and is the most enduring of the Marvel characters because he's not just a hero...he's a very human hero. Flawed, imperfect, always concerned about the consequences of his actions - even in the face of events that seem to spiral out of his control, a theme that never let up in the comic. This made him stand out from all the other Marvel characters, and is the reason he's such an enduring one, especially as he learned the fundamental truth of being a superhero - "With great power comes great responsibility" - the hard way. Would that today's world leaders understood that as well as Spider-Man does.
I was most impressed as to how closely the plot followed the original storyline, but updated it for a modern audience. The final confrontation with the Goblin, in particular, was spot-on, even to the Goblin discovering Spider-Man's true identity and vice versa, being hoist on his own petard, his last, sane words spoken by Norman and not the Goblin: "Peter...don't tell Harry..."
Casting was superb - especially J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson! I swear, he was BORN to play that role! He couldn't have been closer if they'd scanned him from the comic and used that to create a 3D computer model of him! Tobey - spot-on geek-turned-superhero. Kirsten - rrrowwwwllll! Red hair SO works on her! Willem - Norman and the Goblin both played to perfection.
The DVD itself was superb, with plenty of extras. Well worth the money.
I hear the sequel's been made. I can't wait! Roll on Spider-Man 2!
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