Rating: 
Summary: Meh...
Review: Not the best comic book movie, by far, but the visual effects are on target. It's super corny, but enjoyable on a baser level.
The DvD's first disc is excellent, but the second is... Meiocre at best.Buy it if you liked the movie, not otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: Enter Spiderman
Review: Spiderman, Tobey Maguire, Willem DaFoe and Kirsten Dunst (Quite the hottie I must say : ) !) Well... here we go again an awesome comic book hero turned into a movie. In any other case this movie would suck b***s. But this movie is rather good. A rather unique phenomena in the movie field. The end was rather STUPID. But the rest of the movie was fair, scratch that awesome. Well I think that it deserved all the credit that it got for being good. Tobey Maguire is a geek that goes on a field trip that turns out to change his life. He gets bitten by a radioactive spider, the next morning he wakes up as a buff dude. He goes to school and starts testing out his powers. Meanwhile his bestfriends father (Willem DaFoe) makes this super artificial weapon. He then turns insane and uses it to turn himself as the green goblin. He then turns himself infamous. You start seeing him doing this Gollum from LOTR type thing going on and it is quite creepy. Well you know the rest, Spiderman and the Green Goblin face off in a big fight. It is pretty big and sweet, so watch this movie if you want to I recommend it greatly.
Rating: 
Summary: very diasppointing, VERY disappointing
Review: No real plot, unrealistic characters, poor acting - what else can I say? And a terrible ending. Maybe it is true to the storyline used in the comic books, but it didn't make sense for the movie. Please note that my comments are based on *not* seeing the movie in the theater, but waiting to purchase the DVD to watch it in the comfort of our own home theater. One thing is for sure - we will be selling our Spider-Man DVD soon on eBay or giving it to the local Goodwill store. Maybe it is great for kids (but questionable with the violence), but a real dud for the 2 adults here (my wife and I) who watch lots of action adventure movies. This movie just didn't rate up there with others - way over hyped.
Rating:
Summary: The Spider, The Woman, and the Goblin
Review: James Cameron, the unsung movie director of Alien movie sequel - and who've made a major flash in the pan with the common popular shallow social market with the disappointing TITANIC (which could've done well to incorporate the mysteries within the legendary ships tragedy, than doing a love story schtick which cashes on the popularity of its stars (that the movie PEARL HARBOR gets its deserved bad-kharma by trying to incorporate its formula to sell from its movie theme song to plotlines and production patterns)) ~ was the one supposed to direct and script this movie, that fortunately enough director Sam Raimi who've done great work in his own right with the Evil Dead siries - being a fan himself came to the rescue, into near protests of Cameron's draft of idea for the film - that got Cameron sulked to create the non-notable tv siries Dark Angel.
Raimi have done quite well in interpolating Spidey's origin story (first appearing in Amazing Adult Adventures # 15) where Peter learned of resposibility upon the death of his adaptive parent Uncle Ben with the Death of the original Green Goblin plotline (Amazing Spider-Man #'s 121 to 122) that could've been perfect enough (lotsa death- welp, the ingredient which makes an epic); if only they never rushed to pitt Mary Jane Watson in the part, where in the comic book Peter Paker (ie. SPIDEY himself) in this plotline have Gwen Stacy as his girlfriend instead, and Mary Jane was actually only just still around the background as Foster's best friend. The story goes that Goblin killed Gwen Stacy (issue # 121) and in the following episode of the comic book (#122), the lead was taken into the death of the Green Goblin. They should've opted to put Mary Jane as SPIDEY's leading lady for the sequel - which in fact would've given a good stretch for the movie indeed.
If only the movie had never taken its shortcut, it could've been perfect. I was first turned off when I heard its the-guy-with-Micahel-Douglas who'd play the part of Peter/Spiderman, but it turned out good. As for Kirsten Dunst as "spiderman's b*tch" (so'd the then- child actress have told David Letterman) - well, they coul've opted for someone else to've played the role of Mary Jane Watson. The other turn off for me in the movie is the soundtrack and appearance of that forgettable pop singer - they could've really done better in this aspect (I's thinking of MN OIL, being that there've been rumours back in '78 to put their vocalist Peter Garrett in Spidey spandex costume (year that I got converted since to be a fan of Spide at six years old)). Good AEROSMITH theme rendition though. And so we now come to its lurking sequel with the leering villain Doc Ock -- smells like romance for Pete's aunt ? We'll see, unless if they'd dodge that storyline as well. Overall rating 9 out of 10
Rating: 
Summary: Not only a great movie, but a great DVD
Review: As an old fan of the comic book for 15 years, I was eagerly awaiting the release of this film. Sam Raimi did not dissapoint and it has since become one of my favorite movies. Not only is it one of my favorite movies, but it's also one of my favorite DVDs. in typical Marvel style, this DVD is loaded with extra features that are just as entertaining as the film. The DVD features two excellent audio commentarys. the first is by director Raimi, Producer Curtis, Actress Dunst, and producer Ziskin. While a lot of DVD commentaries can get kind of confusing with 4 people talking, this commentary is actually split up, as Dunst and Ziskin recorded theirs at a seperate time than Raimi and Curtis. The audio will switch back and forth between the two depending on who had the most interesting comment about a scene. I actually watched the film with the commentary immediately after watching the movie, something which I can never usually do because I get bored too easily. The second commentary is by the visual effects team. I wasn't as entertained with this one but it is fairly interesting to hear their stories about what went on with the stunt work and some of the scenes. Two music videos are included, as well as HBO and E! "Making-Of" featurettes. One of my favorite DVD extras are the screen tests with Toby Maguire and J.K. Simmons (JJ Jameson). These are always a lot of fun to watch. The DVD is further fleshed out by a short outttake reel and trailers. Then Marvel comes in, and includes all kinds of comic-book extras that explore the history of Spider-Man in the comics, Peter Parker's girlfriends, some common Spider-Man enemies, and an excellent comic book archive. Even with all of that, there are still features I haven't mentioned, like a "Spider-Sense" navigational feature that lets you click on an icon at certain points in the film. This brings up mini featurettes that explore things like how a production set was designed or an interview with the "Spider-Wrangler." This is a fantastic film, and an even better DVD that has just enough information and fatures for the most hard core Spider-Man fans. For the price, it's definately an excellent buy.
Rating:
Summary: Was Well Worth the Wait
Review: It took many years to get this project done and it certainly delivers as not only a great super hero story but a great film in general that has something to please all movie-goers. From Peter's relationships with his Uncle and Aunt, his persuit of Mary Jane, and the valuable lesson he learns when he abuses his powers (with great power comes great responsibility). The special effects were amazing and the choice of the Green Goblin as the tortured Norman Osbourn was perfect. Whatever you do, don't miss this one. Really worth owning on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: $$$
Review: Here's another example of CGI junk food.
They aim this at kids to make big bucks. They serve up computer graphics and fill it in the rest with silly comic book antics.
Yet another marketing tool that's not science just fiction.
Effects and violence are no substitute for art.
Rating:
Summary: Sam Raimi, Sam Raimi! DVD is packed with extras!
Review: The best thing about Spider-Man is the fact that Hollywood has managed to catch Sam Raimi properly and stick him with a better budget. He does have a string of well made movies behind him (Evil Dead, A Simple Plan, Darkman, The Gift) but nothing that says he can handle a Summer Blockbuster movie. However his resume does speak volumes about his trek through the world of superheros and the supernatural and so deservingly and rewardingly they have allowed this man to finally spin a golden celluloid web of mystery, intrigue, action and dark justice. Spider-Man is the first foray for the new "Marvel" co-production team. Here they have managed to pick up a fan boy director who is committed to translating a comic book hero onto the screen. Not only that but he is also translating a whole comic book onto the screen. Fans, of both Raimi and Spider-man, should feel very happy with the final result. This film is about the character Peter Parker as much as it is about Spider-Man (Great casting and played to form by Tobey Maguire although I think Jason Patrick would make a good older version of Spider-Man.). Here we see him acquiring his skills, learning his skills and then finally using them. The movie takes almost one hour to get cooking in the Spider-Man vs Bad Guys department, but you do not care because much of what is on display here is a good old fashioned teenage drama about the short-comings of adulthood, love and geekness. Parker, his family, his school friends and his wanna-be-girlfriend are all fully fleshed out. Much of it matches with the reality we live in and it is all played out very realistically and at times with lots of humour. However when Spider-Man turns dark, and it does turn dark, it is very twisted, emotionally challenging and does swing between that fine line of lynch mob revenge and real justice. The premise is simple but complex in the execution. Kid gets bit by radioactive spider, transforms into superhero, meets an anti-superhero (The Goblin) with similar problems who wants revenge for crimes committed against him by the government. Where Spider-Man scores in aces is with the fact that the two Superheros know each other well but do not know each others alter ego. This makes for an emotionally charged ending when all is finally unmasked. Spider-Man does suffer some setbacks. The budget is not quite as high as expected and the special effects can be a little lacklustre at times, however expertly done at other times. The special effects here are hit or miss and at times do look like the CGI we had seen back in the early 1990s. However all of this can be panned aside quickly by the sheer display of action and acting with all... and I mean ALL... that this genre can offer with ample amounts of family values and teenage dilemmas. There is even a final shot of a half-masked Spider-Man where Parker is a reflection of his torn self proving that this character carries lots of psychological fun to boot. This actually has a way more depth that you would expect and to its credit the character department is expertly handled. **As a note the action in the film transcends its PG-13 rating. The action is at times extremely violent and somewhat bloody. In fact the ending is closer to an R rating but because this is fantasy violence in the same vein as Lord of the Rings it gets the PG-13, but maybe pre-viewing by concerned parents should be adopted before showing it to their kids.**
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.
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