Rating: 
Summary: Sticks On You
Review: I have never read a Spider-Man comic, save one written by a friend of mine, and I've only seen a couple episodes of the TV series, but I am now very interested in them. I was blown away by this film. The story was great, and the effects were stunning. I knew enough about Spider-Man's history to know that Sam Raimi didn't screw this film up. I originally thought that Tobey Maguire, as most people have agreed with, was wrong for the part, until I learned that Spider-Man was a nerdy kid to begin with. After I saw the movie, I realized that Maguire can play a wide spectrum of characters, and his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man was great. Kirsten Dunst was, I thought, good in most ways, but she seemed a little prone to changing her personality. Willem Dafoe was the best, though. He perfectly played Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, with the scenes where he's arguing with himself very believable. He was very creepy, and that made the movie even better. The only thing that I would have liked to have seen were more fights between Spidy and Gobby. Altogether, this was an amazing film.P.S.
After 9/11, a scene was removed with a giant spider-web between the World Trade Center towers. Personally, I would have liked to have seen this in the movie, as kind of a memory or tribute to the WTC.
Rating: 
Summary: The BEST movie EVER!
Review: This new 2002 edition of Spider-Man really rocks! It depicts everything perfectly. The special effects were awesome. Tobey Maguire was the perfect person to play Peter Parker! Also Kirsten Dunst was the perfect person for Mary Jane. The Green Goblin special effects were cool! The end was a sort of sad cliffhanger but I am not going to say what it is!...It is a must-see movie...Spider-Man just opened the door for what will probably be a new line of super-hero movies!
Rating:
Summary: Marvel History in the Making!!
Review: All I can say is WOW!!! From the opening scene to the end credits, I was blown away by the visual effects and storyline. Although there were a few differences between this version and the comic version, the story of Peter Parker and Spiderman are pretty accurate. Maguire does an excellent job playing Peter Parker, as did Dunst, who played Mary Jane "MJ" Watson. Excellent cinematography and special effects!!!
Rating:
Summary: To an Esteemed Friend
Review: Tonight Mr. George, Mr. Casey, and I had the privilege of seeing Sam Raimi's Spider-man. Mr. George informs me that you were disgusted with the film. I am taking the opportunity as a student of film - and one who has excelled in this study, may I add - to chastise you for your egregiously flawed judgment in this matter. I have just returned from iMDB, THE staple resource of movie buffs, and have rated the film a 10 (along with 2486, or 37.2% of other voters), placing the film at the statistically accurate rank of 94 in the Top 250 movies ever (according to iMDB polls, which are better than any stupid critic's short list). The reason for the film's high scores is one apparently lost upon you, and I can only mourn the lack of youthful vim and vigor that your panning of the film reveals. The reason the movie succeeds so admirably, despite what you may have termed its critical shortcomings (ironic, in fact, because many critics did not see the same failings; they overlooked them in light of the following), is that its goal was to bring to life a comic book that provided many a youth with fertile soil to allow his imagination to run wild. The movie was wonderfully acted in the sense that the goal was not to make a serious film (evidenced by the decision to use Sam Raimi as director - see the other films he's made). Neither was the goal to make a comedy. The goal was to bring to life a comic book, in all its glory. This was done perfectly. Frankly, I never liked Spider-man. I always thought he was a weakling. The reason I loved the movie is that despite my previous dispositions, I left wanting to be Spider-man. Movies are supposed to envelope us in a fantastic world, in which, for a brief moment in our slightly less brief and much more unpleasant realities, we find ourselves wishing with all our hearts that we could step into the celluloid. For myself and many, many other people, Spider-man accomplished just this feat, and reminded me again why I began to study film in the first place. I hope you see the error of your ways...
Rating:
Summary: No, That's Spider-man! Ruling New York & Our Thrilled Heart!
Review: Sam is back! The first show that started 9:10 a.m. was not a very happy experience for me, but it's good to see Sam Raimi regain his flair for rousing actions that has been laid aside since the 1990 "Darkman." And looking back from now, it was very fortunate that Cameron didn't take the helm of the production for the hero-image of "Spider-man" is more unconventional than all-American one, which Leo or Arnie might have been struggling to handle. No way. Anyone with some knowledge about comics or TV should have been already seen this wonder boy Tobey Maguire who gains his incredible power of hanging from walls and buildings. Unlike other superheroes, however, "Spider-man" emphasizes on his personality as an ordinary boy, who thinks of his extraordinary spider-like ability as a curse. And I bet you do, even if you got a kiss from Mary Jane in the form of Kristen Dunst while you're hanging from up above, showing only your lips! Yes, Sam Raimi shows again his deft skill at mixing those incongruous elements -- darkness behind heroism and romance between a boy and a girl -- and he even throws unexpected comical moments into this hero's adventure, making his Peter "Spider-man" Parker's character more human than you expect. There's no machismo, no obligatory love scene. But that's what Raimi's style all about, which curiously matches this unusual hero from Marvel Comic. So, don't try to find something similar to "Superman" here (though you get some funny allusions to this popular hero; watch how Tobey discloses his costume baring his breast on the street, the same way Christopher Reeve once did in the first "Superman" film.); the touch of the film is completely different, and though the film itself never forgets to entertain us with its exciting high-speed action sequences, the strength lies in its slightly off-beat presentation of this hero's life in America, and especially New York City. I was greatly amuzed to see the city depicted from a new perspective, that is of course, from high up above the city. Supporting cast is also very good, and my special mention goes to ever-getting gorgeous Kirsten Dunst, whose eccentric beauty goes along well hand in hand with Tobey Maguire's oddly amusing, droll superhero image. And it is only natural that Ms. Dunst's past filmography helps greatly -- you know, she was in "Interview with the Vampire" (she was a child vampire) and "The Crow -- Salvation" (wow ... with another dark hero). Though it doesn't have the groundbreaking special effects that impressed us in, say, "Matrix," "Spider-man" is a great achievement after all, which can be done only by first-rate crew and cast, and this case again, kudos to Mr. Raimi, to whom I really want to say: Welcome back, Sam, and please, please, don't make any more baseball film.
Rating: 
Summary: spiderman?
Review: I thought about giving Spiderman 4 stars but decided against it. This is the most boring action movie I have ever seen. Aside from the horrible CGI, it really really drags. Over 2 hours??? Why? Throw out all the useless, underdeveloped character (Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Harry Osbourne, all the insignificant references to Spiderman comic book personalities), and you might end up with a decent 1 hr 40 min film. And no it did not follow the comic book. Anyone who says that is lying...all the more reason to get rid of some characters. I fear the coming of Spiderman 2, or as I will call it, Spiderman Again. I know it will be rehash becasue of Hollywood's unrelenting philosophy... "If it makes a lot of money, make it again."
Rating:
Summary: Spider-Man swings to the top of the super-movie heap.
Review: Perhaps the best super-hero movie made to date, Spider-Man delivers on the hype with an updated and interesting take on the wall-crawler's origin and a wonderful performance from both Toby Maguire as Spidey/Peter Parker and Wilem Dafoe as the nemesis Green Goblin/Norman Osborn.
The characters seem to stay true to their classic motivations as backed up by some 40-odd years of mythology. There is something for all movie fans in this film, as the love-interest played by Kirsten Dunst as Mary-Jane Watson provides nice counterpoint to the battle scenes with Spider-Man and his various contagonists.
Also, in a small but dead-on role, the actor that plays J.Jonah Jamison, the editor of the paper 'The Daily Bugle' looks like he could have been cloned right from the comic book page, if such a thing were possible. His part is fun and funny.
It seemed like all the actors were having a good time with this project and it shows in the performances.
I wouldn't take my 5 year-old, though. The Green Goblin would scare the teeth out of his mouth!
Go see this movie as soon as you can.
Rating:
Summary: Go see this movie!
Review: Here's a short and sweet review: Spider-man had the perfect balance of everything - just the right mix of action, romance, visual effects, and great acting. Most of all this story was wonderfully told!!! Everyone who participated in this movie has something to really be proud of. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Spider-Man Swings
Review: Since his inception onto the comic book scene in 1962, Spider-Man has enthralled two generations of teens and adults alike. As a teenager I can vividly remember many days spent at my friend's house, seeing a Spider-Man comic book collection so large that it protruded from under his bed in a huge cardboard box. He kept each issue individually wrapped in its own plastic case, treating them like exquisite artifacts that an archaeologist might dig up at the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Despite who my friends were, I never really read comic books and thus failed to comprehend their appeal. However, I found the new cinematic adaptation of Spider-Man invigorating, injecting an infusion of vitality into a comic book movie I haven't experienced since director Tim Burton's Batman in 1989.
Spider-Man is a vast improvement over the recent X-Men movie adaptation. Spider-Man didn't suffer from the superfluous dull exposition that plagued X-Men. The first hour of the film entertained me more that the action packed second hour. We are treated to many humorous incidences when Peter Parker is discovering his new powers. At the screening I attended the theater erupted with laughter at them. The special effects worked because I felt I vicariously lived through Spider-Man as he spun his webs and swung across the canyons of New York City. It made my vertigo kick in. However, in certain scenes, Spider-Man appeared slightly too cartoonish and failed to blend into his non-computer generated surroundings. The final scene of the film illustrates my point.
Tobey Maguire proved to be a brilliant casting coup. He perfectly captured the quirky nerdiness of the teenage Peter Parker. After being bitten by a genetically engineered spider, Peter Parker wakes up the next day and discovers his new gifts; he at first, merely uses his powers for personal gain and does what any teen would do. He enters a wrestling competition to earn $3000 to buy a car to impress the object of his desire, Mary Jane Watson, played effectively by Kirsten Dunst.
Willem Defoe must have relished playing the dual role of Norman Osbourne and the Green Goblin. Upon drinking the enhancement serum, his personality is split. Defoe plays Osbourne's manic side to perfection. Director Sam Raimi utilized adroit editing to depict the simultaneous evolution of Peter Parker and Norman Osbourne. Defoe's a fine actor and proves it once again here with his villainous turn. He'll go down in the comic book movie villain hall of fame with Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor) and Jack Nicholson (the Joker).
Supporting characters, J.K. Simmons and James Franco gave phenomenal performances as J.J. Jameson and Harry Osbourne respectively. Simmons was hysterical and we can only hope his screen time is increased in the eventual sequel. Franco's performance reflected the mild jealousy he had of Peter Parker because Parker gained his father's admiration.
Spider-Man received an appropriate PG-13 rating because there were some scenes involving the Green Goblin that might be too scary for young children. Composer Danny Elfman's score for Spider-Man proved to be the most unremarkable thing about the film. I couldn't remember a note of it as I walked into my car in the parking lot immediately upon viewing the film. Could anyone say that about John Williams's score for Superman? I think not. The "Don't mess with New Yorkers," dialog near the climactic fight atop the Queensborough Bridge made me wince and cover my face. Such a blatant display of political rectitude in the wake of the September 11th tragedy should have been left on the cutting room floor.
Spider-Man ranks behind the first Superman film as the best comic book adaptation ever made. It's genuine fun. The thrilling actions sequences will quench the thirst of the summer moviegoer parched for excitement.
Rating:
Summary: World Wide Webbed
Review: Does whatever a Spider can. After watching Spider-man, you believe that a man can acrobatically swing from location to location on a web. 2002 Spider-Man is an incredible technical feat. This film, the first in a proposed series has 2 goals: It has to relate the 'origin' of the Spider-man and secondly to see him take on the villain, The Green Goblin. The origin of Spidey is nothing short of exceptional and loaded with fun. His first outfit design is fantastic. Tobey Maguire does a great job with the duality of Peter Parker and his alter ego. He even gets to balance the beautiful Kirsten Dunst, the girl who just might figure out his other side, but that is another story. Running concurrently is the rise of the Green Goblin played with scenery chewing aggressiveness by Willem DaFoe. Although this portion of the story is not as rewarding it is obligatory for a super-hero film. The film is smartly directed by Sam Raimi and like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter before, he avoids upsetting the source materials core fans. But, you can tell he has the most fun with the creation of the web-slinger even when he is working with CGI. Most of the films effects are created in the computer and even if they are not stellar, they work within the story so no questions are asked. There are occasional laps in logic, like when the police are on a hunt for Spider-Man and when they finally corner him, let him go and inexplicably stop pursuit for the remainder of the film. But that is irrelevant to the loud fun and visual splendor. Spider-Man is a welcome treat to mainstream filmmaking.
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