Rating: Summary: A pretty cool movie Review: Spider-Man is a good movie, and the special effects and all are pretty cool eye candy. The one big thing that most people will hate about this movie is how predictable it is. You can always guess what's going to happen next. But besides, that, it's amazing to see everyones favourite web-swinger swinging around and beating up the bad guys. If you liked X-Men, you'll like this one. It's a good buy.
Rating: Summary: Entertaining! Review: I am not a fan of superhero films, and I never read the "Spiderman" comic books. Nonetheless, I thought this was a very entertaining film--lots of action, great special effects, and the primordial archetypes control the centre of this tale.Willem Dafoe seemed to have great fun with the role of the ambitious executive who experiences metamorphosis and becomes the Green Goblin after experimenting on himself. I loved the way the Green Goblin announced his entrance with a maniacal laugh before he appeared, and his twisted logic was priceless. The scenes when Dafoe confronted his evil self were particularly well done. Another great character was the newspaper editor--J.Jonah Jameson, played by J.K.Simmons. Simmons carried off the brash, brusque nature of the editor who focuses on what readers want--regardless of the truth. I enjoyed his scenes very much. Anyway, you don't have to be a comic book fan to recognize the talent that made this film possible. I look forward to the sequel.
Rating: Summary: Spiderman: You Need Not be a Kid to Like It Review: Most people who fantasize about being a costumed superhero usually focus on the upside of super powers: extraordinary strength, zooming through the air, and the adoration of fans. Even back in 1962 with the appearance of the comic Spiderman, artists Stan Lee and Steve Ditko dared to show the flip side of a super powered hero. When Spiderman was not in uniform, he was your ordinary geeky high school science whiz, who, unlike Clark Kent, did not have to pretend to be a walking victim. As director Sam Raimi saw him, Spiderman is a walking mess of neuroses. Simply donning a costume does not change the inner man. Tobey Maguire, who plays Peter Parker, the Spiderman, does not allow his super powers to alter his basic sense of character. As a counterpoint to Parker, another superpowered human, the Green Goblin (Willim Dafoe), serves as a twisted doppleganger. Both Spiderman and the Green Goblin achieve their powers in such a way that tests them more internally than physically. With Parker, he is bitten by a radioactive spider that alters his DNA to give him the proportionate strength and agility of a spider. With the Goblin, he plays the Mad Scientist who uses himself as a guinea pig to test a drug that will give him powers roughly equal to those of Parker's. But in Parker's case, he has the advantage of his wise Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), who warns him that with great power comes great responsibility. Parker refuses to heed this sage advice at first, but later comes to realize its validity. There is no equivalent for the Goblin, who seeks only increasing power to fuel his own mania. Much of the charm of SPIDERMAN is visual. There are numerous scenes of both Spiderman and the Green Goblin launching themselves through space and from building to building. The scenes that accompany this visual treat bring to mind the similar scenes that Superman and Lois Lane played out in the earlier SUPERMAN movies, where Christopher Reeve saved Margot Kidder from falling from a skyscraper. Parker's romantic interest is Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), who is both sweet and believable as a young lady who drifts from one man to another until she discovers that her true love (Parker) has always been right there for her. The audience is never permitted to see the movie solely in terms of escapist derring do. Although much of SPIDERMAN is exactly that, its more subtle charm is in its insistence that behind the glamor of a mask and power must beat a heart that permits the hero to remember that raw power used without consideration for others is seen ultimately as making its possessor as weak and as pathetic as any science geek before he gets bitten by a spider that offers him a choice about life and ethics. Those like Peter Parker make the right choice and can still live a relatively normal life. Those like the Green Goblin do not and the inevitable loss of both stature and power makes him stagger about the stage, like a wounded King Lear, bemoaning life's terrible ironies.
Rating: Summary: Great modernization that remains close to the original tale. Review: Since Stan Lee was involved in the making of this film, it has stayed close in many respects to the original story, at least in so far as Spidey's inception. A fun action film, Toby definitely captures the spirit of Peter Parker, growing and learning to deal with his powers while growing into a man. Great flick!
Rating: Summary: Beware! Review: Beware!! Spiderman is here stronger than ever!! This movie is a really good transfer of a lot of children's childhood hero to the cinema and that is shown by the box-office success!! Director has picked really good parts of Spiderman's story to include in the motion picture and i think that the choice of the specific actors was really wise... Tobey is exactly the right person to play Spidey as he is around the same age as described in the animated series and is also really natural.I think the actions that Spidey takes in the movie are really demanding, although a lot of computer work has been done, but of course a lot of patience is needed by the actors and that makes the protagonist deserve recognition ! Generally a movie that is worth having! Especially the scene where Peter Parker beats up the "handsome" of the school is the part that every child would like to watch! Spidey is great and.... BE WARNED! Spiey can throw web and disarm all of you! He is the greatest super-hero ever and this is a fact! Bravo to the producers who decided to make such a good investment! Bravo to the actors and especially to Willem Dafoe who took part in this film! Well done to everyone in the cast and crew! A thrilling movie...for the ones who are original fans os Spiderman!! Keep on with a 2nd movie with more of your adventures Spidey! don't let us down...!
Rating: Summary: A great movie, with some interesting DVD bonus features Review: Spiderman is the best comic book hero movie adaptation I've seen to date. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, and other excellent cast bring a great script to life. The effects in the movie are excellent as well. The picture and sound quality on the Spiderman DVD are excellent. There are quite a few bonus features, including screen tests, that make this DVD collection a worthwhile purchase.
Rating: Summary: Some Extra Comments Review: When I see over 500 reviews on a title, I normally won't write one. However, I felt I needed to comment on a couple of items. I hope I don't repeat too much of what's already been said. First off, this is a great movie. I relate WAY too much to Peter Parker, and I'm reminded of many personal issues while watching the movie. Yes, the characters have some depth in this movie adaption as well as in the comics. J. K. Simmons is great as Jameson!! Only one Spider-Man trailer is on the DVD, and it's one I had never seen. It's not the trailer that showed Peter on the school trip taking photos of MJ. I think that one was the original trailer (not teaser) that was on the Spider-Man web site. The trailer on the DVD used the same music that was recently used in a Toyota Camry ad. The Spider-Man TV ads are also ones I had not seen. Not all of the promotional ads are included. The Cingular ad that used Spider-Man is here. Trailers for other movies are included: XXX, Men In Black II, Mr. Deeds. ...and a couple of others. I do feel the DVD menu could have been done better. It's not very clear which item is currently selected on the main menu. On the sub-menus, it's better except for items at the bottom that match the format of the main menu. You have to look for the little dots next to the item which will show it's selected. Nothing is highlighted, just those dots. The Pop-up Factoids are nice. They provide much background information about the movie and comics. Different graphics are used depending on which is being discussed. There is a black & white drawing based on the comics used as a border for anything related to the comics. Everything else uses a blue box with a color drawing of Spider-Man on one of the borders. There are a few typos like a "w" missing from the word "wrestling" on one. Proofreading could have been better, but it's not that bad. The typos mainly involved missing letters. There was one error that I found in the Factoids. Just after Aunt May mentions that everyone knows how Peter feels about Mary Jane, there are a few facts about the use of phone booths in comics. The BBC series, Dr. Who, used a police box, not a phone booth. Technical issues aside, Spider-Man is a great movie. Things that were changed for the movies can be debated, but I can understand the reasons for the changes. Green Goblin's suit was changed because it was the suit worn for the glider which was for a military contract. It needed to look like armor, not the original purple and green fabric. The glider suit didn't seem to include any helmet in the earlier shots. Although it wasn't as obvious, the Goblin wore a mask in the comic too. The idea of the mask becoming more of a helmet for the armour makes sense. It would have been nice to see the comic book version of everything, but I'm not totally against the updates. (I'm only familiar with the older comics - mainly reprints of the original ones from the 1960s.) Some details need to be changed because of the times. The public attitude toward radiation isn't the same as it was in the early '60s when the movies would show us all kinds of monsters and mutations created by it. Today, genetic engineering makes more sense. This is a great movie for fans, and the human issues make it more than simply a comic book movie. I would recommend the movie highly to fans and non-fans. Trivia: Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben) also appeared in the Batman TV series as the villian, Shame.
Rating: Summary: Spidey VS. Gobbi Review: I wasn't a big fan of Spidey until I saw this movie. I agree with all who say that it is probably the best comic book adaptation available. It isn't overly dark as the original Batman was, but it has it's moments. The Green Goblin/Norman Osborne actually has some dimension to him. In other super hero films, the bad guy often overshadows the good guy, but not so here. Let's all pray that this series doesn't go the way of Batman and Superman and slide into the sewage as the sequels begin.
Rating: Summary: I really didn't like this movie Review: Ok, some of the movie was good, but the story line was really bad. The action scenes were kinda cool but I would have rather seen another movie.
Rating: Summary: Web of Wonder Review: "Spider-Man" DVD is a spectacular special edition DVD that contains few minor flaws. Presented in a full-screen format, the picture quality is rich, vibrant but not quite "flawless" as I expected. The Dolby Digital sound is very enjoyable with good use of low bass. The animated menus are well done but aren't always terribly easy to navigate. This special edition 2-disc DVD contains Filmmakers' and SFX commentaries, behind-the-scene footage, music videos, trailers, TV spots and inside information in the world of "Spider-Man". Overall, this DVD scores a "A-".
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