Rating: Summary: 50/50 split for the comic book fans Review: Being and avid collector of the Spiderman comics, I was disappointed with the liberties taken to transfer the story to film... but as a fan of the comic I felt they tried to squeeze too much into 2 hours. The deviations I did not like included his origin, his discovery of his transformation and the romance with Mary Jane Watson...They should have at least left in the webshooters that he invented. Now for what I did like about the movie. His transformation happening over night makes more sense than the comic. His learning curve on swinging from his webs were funny and more 'realistic'. The special effects and action scenes were awesome to say the least. The Green Goblin costume was a passable interpretation of the comic, but a bit hokey. Randy Savage as the wrestler was a humorous casting and a welcome interpretation...Over all I liked the movie...it is a fine movie, but you'll find yourself longing for more
Rating: Summary: ... Review: I've gotta admit, I didn't expect [spiderman] to be such a hit, I also didn't expect it to be such a phenemonemon. My expectations were wrong. Spiderman is probably one f the best movies I have seen in agood while. It is a great mix of action, romance, action, and drama. Tobey MAguire was just born to be spiderman. he is a great actor. Also this DVD is a great example of a DVD player. It is loaded to the brim with special features, and DVD rom features. The special affects are just plain and simpley absoulutely beautiful! It is some of the greatest affects of all time(although not pioneering) All in all I would reccomend any comic book fan, or anybody else to come and see this wondeful movie. I can't wait for the sequel. ~Daniel~
Rating: Summary: Defenently one of the best movies this year!! Review: If you want something you can probably enjoy forever this is it. There's some violence and would probably scare little kids. But this is for the big kids. Really cool. Clean,honest, TOTTALY fun. You'll really enjoy it. The movie takes you right along with it, and I got tottally enveloped by the story-line. Always wanting more. The effects were very good. On the levil with Star Wars, (better than the Phantom Menace) and the music was good. What really gets me into it is 'cause Parker started out as just an ordinary kid next door. And that just gives you something to relate with this character from the very biggining. I just got wrapped up in the story, it's really great. I think you'll enjoy it. Don't miss SPIDER-MAN!
Rating: Summary: A very pleasant surprise Review: When I first read that Tobey Maguire was cast as Peter Parker, I was crestfallen. "Tobey Maquire?!?!" I thought to myself. "Surely, there's someone better than that for the role!" Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Tobey Maquire plays Peter Parker in an endearing way that portrays both the human and the superhuman side of our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. He's perfect in the role! Having grown up with the Marvel Comics classic, I was a little skeptical of the whole project from the get-go. I didn't want another campy, cutesy movie based on a comic book that would ruin all the great feelings I had about the superhero. Thankfully, director Sam Raimi managed to pull it off -- with a little help from Maquire, Kirsten Dunst as MJ, Willem Dafoe as The Green Goblin, and a few other great character actors. Sometimes, movies based on books (or even comic books) require a knowledge of the material before the movie makes sense. That's not the case with Spiderman, however. This movie can be enjoyed with no prior knowledge of Spidey whatsoever. If you're looking for a little light entertainment, and want a fun, entertaining movie that's head and shoulders above most others released this past year, give Spiderman a try. Don't let the comic book theme or the hype scare you off. It's not a childish or overblown movie at all. Spiderman easily qualifies as one of my favorite movies of the past couple of years. I'm looking forward to the inevitable sequel!
Rating: Summary: Good for what it is Review: This movie isn't meant to be high-brow entertainment, nor is it overly pretentious (like "The Man Who Wasn't There"). It's a good adaptation of a comic book, with dialogue that doesn't insult the intelligence of adults, but which can also be enjoyed by younger viewers.
Rating: Summary: Just Not Good Enough... Review: I love this movie. I would have bought the DVD even if it only had the movie on it, with few extras. But I find it truly disappointing that they include tons of non-movie related stuff. The videos are nice. The comic art gallery is nice. BUT WE ALL KNOW THEY RESHOT THE ENDING TO REPLACE THE WORLD TRADE CENTER FINALE. That's the "out-take" I want to see. And even as it is, the out-takes and gags they do include are pretty weak... So I give it three stars for basically being a glorified commercial for the comic book. DVDs are supposed to be about the MOVIE, stupid.
Rating: Summary: Pop those corns...its time for Spidey Review: An excellent effort. The 2-disc set is chock full of extras and even without a home theater system, the discs will still play smoothly and loudly. Cast is great. Maguire, Dunst, Dafoe all played their roles magnificiently. You'd feel sympathy for Dafoe's brilliant potrayal of a man with a split personality. But in the end, its either him or Spidey...so bye-bye Goblin. Kirsten Durnst is sadly only used as eye candy and for the typical 'damsel in distress' scenes. Hopefully a stronger MJ Watson role will be written for her in the sequel. JK Simmons was not used fully in his Jonah Jameson role. Thats an oversight that should be addressed in the sequel as well. Many scenes in the movie were adapted straight from the Amazing Spider-Man comics and Amazing Fantasy #15 and fans should be able to recognise them. Geeks rule (including those without the abilities of a spider)!
Rating: Summary: Only 5 Stars? Spider-Man DVD Gift Set Infinitely Worth More Review: I received my limited edition Spider-Man DVD set today ahead of schedule, and I was beyond elated. I'm childishly giddy & crying tears of joy...and I have yet to invest significant time with all the items. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but like many of the childhood Spidey fans that helped the theatrical release bring in $115 million in its first weekend, owning such a special film & collectibles is a must-have. Though, even if you don't want to spend extra for the gift set, everyone should at least have a DVD or even VHS copy of the movie. You'll appreciate the movie for the naturally human interactions and emotions the character portrayals bring to life in this extraordinary "save-the-world" superhero story. As for the other gift set contents, they complement the DVD well. I was born long after the Amazing Fantasy #15 comic book was originally released, so the reprint collectible is a wonderful bonus. The film cel and limited edition lithographic reproduction will make an attractive addition to anyone's display frames/cases. Of course, the set would not be complete without something showcasing & honoring Spider-Man's creator - Stan Lee's Mutants DVD. The sequel won't be released until 2004, but at least, we Spidey fans - old and new - will have something to keep us highly entertained until then.
Rating: Summary: Not Your Average Superhero! Review: I missed seeing this movie in the theaters and couldn't wait for it to hit the video stores so I could see what everyone has been talking about. I'm not a big fan of CGI effects, so I wasn't buying all the hype about them. I was pleasantly surprised to find that CGI effects have improved greatly. Although it is still noticable when a digital actor is performing a stunt, the CGI actors are quite well-done. I was also pleased to see that many fo the stunts were done by the actors themselves - most especially the fight scenes. It's nice to see that the makers of this film didn't go overboard with all of the effects, remembering that there has to be some acting and a storyline to make the film worth seeing. It should be noted that this is not exactly the Spider-man of the Marvel Comics we all read as kids. The spider that bites Peter Parker is not radioactive in this movie - just bio-engineered. Some of the story was altered in a way to make this a modernized version of the comic book tale. Some other things you should know before seeing the movie: Spidey's web is not manufactured, but a part of his genetically altered self. The time-frame of the movie requires that the Peter Parker - Mary Jane Watson relationship develops alot faster. You know there will be sequels, but look how long it took for Parker and Watson to get together in the comics. Despite some of the changes made to the original story, I loved this film. I especially liked seeing a more in-depth look at Mary Jane's life outside of the "in-crowd". Tobey Maguire's portrayal as the class-nerd-turned-superhero is excellent. Kirsten Dunst does a great job as Mary Jane. And what can I say about Willem Defoe's performance as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin? Superb! No one will ever top this portrayal of the Green Goblin! The rest of the cast also does a great job in their roles as well! As far as the special items on the DVD, I haven't had the chance to check them all out, but I will say that the gag section was great. I was only disappointed with the screen tests. The only true screen test in the buch was J.K. Simmons' reading as J. Jonah Jameson. The other scenes in this section are really practice scenes, not screen tests. Otherwise, a great DVD! You should definitely check it out!
Rating: Summary: Absolutely fantastic! Review: Obviously, I enjoy the film. I'll leave reviews of that up to other people. I want to write about the limited edition collector's gift set. The extra DVD is worth the price of the set if you are a comic geek such as myself. The interviews with Stan Lee are wonderful. Watch and learn again why we love this man so dearly (though Kevin Smith might have stopped saying "uh-huh" and "right" after almost every word Stan said). The interview with Stan's wife is equally delightful. We get to listen to The Man read a fantastic poem he wrote years ago, and we are treated to some home movies! The comic reprint, the film cell and lithograph are definite Must Have's for any comic fan. The "regular" DVD extras are also fantastic. The interviews with the different comic writers and artists bring a lot of insight into the evolution of our favourite Webhead, and the synopses of the various villains encountered by Spidey are great. I haven't listened to the commentary tracks yet, but am certain they will be great....
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