A little less talk and a lot more action

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2004)

Although this movie as a whole was entertaining, it had it's moments when you were looking at your wristwatch wondering when the next "good scene" would arrive. Although romance is good in a comic book & its big screen counterpart, it shouldn't be the heart of the movie. My feeling is that Sony Pictures was trying to target a larger co-ed audience and not target specifically the males exclusively. In addition to the romance storyline, the story further developed the life and emotions of Peter Parker and the effects of his uncle's death towards him and Aunt May.
Another key point is that this movie needed more action between the villain and hero. Spidey's key nemesis isn't introduced in full-villain form until almost 45 minutes into the movie. Aside from fiscal/possessional gain, Doc Ock doesn't have any real purpose for opposing Spidey. Also, there isn't but about 10 minutes of dueling between the two of them.
As far as the acting goes I think Maguire does not fit the mold of Spidey. I have a lasting image of the constipated look on Parker's face as he's trying to long jump the gap between the two buildings. The best acting in the movie would belong to J.K. Simmons (J.J. Jameson).
Any true Spider-Man fan will like the movie for the comic nature of it alone, but will still be longing for the ultimate comic-book-to-big-screen conversion that I haven't seen since Tim Burton's Batman.