If only...

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2003)

The whole point of Spider-Man is what would happen if a real person was a superhero? What if a superhero really existed? In real life? What if there was a superhero, not a Kryptonian in fictional Metropolis, but a real kid in New York?

The suit used in the movie just emphasised the fact that the film was a typical superhero movie. It's a given that superheroes in films have cool costumes; Batman, Spawn, the X-Men, etc. So Spidey followed this, as the audience expected. But the whole point is that Peter can't make a cool, high-tech costume because he doesn't have the resources or the means. He's just a kid, doing what he can.

If Spider-Man actually existed, he would look like the Nicolas Hammond 1970's TV version. A cheap, garish and silly costume (in the comics, Spidey's costume was often criticised) is exactly what Spidey originally wore in the comics and so wore in the TV show, and would wear in real life.

The cheap costume is endearing. It shows this average guy is doing his best to be a superhero, trying his hardest with the little he has. We can all relate to it, as it's about as good as the average person could do, no better.
I feel if the director Sam Raimi and co had been brave enough to make a film of the Spidey concept (a superhero in real life, cheap costume and all) and not try and animate comicbook panels, then we'd really be onto something.