An action packed hit with a strong character-driven core.

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2002)

Sam Raimi's done a marvelous job of capturing the spirit and integrity of the classic comic. The first half is pure joy as we see nerdy Peter Parker transform into the human spider. The pacing and plot development is great and Raimi throws in some neat unique cinematic devices to show the development of Peter's power. Tobey Maguire is, dare I say, perfectly cast in the roll. His awkwardness, the bewilderment in his new powers, the realisation that he has become obligated to do great things, all come off in a genuine and moving progression. Equal to the task is Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborne/The Green Goblin. Raimi does a nice job of building up his character's decent into madness which lets the audience fully understand why he becomes bad. Dafoe even gets some really great 'actorly' moments that truly sell the character in an inspired way
There is a bit of a letdown in the back half, largely because they're trying to juggle and wrap up a fairly complicated story. While not dissappointing, some scenes, especially the final, come off forced, but they all serve a purpose for future installments so one can't judge too harshly.