May be the best movie based off of a comic so far.

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2002)

I saw Spiderman last night and was thoroughly impressed. This is not a typical Sam Raimi production. It is much better. It doesn't sacrifice the plot to take advantage of every opportunity to tell a joke. Having said that, it DOES have a number of great lines. Spiderman is funny---just like in the comic book. J. Jonah Jameson is hysterical in the same way he has been in the comic book. NY has the same relationship with Spidey that it does in the comic. But the movie isn't slavish to the comic book. It doesn't feel like a tired rehashing. Everything is fresh about it.
I was unprepared for the quality of the script and the acting. (I knew Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe would be fantastic, but I was shocked by how good Kirsten Dunst was as Mary Jane. Dunst was totally engaging an loveable in Drop Dead Gorgeous, but I didn't think she could pull off the role of the sexpot model MJ Watson. They tweaked it a bit and made her an actor---she was credible as that and suprisingly sexy. As soon as I heard "wig", I thought she was a bad cast, but she more than held up her part of the movie. J.K. Simmons stole the show as JJJ though. He makes you wish he had more scenes.) My only complaints were minor. Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben) seemed a cut below the rest of the cast. I didn't feel any bond between him and Maguire, but luckily he won't be in the sequel. :)
Good scripts make good actors, and the script is borderline great (with the exception of the last 10 minutes, which seem a bit hamfisted.).
I worried about the special effects after watching the credits. I thought that the webswinging scenes might be unwatchable, but they were great. Really fast and slick.
It is a very well done movie. It may be the best movie based off of a comic so far. Probably as good as MIB, and will retain it's freshness better than X-Men or the first Batman did on subsequent viewings.