BEST FILM... EVER!!!

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2003)

WARNING: PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
"Spider-Man" isn't just the best comic-book based film ever... it's the best FILM ever.
I know it seems odd to say that about a comic book based film, but I stand by my statement. "Spider-Man" has the right amount of story, humor (and when it does show up, it isn't forced) and, above all else, heart.
Tobey Maguire gives the best performance of the cast as 17-year-old high school student Peter Parker, who eventually becomes the web-spinning Spider-Man after a bite from an escaped genetically-designed super spider during a field trip to Columbia University's Science Department. His relationships with the rest of the cast work beautifully, from his heart-to-heart talks with his Aunt May (played by Rosemary Harris) or with the woman he's loved since she moved next door to him at age 6, Mary Jane Watson (the gorgeous and talented Kirsten Dunst).
Visually - in terms of art-direction, costumes, etc. - the film is dazzling, with great performances from the cast - especially James Franco as Peter's troubled friend Harry Osborn, J.K. Simmons as the underused publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper, J. Jonah Jameson, Cliff Robertson as Peter's Uncle Ben, and even Willem Dafoe, who plays Norman Osborn/the evil Green Goblin, Harry's father and Peter's/Spider-Man's worst enemy.
The sound is great, and the musical score by Danny Elfman has some of the best themes to ever come out of his career (among such other memorable scores by Elfman like "Edward Scissorhands" and "Batman").
However, no film is perfect. Despite some editing flaws, the worst fact about "Spider-Man" is that it isn't for kids. The violence and language see to that. When I saw this film in the theatres 22 times (you read right -- 22!!!), I noticed kids crying during some of the fight scenes or the scene where the Goblin crashes into Aunt May's home (or even just scenes showing the Goblin in general) scared the little kiddies so bad that several parents took their young ones out of the theatres. Just because "Spider-Man" is based on a comic character who has been seen in various cartoon series for children, it doesn't mean the FILM version is appropriate. It IS PG-13 for a reason.
Nevertheless, "Spider-Man" delivers it all and more, with memorable performances, some of the music beautiful and heroic musical score from Danny Elfman's career, a good story, a good moral and, best of all, 2 hours of web-spinning excitement.
That, and an upside-down smooch between Spider-Man and Mary Jane in the pouring rain.
'Nuff said, indeed.