Not great

Rating: 1/10 (3 February 2003)

Okay, first let me say, that I have not got a problem with the changes made to the film, in fact they kinda made the film cooler. But here's where I lost interest. Tobey McGuire is not very good as Peter, in fact, he seems bored, which is never very good for a leading man to be. And he has impressed me, especially in films such as the Cider House Rules, so I don't hate him. Kirsten Dunst is pretty good as Mary Jane, Uncle Ben should have been allowed appear for longer, as he is integral to Spider-man's origin, ***possible spoiler*** his death is like a key scene in a play, but it is brushed over very quickly, which seems lazy.*** The relationship between Norman and Harry, is very interesting, much more so than the main story, and is the one really developed portion of the film. But back to Tobey. Well, in my opinion, Tobey is not able to convey the sense of responsibility which, look at the spoiler, taught him. That speech he makes to MJ at the hospital, about what he told Spider-man, was cringe inducing, really over the top sappy. He is also not physical at all. Like Keaton in Batman, Tobey is rarely in the suit, and so all of Spidey's stunts are by stuntmen. These include even the basic, like where Spidey webs down before kissing MJ and the simplest fights (all classic poses are assumed by stuntmen) and so Dafoe was right about him being a wimp. I know this might seem like nit-picking, but actors who do all or most of their stunts seem to absorb the idea of the character more, and get into the role better. Some don't like Dafoe, or the Goblin outfit, but I think the suit works in the film and is really cool, and also Dafoe outclasses McGuire. The only good thing for me was the the costume, which was great. Some scenes of CGI were poor, but the last 2 minutes of it was the best part of the movie for me. Many will say that it's only a summer blockbuster, but if they have read a comic of Spider-man, and I don't mean the issues included with the DVD (which were not the best, to be honest), then they'll be able to see where the filmmakers failed.
Overall, 6/10, the movie really caves halfway thru.