Great Comic Book to Movie adaptation

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2002)

If you are a Spider Man fan, or if you don't know who Spider Man is, this movie is for you. It is a great example of translating a comic book into a movie while retaining the "spirit" of the original story without being bound to it.
The origins of Spider Man the comic book hero are different than those of Spider Man the movie hero. Yet I felt that the story was appropriate for today's technology and for the big screen.
The sequence of scenes where Peter discovers his super powers made the movie worth while by itself. The character development that turned him into a super hero however, made the movie excellent.
The casting of Toby Maguire as Peter Parker/Spidey, worked well. The actor who played JJ Jameson, JK Simmons, was over the top enough to portray the character without being so exaggerated as to be useless. Willem Dafoe did ok as the Green Goblin, but I think the writing (or editing?) let him down where there could have been a bit more done with that character. Kirsten Dunst played the anguished Mary Jane with aplomb.
The CG enhancements looked better on the big screen than in some of the earlier commercials, IMHO. And gave Spidey the "super hero" ability that "plain ol' acting" just can't do.
All in all I give the movie two thumbs up. More praise would I give it, had I but more thumbs.