Thought provoking and entertaining superhero fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2008)

This adaptation of the Marvel comic about an ordinary guy being turned into a spider brings out some wonderful stories, a great tale of the human spirit in Sam Raimi's 2002 box office hit.
Tobey McGuire (Seabiscuit) stars as high school student Peter Parker who gets bitten by a super spider on a class trip and with issues regarding the love of his life, school and his family, Parker's life is changing dramatically.
Having never read any of the comics but seeing the odd cartoon episode on the TV I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I first rented this film out but it was a very pleasing watch, filled with action suspense and a good plot for the whole family to enjoy.
McGuire fits the role of the stereotypical teen brilliantly. He plays the role quietly and through the narration we get a sense of his true feelings. I wasn't a fan of this technique but it was good to get more depth to the intriguing character as he goes through very difficult and interesting changes.
Dunst (Interview with the Vampire) plays Parker's love interest Mary Jane. There is good chemistry between the two actors and although the dialogue is cheesy and predictable, it is kinda sweet. The infamous upside down kiss was very well directed and probably the best on screen kiss I've seen.
Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the vampire) is excellent as Norman Osborne, perhaps the best performance of the film. His portray of good and evil makes his performance varied and intriguing. The mirror scene was a brilliant acting moment to emphasise the contrasts.
The plot is fairly consistent. The drama behind scenarios involving Uncle Ben and the change into Spiderman are brilliant whereas some of the teenage school scenes are conventional, predictable especially the opening scene on the bus.
The direction and special effects are great and the whole ideology of the hero is brilliant making it an enjoyable and thought provoking superhero fantasy.