A bit corny at some scenes but pretty good overall

Rating: 6/10 (19 June 2005)

When I first saw Spider-Man I had a good time and walked away happy. But now after seeing it again last night on TV I'm a bit disappointed. Spider-Man is the story based of a comic book about Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), a nerd living in New York, being bitten by a genetically altered spider and receiving special, spider powers from it. While Parker deals with his new found powers he must deal with the growing menace of the Green Goblin who may very-well turn out to be closer to him then he could ever imagine.
The film is visually stunning with Spider-Man swinging through New York and some special-effects. But as the visuals and effects triumph some weak story-telling and little character developments hit the film hard. The whole film I felt that Mary Jane Watson(Kristen Dunst) was a complete waste and just ridiculous when all of a sudden a complete stranger is helping her and the very next scene she's making out with him.
Tobey Maguire is pretty tough and pretty cool. He brought out the real dorky side needed to make Peter Parker a successful character. Above all Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/Green Goblin)and J.K. Simmons (J. Johan Jameson)was excellent. All the actors acted pretty well and brought a sense of feeling to there characters. I don't blame Dunst entirely for the weak job as Watson, I just always imagined her being just a bit smarter (ex: she begins to walk down a back alley in the pouring rain at midnight not expecting to encounter any trouble) and having more of a role then just being the love connection to Parker.
Another problem was why they made the Green Goblin out to be the villain. With all of the great villains in Spider-Man comics (ex: Venom and Electro) they choose the Green Goblin. they did follow what the Green Goblin did in the comics but it would have been a lot cooler if Venom had been the villain. Venom was just awesome and truly frightened me as a kid.
But Spider-Man brought back the genre of super hero films and Spider-Man 2 turned out to be one of the best super hero films made. Spider-Man isn't a bad film but it does get pretty corny at some scenes including the fight scene along the bridge. But the acting is strong and Willem Dafoe brings it from me not recommending it.
Spider-Man. Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kristen Dunst,James Franco, and Rosemary Harris.
3 out of 5 Stars.