Superman for todays crowd

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 2007)

Delivering nearly all the blockbuster potential it held, Spider-Man burst onto the public consciousness in 2002, surpassing even the most generous sales expectation to become one of modern cinemas highest grossing films. Basically a catalyst behind the never ending glut of comic book franchises today, the movie proved to be an extremely agreeable update of essentially the same qualities which made Superman just as endearing in the old days. Borrowing a little heavily from that prototype, as is the original Stan Lee based comic, lies the same geeky alter ego who works at a newspaper while pursuing crime and the girl he loves in secret. Nothing really strays too far from that quintessential superhero lore, but if anything, puts it all in one very entertaining and accessible package for all shapes and sizes to enjoy.
Part of the winning strategy behind this success story was the smart idea of putting veteran gore hound Sam Raimi on the case. Raimi was a fixture with 80's cult horror, providing the wonderfully crazed Evil Dead series amongst other demented fare. Having graduated with flying colors from the clutches of low budget horror, Raimi went on to direct more standard Hollywood fare, but it was the great stroke of casting him as director of this franchise that really made him a household name to middle America. Whoever knew that Raimi would be the right man for the job must have known what they were doing, for there was hardly a hint he would be capable of sustaining this kid-friendly, adult-entertaining film while retaining the integrity of the original comic books which it's based upon, though after a few frames of this easy to swallow comic adventure it becomes clear he was ideal. Raimi walks a fine line between Marvel geekdom and general audience appeasement, crafting a balanced piece of work that should appeal to a surprisingly large and varied demographic.
The action is intense but bloodless, conveying the painful struggles Spider-Man endures facing his enemies, but never making the violence mean spirited so a younger crowd may enjoy as well. The much touted CGI effects still retain a wondrous sense of physicality five years later, articulating the most romanticized superhero homage since the original man of steel whenever the camera takes flight with Peter Parker. Spidey himself could not have been better cast; Tobey Maguire silenced nearly all critics with his powerfully introverted but accessible performance, filling out plenty of shiny sequences with a greater sense of depth then the genre usually provides. J.K. Simmons offers some wonderfully crafted comic relief in a brief supporting role, but Willem Dafoe oversteps a cartoonish boundary when portraying murderous alter-ego Green Goblin.
All in all, a triumphant accomplishment for this team, worthy of the big interest it initially received due to Raimi's winning approach. Spider-Man still suffers from many of your typical Hollywood clichÃ©s, especially if one still holds the fossilized Superman franchise in high regard, but there seems to be enough passion coming from nearly all involved to take the crown as current champ of superhero productions.