Has Its Flaws, But Still a Sure-Fire Success

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2007)

Spiderman is really the last notable comic super hero to make the transition to the cinemas. Luckily, the finished product proves to be worth the wait. Spiderman is better than all the Superman movies, every bit as good as X-Men (2000), and way better than three of the first four Batman films. Spiderman is, of course, a telling of how a nerdy high-school kid named Peter Parker transforms into Spiderman, and thus, a superhero. One day, while on a museum field-trip in New York City, Pete receives a bite on the hand by an exotic, unidentified, spider, that winds up giving him all the characteristics of an arachnid itself! But in this story, Parker isn't the only one undergoing a transformation of sorts. So too is a prominent scientist/engineer named Norman Osborne (Willem Dafoe), whose flawed science 'experiment' leads to the creation of his fiendish alter-ego: The Green Goblin. And yea, you guessed right- it's up to Spiderman to save NYC. There's a lot to like about this movie. Yea, Toby Maguire is one of Hollywood's most overrated actors, but he did do a pretty good job here in portraying Peter in as nerdy a light as possible, maybe even a little too much so. Much like Michael Keaton was with the Bruce Wayne persona, Maguire is successful in transmitting Peter's overwhelming social ambiguity and awkwardness. Kirsten Dunst is surprisingly impressive in her role as Mary Jane Watson, Parker's girl/obsession, but aside from standing there (including in the rain) and looking simply amazing, she really doesn't have much to do. She does, however, get to play "damsel in distress" three separate times in the final forty minutes of the film, a new Hollywood record. With the exception of James Franco, whose lifeless as Harry (Pete's friend), the supporting cast of Spiderman is very good, and features an unforgettable performance by J.K. Simmons as Parker's boss at the city newspaper. The Green Goblin, however, is the big letdown of the picture. Willem Dafoe is certainly sinister and even Anthony Hopkins-like creepy at times, but the Goblin itself is an absolute joke. He's marred by a corny script and an even cornier cackle, not to mention a costume that reminds us of a power-ranger. Still, Spiderman is a job well done, with good New York cinematography, above-average CGI graphics, and a decent storyline featuring dimensional and personable characters. Unlike other superhero films, the quality of it's script stays pretty strong, only wavering during the Spiderman/Goblin fight scenes. Spiderman is a perfect summer-time movie, with enough excitement and stuff going on in it to please viewers of all ages. Two thumps up.
Rating: 3 stars out of 4