"This is my gift. My curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-Man." 10 years later, it's still amazing!

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2012)

Before I saw this movie, I didn't really care for Spider-Man that much. Summer of 2002 when it came out, my Dad and I went to see it and I thought it was incredible! Even today 10 years later, I still get a thrill out of it, and it's a movie that has stayed in my imagination for a long time.
It's a great origin story about how Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) becomes Spider-Man after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider, and becomes a superhero after his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson, RIP) is killed by a carjacker. He later battles the Green Goblin who is really Norman Osborn, the father of Peter Parker's best friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco). I still love how the movie ends. Peter is walking away from Mary Jane who has just kissed him and realized that he could be Spider-Man since she kissed Spider-Man earlier in the movie. In a voice over, Peter says, "Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift. My curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-Man." And it shows Spider-Man swinging through New York City.
Tobey Maguire is in my view, the best actor to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man yet, and accurately captures the awkwardness and caring personality of the character. Kirsten Dunst who plays Mary Jane is great even though I wish she didn't play damsel in distress so much in this movie. My Dad and I joke around about the famous scene where she and Spider-Man kiss each other in the rain with Spider-Man hanging upside down. As for, Willem Dafoe who plays the main antagonist Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, he is insanely good, since he always plays an excellent bad guy, and the rest of the cast such as Rosemary Harris, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and J.K. Simmons bring their "A" game. Sam Raimi was an excellent choice for the director since he was a big fan of the Spider-Man comics as a kid. He definitely brought what he knew into the story, even though he made some changes in this version. Honestly, I don't have a problem with changes he made.
I know that because of the new Spider-Man coming out this year, fans of that film are hating this movie and the other two and embracing the new one. In all fairness, I will always love Sam Raimi's trilogy regardless of how successful the new Spider-Man films are even though I'm looking forward to the new series.
10 years later, I still give this movie a thumbs up.