A great adaptation!! **Minor spoiler**

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2002)

I saw this last Friday and was very pleased with it. To make a live-action version of a comic book is difficult, and Sam Raimi and co. successfully deliver on this one.
Tobey Maguire was an excellent casting choice, providing the right bumbling, geeky science-obsessed nerdy high school boy characterization.

Like Tim Burton's 'Batman', this film has the correct comic book feel to it, but unlike 'Batman' and 'Dick Tracy', the aesthetics were not made to look comic-bookish. The colors, lights, and buildings, etc. were all normal looking, which IMO fit this movie as it didn't have the intensity that 'Batman' had.
The movie was very clever, creative, and humorous. Also unlike 'Batman' as I mentioned, 'Spiderman' was much less intense and less violent. The emphasis seemed to be more on the psychological and humorous aspects of Spiderman rather than the action aspects, which may dissatisfy some true comic book fans.
My only complaint-the Green Goblin character. For one, the costume was ridiculously simple and low-key. It looked like something a kid would get from the five-and-dime for Halloween-totally laughable!! How could the filmmakers screw up so badly on that one? I also thought the Green Goblin's demise at the end was too simple and kind of stupid. A better death would of been for him to become the victim of that special ball weapon he had that obliterated people. His son could of heard about Dad's death another way other than to see his body, which obviously wouldn't exist anymore if he was obliterated.
Sam Raimi's usual trademark touches of in-your-face, startling action is perfect for the action-movie genre, he was an excellent choice for the Spiderman films. Now the only question is, will the sequel measure up??

I give this film 8/10.