Faithfull adaptation, good performances, but slow

Rating: 5/10 (13 June 2002)

It has been a good many years since I read a `Spider-Man' comic and I would say that, failing lapses in memory, this was a very faithful adaptation. Yes, there are probably minor points that the hardcore fans would object to - the organic webshooters, Mary Jane Watson's white trash background, the Green Goblin's outfit, the different circumstances that lead to Peter Parker's first meeting with the mugger that would change his life - but these were minor and did not affect the the story.
What absolute perfect casting Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe were as the leads. Tobey Maguire  fine actor as we all knew, but I was especially impressed with Willem Dafoe. Like many people before the film went into production I read that the part of the Green Goblin had been offered to John Malkovich, and I was sad that he eventually decided to turn the part down. Now I would say that I could not imagine any other actor but Willem Dafoe in the role. He was brilliant. And as for Kirsten Dunstshe has become a very beautiful and attractive woman, probably the only qualification required for the part of Mary Jane Watson.
There are a couple of criticisms. The special effects were not what they could have been. Everybody has said that. Post-production haste? The film also suffered in exactly the same way as the first Christopher Reeve `Superman' in that it was too slow and too long. It seemed that there was an awful lot of essential back story to fill in, and the film does fill it all in, and at great length. But, saying that, now that the back story is out of the way, `Spider-Man 2' looks like it could be a total classic in much the same way that `Superman 2' was a total classic of its kind.
And I do hope that Sam Neill does play Dr. Octopus!