Amazing Spiderman!!

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2002)

I was anxiously awaiting this movie. I expected high flying action, good fun, and a decent movie. What met me was three times that!! Sam Raimi blew me away with what is probably the best Super Hero film ever made. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't light-hearted, the phenomenal thing about this movie was that it was real. The world around Peter Parker and Spiderman was our world. Raimi did not "Comic Book-ize" the world like they did for Batman or Superman movies. It was our world, it was like looking right out our front windows.
Tobey Maquire was the ideal choice for the run of the mill kid, who is picked on and misunderstood and pining for the beautiful popular girl. The popular girl is played by Kirsten Dunst who we know can look like a goddess or in this case, truly, actually look like the girl next door. Raimi is brilliant...this movie was filmed in what I call real-life. He took a fantasy about a kid bit by a spider and brought Spiderman into the real world. Maguire and Dunst both look like the average kid and I don't think a lot of make up was used to cover their imperfections and blemishes. Instead Raimi allowed them to look like human beings. The story for Spiderman follows true to the comics. Peter Parker, while on a school trip is bit by a genetically altered Spider and wakes up the next morning, stronger, faster, healthier, with enhanced...well everything. Immediately thinking of his own personal gain, Parker uses his powers to take on a wrestler and when he's cheated by the wrestling promoter he gets even by allowing a crook to rob the Promoter. Moments later Parker discovers that by letting that crook get away his beloved Uncle Ben (who is like Peter's father) is murdered by that crook. From that moment on Peter Parker vows to fight injustice with the words of Uncle Ben ringing in his ears..."with great power, comes great responsibility." This movie spans the course of several years in Peter's life and Raimi covers that whole time without making us feel rushed or crammed together...instead it flows together, and leaves us riveted to the screen. Franco and Dafoe play Father and Son, and Dafoe during a experiment loses his mind and his personality is split into the Green Goblin who uses top secret Military technology to destroy the city. Dafoe is just brilliant as the evil Green Goblin and his alter ego, the suave Dr. Osbourn. Franco who plays Harry Osbourn, Peter Parker's best friend looks and acts so much like Dafoe that they are the most believable father and son in movies in years. The story is so depthy and full of emotion and action.
The computer generated effects at times are almost cartoonish which I always HATE but Raimi uses enough effects mixed with live action that it flows well and you don't notice the computerized Spiderman nearly as much. Spiderman himself is also amazing as he should be. The costume and Maquire playing him make him the greatest hero on screen in years. This movie is so fantastic because it is so SIMPLISTIC!! It's like you're watching right down town Hometown. I honestly don't know if Raimi could pull off a sequel with the same quite subtlty and simplicity but I would love to see him try. I would pay the 10 bucks to not only see a sequel but I would even love to see Spiderman again. The running time was the better part of two hours and it was the perfect length. Everything about this movie was just enough of everything. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! This is the great Blockbuster for the summer!!! 9/10