A Pretty Good Film

Rating: 6/10 (4 May 2007)

Don't get me wrong. I love Spiderman. I love the comic books, I love the TV show(s), and I like the plot they chose for the film. Still, this is not a masterpiece. it's a good movie that is revealed to be just a good movie when you compare it to its sequel.
Sam Raimi and the actors obviously had fun with this film. The camp level is pretty high at parts, and the intensity never seems to be turned on. The CGI is easy to look at, but pales in comparison with either of the film's sequels. There are a lot of things to like about this movie. For instance, Tobey Maguire, Jmaes Franco, and Kirsten Dunst are all very good in their roles. In addition, the location shots are gorgeous, and the whole movie flows in a fun, relaxing manner. This is where we come to the film's major problems.
1. It's relaxing. The action never elevates to a level where you actually need to worry about any of the likable characters. The supposedly intense and scary scenes are not very scary or intense at all. Also, the film is too in love with its location to worry about anything else.
2. The green Goblin was a terrible villain. The costume was about as cheesy as it possibly could have been, and the voice-overs from the helmet seemed like something out of "Power Rangers." Wllem Dafoe is not to blame for this, of course. The scenes with Norman Osborne and no mask are expertly crafted. There simply aren't enough of them.
3. The film is boring at parts, and has low replay quality. If I had to watch it more than once in a day, I would probably fall asleep five minutes into it the second time. there's simply not enough action, and the romance isn't developed enough to make it interesting.
Overall, "Spiderman" is a flawed film with a good heart. It's worth a rental, but perhaps not a buy.