Humorless

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2004)

This is strictly a by-the-numbers plot, and utterly lacks visual flair ("Star Wars" had more convincing special effects, and it's 25 years older!). I loved the cartoon when I was a kid, especially because Spiderman seemed to be the only superhero with not only a sense of humor, but a self-deprecating one at that (I don't think I was consciously aware of it at the time, but in retrospect, I realize that this is one aspect of the cartoon I enjoyed most). Toby McGuire's "flat" performances have worked well in other movies, but he has been miscast here: this rendition of Peter Parker/Spiderman is utterly humorless. And except for the extraordinary rain scene starring Kirsten Dunst's wet blouse, the movie isn't even worth watching even if someone else paid to rent it.