Anyone reading this?

Rating: 7/10 (8 May 2002)

This movie will probably set a record for the number of reviews posted. So why waste your time reading mine?
Ok, my review. I didn't follow Spidey too much when I was young. I was however, struck by how the whole story resembled Superman. I mean, sure, the comic books needed to follow certain staples on super-hero lore, but come on. (SPOILERS!!) - Cliff Robertson is a dead ringer for Glenn Ford in Superman, he even looks like him! - Peter goes to the big city and gets a job on the newspaper- hmmm, bump into Klark Kent working there? The editor spits out lines exactly like Jackie Cooper. -Peter gets all bent out of shape when his uncle/dad dies. Prompting him to use his powers to help the people he's close to. - As much as Peter loves his sweetheart, he eventually breaks it off to fight crime. - The Bad Guy kidnaps his sweetheart to lure him into a confrontation. - A big flying battle on the streets of Manhattan.
Having said that, I did not have high expectations for yet another comic book hero movie. I was actually very pleased with the results. The movie provided a story that didn't try to rush through plot points. Although it very conveniently puts all the characters in the right place at them right time for the story to go where it does. Such as how the bad guy discovers the identity of Spiderman. One of the best things about the film is Tobey Maguire. He is pitch perfect as Peter, and has a good handle on the emotions. You can feel the anger build in him. I also applaud the screenplay for trying it's best to avoid the cliches, kudos to David Koepp. Even Sam Raimi, who is great with comic book imagery, shows more depth than any film he's ever done. He definitely knocks Tim Burton and his bad Batflicks out of the water.
So I believe I am like the 547th person to post a review. I hope there is someone reading this. Most of the other reviews are like carbon copies with the same word, like "Awesome". My suggestion to you other guys, if you want to give some helpful advice about the movie you saw, find some other words to use besides 'good'. ("The story was good, the acting was good, the special effects were good, all in all a good film"). A review like that really has nothing to offer anyone else reading it. Get in touch with your feelings! Find something unique to say!
6 out of 10