Good, but not perfect

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2003)

This was a great movie. I remember seeing it a couple of times in theaters and telling everyone to go see it. The story is great-I thought the twist in the beginning was great where Peter Parker learns that ignoring his responsibility (with great power comes great responsibility) causes grief in his personal life. I hear that this is similar to what happened to him in the comics as well, but I wouldn't know, having never read the comic. I also loved the action scenes. I understand that a lot of CGI was used, but I have no idea where it was used. It's all transparent to me, so I think they did a pretty convincing job. I'm glad that the action was fast and they didn't recycle that slow-motion action that was first seen in the matrix. Watching someone leap in the air, have the camera stop, and pan is now a trick that has outstayed its welcome. Fast action conveys a sense of urgency and excitement and is suits this movie.
There are a few strikes against this movie. One thing I wasn't crazy about was the sugar-coated feel of it. There are a number of scenes that feel like they were tweaked to lure in the teenaged girls. I found myself cringing at some scenes that were a little cheesy and I didn't feel that happening in some of the other, more recent superhero movies. It doesn't reach the heights of cheesyness that Titanic does, but I would have liked a more serious spiderman. It doesn't have to be as serious as the Hulk or Daredevil, but maybe something in between would feel right. I would also like a more interesting villain, with a real motive for his behavior. The costume was a little silly too...I just wasn't afraid of him. A good villain should instill fear in your heart. Maybe these issue will be addressed in Spiderman 2.
I'd give this movie a 10 and subtract a point for some of the dialog and the power-ranger outfit of the goblin.