Very good movie

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2002)

This was an excellent movie. I highly recommend it. Tobey Maguire is wonderful, as is Kirsten Dunst. Script is VERY true to the comic book, despite the fact that the webs come out of his body instead of through a mechanical device.
Tobey WAS a modern day Peter Parker. Kirsten Dunst actually WAS a modern day Mary Jane, with the big smile hiding the sad heart (I would have liked to see Gwen Stacy too, but hey, I'm old school).
The action sequences, despite the fact that they defied physics, had a wonderful feel to them, overall. None of those annoying, lingering shots of the hero posing before he fights like they had in so many other comic book movies. No stupid looking haymakers thrown. Just fast action that you'll miss if you blink.
Personal minor quibble: Robbie Robertson (yes, I am a geek) seemed nice, but a bit doughy. I always thought of him as a strong, Sidney Poitier looking guy...
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What I liked most about the movie was that it captured the magic of it's source material better than any other "comic-book movie" that came before it:
I think any comparison to Batman, X-Men, or any of the other major "comic book movies" are off base. This is a far superior film to all of them.
When I think of Batman (which I thought was not bad), I can't help but think about the clunky fighting scenes, that awful, mechanical looking rubber batman suit, and the completely incongruous personality of Michael Keaton as a Bruce Wayne. Dark knight, my ass.
XMen (again, I liked it): Pretty loose adaptation of the comic book. With the exception of Professor X, Magneto, & Wolverine... the interesting personalities of all the characters was lost. Storm was a joke, Cyclops & Jean Grey were generic. Plus, except for the fistfights, the action sequences didn't have the magic of the comic books... (Cyclops', Storms', & Jean Grey's use of their powers just looked clunky).