A Superhero With Heart And Soul

Rating: 9/10 (8 November 2002)

On the surface Sam Raimi's new film adaptation of the 1960's Marvel comic book SPIDER-MAN shares all the ( by now ) familiar elements of your standard , big screen Superhero movie : up-dated surroundings to give the story an identifiable , contemporary look that young audiences can relate to ; a fairly straightforward re-telling of the original source peppered with a few hip "in-jokes" to give the movie a "coolness" quotient ; and last but not least a dozen or so nifty special effects sequences to make the movie worth the price of admission. SPIDER-MAN possesses all these things but it has that little extra something going for it that places it on a higher pedestal than most of the generic action hero adventures of the past.
As with 1978's SUPERMAN , the new film has a very likable hero who has two distinct personalities : the nerdy , unassuming good guy in ordinary , everyday life and the transformed , nearly invincible righter of wrongs. It also shares with 1989's BATMAN a colorful , creepy nemesis who hangs out in a Gothic-type mansion and battles the hero in a rousing fight -to-the death finale. SUPERMAN benefited from Christopher Reeve's affable portrayal in the title role , while BATMAN boasted Jack Nicholson's scene -stealing turn as the evil Joker.
SPIDER-MAN is blessed with two wonderful actors who infuse the movie with a rare sense of humanity atypical of the genre. Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker , the introverted Queens high school student who gets bitten by a "new" species of spider during a science class field trip. Kind-hearted and sensitive, he is the butt of jokes and an easy target of classroom bullies. He silently pines for the pretty girl next door , who happens to be the love interest of the chief bully. When young Parker is bitten by the runaway spider , he goes through a strange metamorphosis that dramatically alters his life. In the movie's greatest scenes, an expert series of sequences depicting Parker's transformation from intimidated weakling to a force to be reckoned with, director Raimi and his film technicians pull out all the stops. When Parker sits down at his bedroom desk and takes pencil to paper to design a makeshift costume to wear for a wrestling match , the fusion of cinematography , graphics, sound and a mesmerizing music score add up to commercial movie making at its best. The icing on the cake, however , is the unexpected power of Maguire's performance. A veteran of some of the finest American movies of the past several years , including THE ICE STORM and PLEASANTVILLE , Maguire on the surface can seem to be very bland. One of the very few screen actors who doesn't announce his presence with a huge chip on his shoulder, his seemingly placid exterior is deceptive. When Parker suddenly finds a loved one in grave peril , the emotion that Maguire summons up catches the audience off guard. With tears welling in his eyes and a look of stunned grief that in a flash turns to anger, this remarkable young actor raises this action/adventure fantasy to a higher level.
The other standout performance is given by Willem Dafoe as Spider-man's adversary , the enterprising scientist Norman Osborne whose evil incarnation into The Green Goblin dominates much of the second ( and weaker ) half of the picture. Because Dafoe is such a strong actor and a tremendous screen presence, he is able to tide the movie over the more conventional story-telling elements that dominate the film's final hour. Dafoe really doesn't offer anything new here , but he is so adept at personifying evil that this viewer finds him compulsively watchable. He may want to reconsider playing this type of role in the future. With his gargoyle-like countenance Dafoe is a popular choice for off-beat roles, especially villains ; however , he is an actor of brilliant diversity and has played everything from the poet T.S. Eliot to Jesus.
The enormous success of SPIDER-MAN assures a series of sequels in the up-coming years. Maguire has already signed on for the next production , which certainly can't hurt. But lightning rarely strikes twice, and no matter how good or financially lucrative the next movie might be , I doubt it will have the nascent power that makes the present SPIDER-MAN so distinctive.