Captures the essence well, even with a few changes

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2002)

This is a really good movie, both as a movie itself and as an adaptation of the comic-book character I've long been a fan of. As with any such adaptation, there are, of course, some changes... the origin story is a bit simplified (but still retains its impact, in my opinion), and events are 'condensed' somewhat, but that's unavoidable when you try to adapt a comic book story that developed over several years into a movie-length plot. The simplification is well done, and it avoids the pitfalls of so many comic-book based movies that try to do too many things at once (witness the later Batman movies, which by splitting their attention between two villains and their plotlines manage to do none of them justice).
Tobey Maguire is, as one of my friends put it, 'eerily perfect' in the title role, and on the whole the movie is cast very well. I have a few quibble here and there... it's not *perfect*... but it's very good. If you like Spider-Man, see this movie. If you don't know Spider-Man, see this movie, and you will. If you hate Spider-Man... well, you probably won't like the movie because it *is* Spider-Man and not only in name. This is not to say it's like a cartoon... it has a darker edge than what you'd expect to see on Saturday morning TV... but that's not out of line with the comic. Anyway... it's good. Go see it.