A great adaptation of one of the most famous superheroes.

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2011)

I remember seeing the trailers for this film and I thought: WOW!!! They really pulled off a believable Spider-Man film that does justice to the spirit of the comics and character. Spider-Man is a film that audiences young and old to enjoy, with it's dazzling action sequences, humorous lines and a well-written and exciting plot.
Sam Raimi, known for his cult "Evil Dead" films and the underrated but brilliant "Darkman" gives the character so much in traits and personality, wit, that it's hard to imagine anyone else that can deliver a Spider-Man film. More often than not, I think this film is a great example how much hard work and devotion is done to make sure that this film is a success. True, some of the shots seem artificial, but what viewers should really focus on is the story and characters, something that moviegoers sometimes fail to do. And with a script like this, you will be too.
Like Richard Donner's "Superman" another film done right, Spider-Man spends a considerable time on the origins of Peter Parker, who is motivated to use his powers for good due to a tragedy in his life. But whereas Superman was brought up to do good by his parents and the values he learned on his time on Earth, Spider-Man was struck by circumstance, both by his surroundings and his personal tragedy. These characters are completely different from each other. But what makes Spider-Man so compelling than Superman is that he's an average, ordinary guy with everyday problems that one day becomes blessed(and to a certain extent, cursed) with an extraordinary gift. His reaction is that of joy and excitement that is shared by everyone in this world when they find themselves doing extraordinary actions. Though not in no way in the context of the real world, but the point still stands. And lets face it we all like to be superheroes some day. Spider-Man gives us the feeling of living out those fantasies in more ways than one.
To make a great superhero film, or any film for that matter, you have to have strong actors and Tobey Maguire is by far the best choice for the film. He's really believable as a guy who is shunned by his pears but still is kind-heart and meek, bright. You grow to care for Peter, Mary Jane, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and Norman Osborne. When a film makes you care for the characters, then you know it's good. As for the action scenes, they are thrilling, exciting, and at times, very brutal. Even though Spider-Man is a bit light-hearted and fun, it can be really intense and scary, which parents ought to be cautious when seeing these films with their children. But despite all this, Spider-Man is still good fun.
Now that a reboot is being planned, I'm very excited to see what's next for the Web-Slinger even though I enjoyed the first film along with the second(which I will review later on). The less said about Spidey 3 the better, but Spider-Man is the best one ever made and the sequel is pure magic as a film that surpasses the first one by far.