The Green Goblin's silly costume hurts an otherwise very good film

Rating: 6/10 (18 June 2002)

Spiderman has all the ingredients of the best comic-book superhero movies: a likeable leading man, a beautiful love interest, strong sexual tension, a villain played by a top-notch actor, cool special effects. What lets it down is an odd thing for such a big-budget movie: a silly costume.
The movie is strongest in its opening half, when the characters are being introduced and Peter is learning his new powers. One of the best scenes in the movies is when Peter stares in delight at the new muscles he's grown overnight and flexes them in the mirror. Every skinny man's dream. Tobey Maguire is an excellent Spiderman: he has a wide-eyed sense of wonder and innocence about him that helps us feel both his pleasures and pains. There is also genuine chemistry between him and Kirstin Dunst, something which feels all the more real after the horrible attempt at romance in 'Attack of the Clones'. There are some corny lines and sometimes when Spiderman is web-slinging his way across New York it does feel like you're watching someone else playing Playstation, but overall director Sam Raimi has done a fine job.
But back to that costume. It's not Spiderman's that is the problem, indeed reliable sources tell me that Maguire looks quite sexy in his skin-tight suit.Rather it is the Green Goblin, who looks like a cross between a carnival clown and a cheesy, plastic-armoured 'Star Trek' extra. Willem Dafoe is convincing as both loving father and vicious killer, but as soon as he puts on his mask he becomes just another raving maniac in a ridiculous outfit. Because of this it is hard to get involved in the fights between the hero and the villain, the centrepiece of any superhero movie, which is why I would rank this below such films as 'X-Men', 'Superman' and Tim Burton's brilliant 'Batman' movies.
That aside, Spiderman is a good film, and its huge success in the States will produce several sequels. I look forward to seeing Maguire and Dunst in them.
6 1/2 / 10