The wait is over!

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2002)

He's survived forty years of comic books, a cheesy but enjoyable 1960's cartoon, an awful 1970's television show, and now after years of being tangled in a web of legal issues, Marvel Comics' flagship character has finally hit the big screen. It's been well worth the wait.
Spider-Man : The Movie is a comic book come alive. In the deft hands of director Sam Raimi the world's most famous arachnid has burst from the confines of a four-color panel to become the movie by which all superhero movies will be compared.
By now the story of Peter Parker, bullied high school nerd who is bitten by a radioactive spider and acquires the critter's ability to - well, do whatever a spider can - all the while longing for the love of the girl next door, is as famous a beginning as that of the son of Jor-El. Raimi, with help from screenwriter David Koepp, have made some alterations to bring the story into the present day. The infamous spider has now become a genetically altered creature and our hero now spins his own organic webs, as opposed to inventing web shooters and fluid to create synthetic strands. These changes, seen with disdain by many hardcore comic fans, take nothing away from the story and at times enhance it. The rest of our protagonist's origin stays fairly close to home. After being bitten by said spider, Peter decides to use his ability for monetary gain, until a personal tragedy forces him to change his way of thinking.
Every hero must have a villain and here we get a classic. The Green Goblin, alter ego of Norman Osborne, scientist and father of Peter's best friend, is a demented sole bent on destroying those who have wronged him. For once a villain's plan isn't world domination or global destruction. A science experiment gone awry sends Osborne into a Jekyll and Hyde spin, arguing with himself, fighting to keep the Goblin under control. Dressed in green armor and flying through the city canyons on his glider, the Goblin looks out for what he considers to be in the best interests of Osborne.
The movie is paced nicely, setting up Peter's home and school life before the incident and carrying us through his transformation. There are comedic touches as Peter first learns of his power and his beginning attempts at web swinging. Once he gets the hang of it is when the film takes off. The action is high energy and evenly distributed throughout. Spidey's battles with the Goblin are interspersed with scenes of true character development, a rarity for a summer blockbuster. In a sense, this is what makes the movie work more than anything. These are characters that we not only care about, but feel could be real. Spider-Man has been attractive to so many for so long because he is just like one of us. He is a real human - not an alien with unlimited power or a millionaire with unlimited wealth and resources - with everyday problems; looking to pass classes, get a job and pay his rent. All of this, piled on top of his new found powers makes for an interesting combination of angst and confusion. Working out these personal problems is what makes Spider-Man so different and why the masses connect with him.
The performances throughout are top-notch and should be the mark of all comic book movies to come. Tobey Maquire, newly buffed up for this role, has the perfect combination of boyhood innocence, awkward juvenile and newfound wonder to pull off this role flawlessly. His biggest downfall comes when he speaks from under the mask. We expect our heroes to have deep resonant voices, but Maquire sounds less like Peter Parker, superhero and more like Peter Brady going through puberty. While dubbing should have been out of the question, a mild baritone could have helped in the believability factor. Willem Defoe is Norman Osborne, who is transformed into the maniacal Green Goblin. With just the right amount of scenery chewing, Defoe brings out the schizophrenic nature of his creation without crossing the line to campiness. Conversations with himself are the highlight of this performance. Kirsten Dunst is Mary Jane Watson, the love of Peter's life. While she has little more to do than be the standard maiden in distress, she fills out the roll better than past superhero mistresses such as Kim Basinger's one-note turn in Batman. J.K Simmons, playing the grouchiest newspaper editor since Lou Grant, steals every scene he's in. James Franco, still in brooding James Dean mode, is Harry Osborne, son of Norman and heir apparent to the Goblin legacy. Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris round out the cast as Peter's Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
The effects are, like the Goblin, a bit schizophrenic. While much of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man's web swinging is impressive, some of it seems a bit off. While Peter is jumping along the rooftops of his Queens neighborhood, the look tends to be a bit cartoonish, as does a fight with several armored truck highjackers. This would probably be more distracting in other films, but in a movie like this we can accept it more, relating it to its comic book origins. Even so, a cleaner transition from real to CGI would have been appreciated. Another downside tends to be conversations between the Goblin and our hero. As in the comics, Spidey tosses off wise cracks and thinly veiled insults as our villain menaces and threatens. All of this is done from behind their masks, so no emotion or facial movements can be seen. Even one time when Spider-Man yells an impassioned plea to the Goblin, we don't see the movement of his mouth beneath his mask, making one think the sound was added in as an afterthought. The look comes off more like a child playing with action figures than a big budget Hollywood film.

But none of this takes away from the pure joy of watching a childhood hero so vividly brought to life. There will be many more adventures for the wall-crawler to have, and I will be sitting there watching them all.