Finally out on the screen!

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2007)

When you are equipped with a resource one of the things that you need to watch out for is the proper and controlled use of the resource. Spider-man had this resource called "computer graphics" on its side. And this was over used. Sometimes the animations appear a little cartoonish. Sometimes, it becomes a little too obvious that the character is too stationery and the background is moving way too fast. May be some of us would like it that way, blurry graphics are being liked too but they are not ideal at least.
The story of the origin of powers of Spider-man is done pretty well. They slightly deviated from the original concept of the comics but the deviation was positive. But Peter Parker was a bit too over-painted with colors of sympathy. Sam Raimi is known for his skills to make his audience involve in the movie and the one trick he does seem to use here is that he actually makes the audience sympathize with the character. That has of course added to the success of the film but takes away a little bit of the heroism out. Peter Parker hardly looks strong and determined and looks a little bit too sad. I would find it cool to be Spider-man but definitely not Peter Parker.
And Mary Jane's character cannot be liked. I am sure that the masses do not agree but Mary Jane is shown to be a little cruel and self-centered raising a question as to what is it about her that drives Peter mad. More than anything, it convinces me to control myself before "falling" for anyone.
The Goblin character seriously looks like he was taken out of one of those 3-d animation movies. There is very little in this character that looks like it is in flesh and blood in a world we can identify with. This is the cartoonish effect I was talking about. The Green Goblin looks cartoonish. Perhaps modification of his suit and especially his helmet might have brought a bit more realism. And yes, slow down the camera. Bring in a few close ups. Speed is not everything! Overall, the movie is filled with fun and can be enjoyed a lot. But it does suffer from over-use or rather improper use of computer-graphics. A very decent adaptation of the comic book but there was a lot of room for development.