The Legend of the Web-Swinger

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2006)

Having grown up in the 60's, I, like so many millions of young teens were introduced to Spiderman through the medium of Marvel comics. Now through the magic of Hollywood Cinima, American audiences are further introduced to "Spiderman" the movie. The imaginative comic writer, Stan Lee is credited with bringing his web-swing character to life and does a 'marvelous' job of transferring the lonely, troubled teen to the big screen. His original concept is that of a young, book-worm, nerdy teenager who is accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider. Nearly dying, Peter Parker, (admirably played by Tobey Maguire) awakens the following day and discovers that instead of killing him, he has been transformed into a super hero with astonishing powers. Everything from his spider senses to his incredible spider strength, Parker is at first convinced he can make some easy money, by exhibiting his abilities in an arena. Unfortunely, his perception of why he was chosen is changed when his seeming ambivalence turns to tragedy with the death of his favorite uncle. The film is imaginative and laced with action scenes which enhance the comic-book-hero's' exploits. With the additional talents of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker and J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, the film proves it is slated to become a classic. ****