Enjoyable...but Batman is better.

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2002)

I want to compare this movie with the classic Batman movie from 1989. The movie resembles a lot to the classic by Tim Burton, but Spider-Man fails in delivering strong characters. In the Batman movie the character of Bruce Wayne is deeply affected by the murder of his parents and the movie explains how he has become the person he is. In Spider-Man Peter Parker is bitten by a spider and the action starts from there, now that's just a little too simple for me. I also thought the Green Goblin was kind of a corny villain. The suit he wears is incredibly boring and looks a lot like one from the Japanese Ultraman. Also character building is an issue here, Willem Dafoe does a fine job, but his character isn't really frightening. Compared to Jack Nicholson's Joker he is just a wimp. Still Spider-Man is a fun movie to watch and it will not bore you. But it is not the classic it could have been. Rating : 3 stars out of 5