Excellent summer blockbuster, but.....

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2002)

The first real blockbuster of the summer season has arrived, and with good reason. "Spider-Man" is an excellently crafted, written, shot and acted film. With the exceptions of numerous continuity and factual errors (77 last I heard), some overly obvious CGI shots and the occasional line of very hokey dialog, this is a film well worth seeing.
Plotline closely mirrors the early comic books premise. Meek little teen nerd Peter Parker is bitten by a (in this case) genetically enhanced "super-spider" and overnight finds he has the ability to climb walls, see clearly, and (in one of the funniest sequences)shoot webs from his wrists.
Tobey Maguire excels in his dual role. Maguire has not only the physical look (can't believe Freddie Prinze Jr. and Leonardo DiCaprio were even considered) but the mannerisms to make both characters come to life. Peter takes his newfound abilities lightly at first, but after failing to use them to stop the robbery of a promoter who failed to deliver on his end of the bargain does the reality and importance of what Peter is capable of hit home.
Willam Defoe is masterful as the deranged Green Goblin. Also a dual role, Defoe brings an arrogant, dry styled Norman Osborn...but lights things up after a genetic experiment of his own brings out the dark side of his personality. Green Goblin may rank up there with Nicholson's Joker as far as super villain performances to reference.
Kirsten Dunst is beautiful as Mary Jane, the longtime object of Peter's quiet affections. However, she doesn't seem to throw herself into the role as much as she has previous roles. While I hate to say anything bad about Kirsten, as she is one of the few actresses who's name alone can get me into the theater, she clearly seemed underwhelmed by this opportunity. Perhaps overlapping this with "Cat's Meow" tired her out? Not a bad performance by any means, but not up to her usual standards.
As far as supporting cast goes, Cliff Robertson was admirable as Uncle Ben and Rosemary Harris was a delightful Aunt May. J.K. Simmons was a bit overly grating as J. Jonah Jameson, but that's how he was in the comics as well. Everyone else was basically background clutter, especially James Franco's Harry Osborn. Perhaps when he returns as Green Goblin #2 he'll act more alive...we'll see.
"Spider-Man" is a wonderful two hours. Director Sam Raimi delivers his best work since the original "The Evil Dead" and clearly this was a labor of love for him. Great film, and it opened huge, but with "Attack of the Clones" following close behind, this one may not quite have the staying power Marvel/Sony hopes for.
3 3/4 out of 5