Spider-Man has set the bar high for the future of superhero movies

Rating: 9/10 (11 November 2002)

I had heard talk of a Spider-Man movie for well over a decade with different directors and actors rumored to be involved. Then it became official and it was announced that Sam Raimi would be the director, Tobey Maguire would be Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst would be Mary Jane, and Willem Dafoe would be the Green Goblin. I have to admit I was a little worried. Would they pull it off...a movie worthy of one of my favorite superheros. What they did was simply make the best superhero movie to date. I was afraid the special effects would be cheesy, but they were highly believable and fun to watch. I was concerned that the actors wouldn't be up to their roles, but they all turned in great performances. I was worried that they wouldn't stay true to the story and though they did take some liberties, they never strayed too far. I went in with high hopes and what I got was a very enjoyable film. Good for both kids and adults. Spider-Man has set the bar high for the future of superhero movies. I hope we continue to get some high quality movies with the upcoming releases of Daredevil & The Hulk in 2003. I have a lot of the same concerns, but hopefully they'll come through like Spider-Man did.
Rank: #2 in 2002
***1/2 (out of 4)