Enjoyable movie for everyone

Rating: 1/10 (23 May 2002)

First off, I want to say I'm a huge Star Wars fan and thought AOTC kicked butt. That seems irrelevant, but with the "war" between Spider-man and Star Wars fans, it needed to be said. Especially since I've never been a Spider-man fan or a fan of any other comic book hero. The whole thing is new to me. But I saw "Spider-man" and thought it was excellent. It's not without flaws, but what movie isn't?
The CG effects worked out well and weren't overused. Some of them looked super cheesy in the previews, but you hardly notice them in the movie. I'll never understand why so many people are against CG effects, especially with this movie and Attack of the Clones. Sorry, but stringing up a 2-inch Spider-man model with a piece of dental floss isn't gonna cut it anymore. I'm amazed at what can be done in movies today and CG is the only way to achieve certain things.
The characters were excellent, especially Tobey. I had doubts about him playing such a physical character, but he really fit the role. Kirsten did well with what she was given, but her character was the type who couldn't have saved herself from drowning in a puddle. But this is comic book material and unfortunately, the women must be totally helpless. Her character was the only one I didn't like. Peter's aunt and uncle were very likeable, though.
The story itself was very cool. Not knowing a thing about Spider-man, it was great that I was able to understand the entire movie. This is where it outshines Star Wars. Anyone can watch "Spider-man" and fall in love with it, whereas first-time Star Wars viewers will get almost nothing out of AOTC. My only personal complaint of "Spider-man" is that it has no repeat value, at least for me. I saw it, liked it a lot, and that's it. I've seen it once and that's all I need. But fans will likely see it again and again with good reason.