This review may contain Spoilers - please avoid!

Rating: Null/10 (5 July 2002)

The choice of Tobey Maguire is a good one on the behalf of the Producer. The vulnerable, naive look of Maguire makes his transformation into superhero all the more exciting. The contrast in the level of his confidence before and after the transformation is something you really cannot miss.
Originally the producers had Jude Law on the cards to play Spider-man, and it's pleasing to hear they decided against using the attractive star in the film. Jude Law is a handsome looking man and possesses the tanned and muscular body of any reputable Hollywood star. Due to his nature, he wouldn't have portrayed the nerdy look needed for Peter Parker with any realism. Maguire's slightly fragile look (and he isn't the most attractive of actors) lends itself well to the bullying, humiliating scenes of Spider-man's beginning.
The effects are at times breathtaking, and involve probably some of the greatest gravity defying stunts seen on celluloid. However, the predictable swinging and flying of the superhero star can become repetitive. This isn't helped by the film's overly long running time - a good 20 minutes might have been cut for a better result. The usual cliche of Hero against Villain (where Evil almost defeats the Hero) is in full form at the climax of the film. Yet we always know that the Hero will manipulate a final surge of courage and strength to defeat the Villain. You can expect the usual turn around of events courtesy of the hero's fluked prowess at his scrape with death.
There are some unexpected scenes of sadness, that if you can watch them without feeling a lump in your throat, then you have no heart. Obviously though not on the scale of a pure Romantic flick, these scenes can really bring home the consequences - both positive and negative - of one's actions and choices.
I think one improvement might have been to tone down the vigilante image of Spider-man. Of course the film should reiterate Spider-man's passion for crime stopping and peace; but the frequency of his 'crusades' wrongly suggest that New York is some kind of permanently hostile crime zone.
Overall, I enjoyed the film very much, but I await the inevitable sequel with, perhaps, a slightly wary anticipation.