Near perfect Cross Over - Villains need a lot of work

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2002)

Well, Spidey has been a favorite of mine since before I can remember and I was a bit scared when I heard they were doing a film, only because of the seemingly perpetual flops of comic book adaptations (Xmen, the Batman sequels, the Punisher, etc.)
This movie however, for the most part, does Spidey great justice. The way the film is shot and paced, it's very comic book-like, which is great. The action and effects are excellent and the human element between not only Peter Parker and Mary Jane, but between Parker and Harry Osborne, Harry and Norman Osborne, Peter and Aunt May, etc is also very well portrayed.
I had only two complaints about the film (POSSIBLE SPOILERS); the first is the lack of wisecracks from Spidey, who has always been notorious for making jokes in the heat of battle against the likes of Goblin, Venom, Sandman, Doc Ock, etc. Though McGuire gets in a few good one liners (usually as Parker), I wish they had included more from Spidey in mid-battle. It sounds like a tacky request, but that's what made Spider-Man so great, his humor.
The second complaint is the Green Goblin, a most pathetic villain at best. Willem Dafoe, who I'm sure plays the part as good as he could with the given script, is just a one dimensional foe, mindlessly bombing and gunning down pedestrians. I never found myself hating him or even really caring if he succeeded in his `mad' plans for.whatever he wanted. He was simply a formality of the film, a big bad guy for Spidey to beat. Beyond his lack of purpose, I was deeply disappointed that they used the costume they did. It was the only injustice the film does to the original comic (thank goodness they left Spidey's costume alone!) I was much more inclined to comic artist Alex Ross' design . The GG outfit they used was far too futuristic and plastic looking.
Lastly, I truly appreciated the ending (HUGE SPOILERS!); the swelling hatred from Harry towards Spiderman and the broken heart of Mary Jane. Classic sequel setup and very comic-like, leaving us all waiting with anticipation for the next `issue'.
Rating: 8/10