A movie that stays true to the comic books that inspired it.

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2002)

Well, the summer movie blockbuster season is upon us again and the first of them to come out (we won't count the dismal THE SCORPION KING as the first, okay?) is SPIDER-MAN. Let me just say that SPIDER-MAN is one of the most enjoyable films so far this year and certainly will be one of the best movies of the summer season.
The film has an enjoyable mix of action and excitement. The story is well developed and stays very true to the comic books. The acting (for the most part) is well done. And Sam Raimi's direction is right on. He adds a lot to the comic book style of the film.
Perhaps the only real letdown of the film is the performance of Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / The Green Goblin. Though he is usually a good actor, he just didn't seem to grasp the concept of the evil villain and looked, at times, bored by the material.
All in all, the filmmakers did a wonderful job with this film. A lot of comic books adaptations don't live up to or stay true to their source material, but SPIDER-MAN does just that... and does it well.
With great power comes great responsibility. Spidey knows it, and apparently so did the filmmakers.