Spider-Man (2002) - ***1/2 (out of ****)

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2002)

PLOT: Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is a nerd who is constantly picked on at school. His secret crush, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), doesn't even notice him, even though they've been next-door neighbors for a long time. But one day, everything changes for Peter. While at a science exhibit, he is bitten by a genetically altered spider. This bite causes Peter to gain super human strength, the ability to stick to walls, "spidey sense" which alerts him when danger is near, and the ability to shoot web from slits in his wrist. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), father of Peter's best friend Harry (James Franco), undergoes an experiment which gives him equal super human strength, and he turns into Spidey's first big enemy: the Green Gobin. Also, Spidey learns one important life lesson: "With great power comes great responsibility."
MY TAKE: Spider-Man kicks off the summer 2002 season to an excellent start. Except for some changes (disclusion of Gwen Stacy being the biggest one), it completely captures the feel of the excellent comic book. Spider-Man sports some stylish, exciting action, while also keeping the human element intact. The performances are all excellent - Tobey Maguire is perfect as the nerdy Peter Parker. Kirsten Dunst is also great as the beautiful and sweet Mary Jane Watson. Norman Osborn/Green Goblin can easily give anybody chills, as Dafoe puts a lot of obvious menace into his role. And lets not forget the excellent human element - a tragic death in Peter's family is touching, and we're really hoping that Mary Jane and Peter get together. Sloppy direction could've easily diminished this element, but Raimi's direction is solid. There are some minor flaws in Spider-Man, like the Green Goblin's costume could've been better, but minor flaws like that don't defeat the real purpose of Spider-Man: to provide two solid hours of popcorn movie fun. I can't wait for the upcoming sequels.