Falls short of being a true classic, but nevertheless an extraordinarily good blockbuster.

Rating: 8/10 (1 July 2002)

Recent advances in special-effects technology seems to have triggered quite a spate of super-hero films, although few have been as high profile as Spider-Man. As what has now become traditional, the film begins by telling the story of how the hero, in this case Peter Parker, becomes the titular super-hero. The story is told well. Although many purists have criticised certain liberties the makers have taken with the original storyline (such as Spidey's web-shooters being organic in the film, as opposed to manufactured), none have been taken unnecessarily. If any criticism can be made, it is that some of the characterisation is not as strong as it could have been. Although Tobey Maguire brings a lot to the Peter Parker character, he did seem to be playing him as Clarke Kent. Also, Aunt May is hugely one-dimensional. Okay, this is a film of a comic book, but when the characters are flatter than those that featured in the cartoon, alarm bells ring. Characterisation aside, the film as a whole has many good points. The story is competent, although some loose ends were left. The special effects have been much discussed. Whereas many were very good, there was the occasional piece of CGI stunt-work that was so clumsy (think of the TV show Andromeda) that suspension of disbelief was brought crashing down to earth on several occasions. Another problem with this was the spectacle of the film. Although the scenes of Spidey swinging through New York were satisfying, one can't help but feel that an opportunity has been missed to really go for the breathtaking, heart-stopping, amazing spectacle that the trailer promised. For example, for those lucky enough to witness the awe-inspiring sight of a helicopter caught up in a giant web suspended between the mighty Twin Towers in the teaser released prior to the tragic events in New York will be disappointed to see that no scene in the film comes close to provoking such astonishment. I've said a lot of negative things about this film, but that isn't because it's poor. In fact, it is an extremely good film, with a reasonably strong and amusing story, and scenes that will stay with you for a while after seeing them. The reason I've criticised the film is because it was so close to being truly great - a real classic. Instead, it is merely very good, and I would highly recommend anyone who enjoys blockbusters to see it. My score: 8/10