It's Got Magic

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2006)

I remember Spider-man from my youth. I never got into the comics, so I apologize to the true web driven literati. I know the story. And I've watches and read about a lot of superheroes. My son came back from seeing the film, angry and hurt because they took liberties with one of his real loves. I went to it to watch a movie, not to pay homage. I think it's a heck of a good film. To start with, the vertiginous special effects are wonderful. His leaps from building to building are breathtaking. The best part is that Tobey Maguire has a vulnerability that the alter ego needs to have . Like so many, he is reluctant, but forces beyond his control dump him into the middle of things over which he has not control.
I'm told the villain is not kosher. The they should have chosen one of his more formidable adversaries. I thought the guy was pretty spooky and set up more of the same. Peter Parker has some unburned bridges heading into the sequel, and that's always fun. There's just a niceness that connects the characters and a bitter world to fight against, including the newsman who has no respect for Peter's talents. I think this movie is thoughtful as well as really exciting.