An instant classic

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2002)

For once a film that lives up to the wait and hype surrounding it. Sam Raini's Spider-Man is an instant classic; a comic-strip screen adventure supreme that surpasses many of the recent blockbusters of recent years and ranks comfortably with the original Superman and Batman installments, as well as being a stunning film in its own right.
Tobey Maguire is perfect as the young, nerdy student Peter Parker transformed by a spider-bite into the web-spinning, wall-climbing, wise-cracking superhero, whilst multi-millonare William Dafoe (in a splendidy villanous performance) risks loses his massive corporation, leaving him to adopt the evil persona of the Green Goblin.

This is fantastic stuff; good characters, spectacular action, strong themes, tounge-in-cheek humor, in-jokes - its all in there and used to the full. In terms of plot, the main focus is on Parker's complicated love for the girl-next-door (Kristen Dunst), which whilst somewhat unconventional for such an action film, brings a fresh, watchable and human touch to the proceedings. Super fun - lets hope the inevitable sequel is just as good.