Zip2It Review of Spiderman Pg 1 of 2 Pages
"Spider-Man" is the coolest comic book super-hero to ever make it to the big screen. Sure, that's a tall order, and a major claim to make after all the Supermans, Batmans, Blades and X-Men (not to mention the Men in Black, Dick Tracy, Popeye and a slew of others), but none of those guys are as cool, or as genuinely affable, as Tobey Maguire's portrayal of the title character in "Spider-Man." He's the ultimate geek, a nerd who gets pushed around in school, and even bullied by the school bus driver, but he transforms into a likable super-hero -- and not just because he's out to save the world, but because he's simply a good guy with a good heart. You want to rally for him every step of the way, even when he falters. This film is a rip-roaring, fast action, good guy adventure, and it's safe to bring along the kids (no horrifying gross-out moments, although there are some death scenes). It's a perfect summer popcorn movie with lots of great effects, enough action, plenty of laughs, lots of romance and a great deal of heart. Director Sam Raimi has tackled an incredibly difficult task, taking a beloved comic book which has been a favorite for the past 40 years and turned it into a big screen epic which basically remains faithful to the original story. Some comic book purists will nit-pick certain parts of the story, noting Mary Jane was not the superhero's first girlfriend, that his web shooters are not mechanical and the spider that bites him is genetically engineered, not irradiated, but those are minor points. This is Spider-Man, all the way. What Raimi has done is capture the hapless reluctant hero who doesn't really want to be a superhero but is driven by a sense of duty which he falls into after a set of tragic circumstances. It's believable, he's believable, and we want to root for him, even though he has the odds (and at times) public opinion stacked against him. Maguire plays Peter Parker so well because he's someone everyone can identify with and maybe because he really is the kind of nerdy outsider he's also played in "The Ice Storm," "Wonder Boys" and "Cider House Rules." Internal, intelligent, yet with a major sense of humor, Maguire knows how to play off his odd body changes as if he's going through some kind of bizarre puberty. After being bitten by a genetically-altered spider while on a high school field trip, Parker feels ill and wakes up the next morning with a massively buff body which he appropriately admires in the mirror in a very comical scene. Then, when trying out his new-found super powers, he jumps across rooftops and tries to figure out how to shoot web strands out of his wrist. He first tries to squeeze them out, then shouts words like "Shazam" and poses like a comic book hero in obvious self-mockery. After figuring it out, he immediately uses the power... and smashes right into a brick wall a'la George of the Jungle. People may complain that once he becomes the fast-swinging Spidey who saves people in the Big Apple by swooping down on them, the effects look a bit cartoony. The computer generated images are so fast-moving it's tough to enjoy everything, but when he swoops down between the cabs and through the skyscrapers, it's truly amazing. Cartoony? Of course! It's from a comic book! We take a Spidey-eye view of the swinging action, and it's breath-taking! The appropriate girl to play the object of Parker's affection is Kirsten Dunst, that smart actress who made the fun cheerleader film "Bring it On" such a hit. She's cute as the redhead who lives next door and plays coy around Parker, but falls for Spider-Man, not knowing he's Parker's alter-ego. In fact, they have one of the best on-screen kisses in recent memory (a certain contender for the Best Kiss honor at the MTV Movie Awards!) as Dunst kisses Spider-Man while he's upside-down, first slowly peeling his mask down over his chin. But, after their full-lipped kiss, when she tries to unmask him further, he slinks away. Every great super-hero needs a great villain, and "Shadow of the Vampire" Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe is fantastic as Norman Osborn, the scientist who becomes the Green Goblin. Some of the best scenes in the film feature Dafoe talking to his schizophrenic other self, who pushes him into a murderous rampage after one of his experiments goes awry. As we watch Dafoe dive deeper and deeper into insanity, his performance becomes deliciously over-the-top, culminating in an evil and creepy, "Itsy Bitsy Spider" rendition toward the climax of the film. The rest of the cast also delivers. James Franco is perfect as the handsome and privileged best friend of Parker (and son of the Green Goblin-to-be), who's out to steal the object of Parker's affection every step of the way. Even at the beginning, Franco's character steals lines right out of Parker's mouth in order to impress the girl. He's not to be trusted, and vows revenge on Spider-Man at the end of the movie, setting up a perfect sequel because Franco doesn't know the guy he considers like a brother is also the super-hero. Cliff Robertson plays Parker's sage-like Uncle Ben, who drops some pearls of wisdom to the youth saying, "These are the years that define what kind of a man you will be for the rest of your life, and with great power comes great responsibility." That theme resonates throughout the film. Some of the best moments include actress Rosemary Harris, playing Parker's Aunt May, who pretends to be asleep when the young couple are romancing each other at her hospital bedside. But, when she's awake, Aunt May offers up some personal jewels of wisdom as well, including a sentimental story about Parker when he pointed to the girl next door and asked, "Is that an angel?" Unfortunately, all the trailers are taking away Aunt May's best line when she admonishes Parker by saying, "You're not Superman you know" and Maguire offers an ironic glance. Judging from some of the other faces which show up on screen, it's obvious that director Raimi had the power to put his own personal touches in the movie. A Raimi regular, "Evil Dead" star Bruce Campbell, has a cameo where he helps dub Parker as "the Amazing Spider-Man" when he tries to win $3,000 in a wrestling match. By the way, wrestling fans, that's Randy Savage playing Bone Saw McGraw who's about to make mincemeat of Parker (he thinks!) And that's Lucy Lawless from "Xena, Warrior Princess" (and a friend of Raimi's) in a cameo talking about how handsome Spider-Man is during the audience-reaction comments. Raimi's brother, Ted, also appears as a yes-man for the pushy publisher of the Daily Bugle who wants to discredit Spider-Man.