Let me
start right off and say "Spider-Man" is just about perfect
for a comic book movie. It is right up there with the "Superman"
film starring Christopher Reeve and Tim Burton's "Batman",
and combines the fun and exciting action of the former as well as
the dark and mysterious nature of the latter. The script is
well written, witty instead of dumb and exciting instead of
"we've already seen this before" dullness. The
casting is top notch and the actors seem to know exactly how to play
these characters.
The
movie starts off with us getting to know Peter Parker played by
Tobey Maguire. Peter is an academic nerd living with his aunt
and uncle, and who often gets picked on by the bullies in the high
school. He has had a long time crush on Mary Jane but is
too shy and reserved to ever do more than barely be able to talk to
her. Then one day on a field trip to a lab at Columbia
University, Peter is bitten by an escaped, genetically altered
spider. He soon discovers he has inherited spider-like powers
such as the ability to climb walls, have amazing agility, and spin
webs from his wrist. Peter decides to keep his abilities a
secret and then has to figure out how best to use them. At the
same time, his best friend's father who is a scientist decides to
use his experiment on himself and becomes a madman and soon-to-be
arch villain called the Green Goblin. The film is basically a
three part story at this point: Peter learning how to use his new
found abilities and powers, his quest for romance with Mary Jane,
and his battle and confrontations with his rival The Green Goblin.
The
film is bold and filled with wonderful colors just like out of a
comic book. It is filled with many exhilarating action
sequences of Spider-Man climbing up walls, jumping over rooftops,
using his webs to swing from building-to-building, and fighting The
Green Goblin. The CGI special effects are remarkable, making
the audience truly believe that Spider-Man is real and is actually
swinging between the skyscrapers of New York City. Much humor
is added during the scenes where Peter is discovering his new powers
and figuring out how to use them. The obsession and romance
between Peter and Mary Jane adds a very real and smart romantic
angle to the film as well.
While Willem Defoe is perfect as The Green Goblin and Kirsten Dunst
is marvelous as the love interest Mary Jane, Spider-Man's greatest
strength is the acting of Tobey Maguire as the super-hero. He
convinces us as both the nerdy Peter as well as the bulked-up
Spider-Man. And while much of the film is characterized by mesmerizing
special effects, there is a real, fast paced story and smart
dialogue. The director Sam Raimi also deserves a lot of credit
putting this film together. The only thing I would have done
differently is to make a more interesting and exciting final
confrontation and battle between Spider-Man and The Green Goblin,
but that's a minor critique for this really fun, well-made film.
-- Mike (
4 pops out of 4 pops )
Talk
about this film with other Popkorn Junkies |
|
Other Junkie's
opinions.....
Patsy ( 3 out of 4 pops )
Ok, I liked this movie but I had a few problems with it. The
main thing is the cheesiness of a lot of the lines in the script--
I guess it was just being true to the comic book (which I've heard
has tons of silly lines-- it's supposed to be that way), but when
Spider-Man calls the Green Goblin by the nick-name "Gobby"
I can't help but role my eyes. So cheesy. Also, don't
hate me-- but I just don't think Kirsten Dunst is good in this
movie-- in fact, I've never seen her act well in anything (I
haven't seen "Virgin Suicides" which I hear is good, so
there is a possibility that I could change my mind). Besides
that and besides that fact that I thought the scene where Kirsten
was drenched in water in a see-thru blouse was totally gratuitous
partial nudity-- which always gets me miffed-- I liked this movie enough
to give it 3 pops. It was entertaining and action packed, go
see it-- just don't expect to be totally blown away.
Matt ( 3 out of 4
pops )
Before I go on, I'd just like to establish that I had no intention of
seeing this movie. I wasn't one of those die-hard fans who've read
every "Spider-Man" comic cover-to-cover, and bought my tickets
in advance. Of course, I've heard of Spiderman, but I had no idea
what his powers were, his arch enemies or any of that stuff prior to
watching this movie. So I have to say, I was very impressed!
The plot is predictable, and goes through the same motions as any other
superhero action flick, but I was entertained throughout. Tobey
Maguire is convincing in the lead role, Kirsten Dunst is sassy and sexy
and Willem Dafoe steals the show as Spiderman's arch nemesis, The Green
Goblin. I had no idea Dafoe was going to be in this movie, so I
was hugely impressed to see the great actor appear on screen. The
film keeps a consistently upbeat tone, buoyed by moments of humor, and
never ceases to please. In a way, this movie brought out the kid
in me, but even discerning adult viewers should be impressed. The
film was made on a whopping budget, over 100 million dollars, and this
is one big summer blockbuster where I can honestly say that money was
well spent!
Billy Ray ( 4 out of
4 pops )
Wow. That's all I can say about this fantastic film, based on the
popular comic book series. What else should I have expected?
Hell, it grossed $114 million its opening weekend and broke every box
office record imaginable. And, it was just as delightful as I envisioned
it would be. Tobey Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker, and Willem
Dafoe is the absolute dream choice for villain as the Green Goblin.
The special effects were top notch, despite how shabby they looked from
the trailer, and everything set up nicely for a sequel. This was
much better than the "X-Men" film, though I believe the sequel
to "X-Men" will be better. And, this almost came close
to being as good as "Batman" and "Superman", though
it lacked just enough to make that group. However, this is a very
entertaining film, and I can't wait for the sequel. Director Sam
Raimi is sublime.
James ( 2 out of 4
pops )
Oh, what can I say? Of course I enjoyed the film. That's a tribute to
the great work of all the
visual artists who spent hours creating something
that lasts a little under 2 hours...and Kirsten Dunst. Again,
what can I say? Can she
act? I know she can. I've seen, "Little Women", "Virgin
Suicides", and "Dick", but what the fudge happened to
her? And Tobey
Maguire?! Well let's just say that the only "acting" in this
film is done
by the great Willem Dafoe. So how do I rate this film? Let's break
it down: the visual effects, action sequences, and Kirsten's nice
tummy (not her acting),
get 4 pops. But as far as plot, story, and dialogue
goes...they get 0 pops. And that falls right in the lap of Stan
Lee, not the
screenwriters. Stan Lee and Marvel Comics had their collective
mouths wrapped around this picture preventing any inspiration,
and what becomes is totally uninspired. It's almost as if they
were wishing and hoping that the hype alone would carry this flick!
C'mon Sam! Show some
balls and change the story! Oh, and I thought it was
funny how Spider-Man could climb walls with just his razor fingers.
What about his feet? They
were supposedly sticking to the walls, buthow? Nothing grew out of his
shoes!
|
