Average teenager Peter Parker is transformed into an extraordinary super hero after he is accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider. When his beloved uncle is savagely murdered during a robbery, young Peter vows to use his powers to avenge his death. Deeming himself "Spider-Man ," he sets about ridding the streets of crime, bringing him into conflict with malevolent super-villain "Green Goblin."

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Many directors and artists in Hollywood claim to be fans of comic book heroes, but when it comes time for them to actually put it together they fail miserably. But not here. Sam Rami is a TRUE Spider-man fan-- and he did what a true fan would do. He stayed true to the source and to the material. He captured the essence of Spider-man and his history. He didn't decide to pretentiously add his own mark like Tim Burton did with the laughable Batman movie. Rami stayed true to the comic. This is the Spider-man I read about month for the last 13 years.

I really did not think that anyone could top the X-Men, but Rami has and I don't just mean because of the special effets. I also mean in terms of the plot and character development. This is not a long drawn out movie filled with pointless violence. It is a well plotted story that moves effortlessly from point to point. Who would have thought that so much could be fit into two hours? And the end, I won't give it away , but who on earth would have thought that it would have ended that way. Instead of going for the same old boring cliche Hollywood ending--Rami tacks on an original one which hints towards the future.

Tobey Maguire was not my first choice to play Peter Parker. But boy does he deliver! I understand that he worked hard to get this part and boy does it show! He plays Peter just the way he was portrayed in the book! Kristen Dunst also was excellent,I did not think that she could pull off the part of Mary Jane. She's a lovely girl but not the super-model that MJ is in the comic book. But I was pleasantly surprised with what was done with the character.

After being disapointed with the unseeminly endless rubish that Hollywood has produced lately I am now, in the words of Mr. Stan Lee, a true believer. Thanks Sam Rami for not butchering a character I consider to be like a brother and restoring my faith that there are film makers out there who actually care about film making!

18 of 19 found the following review helpful:

a review of Spider-Man Limited Edition Collector's Gift SetNov 24, 2002
By adead_poet@hotmail.com "adead_poet@hotmail.com"
First of all, this isn't a review of the Spider-Man movie or dvd. It's a review of the box set: Spider-Man Limited Eidtion DVD Collector's Gift Set. (I'll do a review of the Spider-Man dvd at a later time) It contains two dvds: 1) the Spider-Man widescreen special edition, and while I'm not going to go into it in this review, it is a great movie and a great dvd; and 2) Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels, which I've reviewed under the dvd, so I won't go much into this dvd here. But it is a very informative interview. These two dvds pretty much make the gift set worth the price. It also comes with a few 'collector's items' which I leave to you to decide if they make it worth picking up the gift set or just buying the dvds. There's a reproduction of the Amazing Fantasy comic that first introduced Spider-Man. It's monetary value is null, since it is a reproduction, but it is nice to get a copy of our favorite web-slinger's first appearance. A bit juvenile, but valueable for the Spidey-fan. There's a piece of artwork by John Romita Sr, nice but doesn't add much to the set. And finally there is a film cell from the movie (when Spider-Man is dodging Goblin's bats in the burning building). Also nice to have, but I found these collector's items don't add much to the enjoyment of the dvds. I'd say the gift set is only valuable to the hard core fan. Otherwise, just pick up the dvds.

15 of 17 found the following review helpful:

"SPIDER-MAN" a remarkable, action-packed popcorn flickMay 04, 2002
By Ladd Wendelin "laddman@hotmail.com"
True Believers! For one reason or another, you fell in love with Spider-man. Maybe it was the comic books, or the cartoon series. But in any case, you fell in love with the Web-head. You wanted to be him. Climbing walls, swinging high over the busiling streets of the city that never sleeps. It was intriguing, beguiling, a dream within a dream come true. And now, it's just that, a dream come true...

Sam Raimi, along with the talents of Tobey Maguire, Kristin Dunst, and Willem Dafoe, all courtesey of the colorful imagination of Stan Lee, have created the best comic book movie adaptation (dare I say it, ok...) EVER! All your expectations are dashed and surpassed in over 2 hours of nothing but web-slinging action. I was totally blown away. Sam Raimi certainly had a definite vision for Spider-Man, and it shows. He faithfully recreates a hyper-reality New York City for Spidey. His execution of the mythos of Spider-Man onscreen is simply flawless.

And in these troubled times, isn't this what movie goers and film buffs want? Pure escapist fiction, comic books superheroes and exploits come to life. Stuff blows up, and throw in some computer-generated images for the kiddies, and patriotism for 9/11. Character and plot development, (the tormented superhero, and average joe who must struggle with the great power he has acquired and the great responsibility that he must deal with) along with exceptional talent and a director with a keen eye for the action flick to boot. Simply, it's pure movie magic.

You're a Spidey fan, and to see these characters come to life on the screen, in such an excellent manner, and it's just TOO much. I was estatic, the entire film. Spider-Man stands alone by itself a remarkable picture. Why criticize it when there's so much to love about it? Spider-Man has it all. Columbia Pictures, Sony, and of course Raimi and Maguire have their work cut out for them for years to come, both financially, and professionally.

It's Spider-Man, the comic book, the hero, the man, come to life. Don't miss this exceptional movie!

17 of 20 found the following review helpful:

A more than solid superhero blockbusterNov 23, 2002
By N. Durham "Big Evil"
When going into adapting a comic to film, there are usually two routes. The first route is the movie will be utterly disappointing and lacking any of the intensity from the book it is adapted from (see the Spawn live action film for example), while the second route is a riveting, very well put together film that carries the essence of the comic (the original Superman and Batman and the Blade series). Spider-Man isn't the best comic adaption to film, but this long awaited movie more than delivers the goods. Tobey Maguire is rather good and believeable as Peter Parker and Spider-Man and seems to be a great choice for the role in the future films, while Kirsten Dunst is as stunning as ever as Mary Jane Watson. James Franco perfectly captures the personality and insecurity of Harry Osborne, while Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris are very good as well as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. But the best casting and performance goes to Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin/Norman Osborne, he is absolutely perfect as the maniacal schizo and is clearly having a lot of fun in his role, while an almost as perfect performance by J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, who is perfectly cast and looks just like the character does in the comic. Director Sam Raimi (director of the cult classics Evil Dead Trilogy and the original Darkman) directs with his usual stylish flair (along with some shameless corporate promotions) and is a great example of how to make a comic adapted film with a director who knows the comic... All in all, Spider-Man may not be up there with the original Superman, Batman, and Blade, but it is more than worth a look...

22 of 27 found the following review helpful:

An Amazing Spider-Man MovieMay 01, 2002
By Christopher Fama
I saw Spider-Man last night at a sneak preview sponsored by a famous food company. As a lifelong Spider-Man fan, I was very pleased with Sam Raimi's faithful interpretation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's character, and his world. The writing couldn't have captured the spirit of the comic any better, and the casting was truly inspired. Unlike so many other comic book movies, Spider-Man brought the best of the series to the screen without needless changes aimed at "marketing" to a broader audience.

My only complaint with the film was the Green Goblin's costume. Defoe is one of Hollywood's greatest modern faces, he can convey a broad range of emotions simply by changing the expression on his face. Yet in Spider-Man his face is covered with a metal shell which doesn't move at all. Not even when he speaks. This unfortunate decision, the only bankrupt concept inherited from the Batman films, mutes Defoes effectiveness as the Goblin right when needed most. I found myself wishing he confronted Spider-Man as Norman Osborn rather than the lifeless robot impersonating the Green Goblin.

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