Spider-Man (Widescreen Edition) Reviews

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.

Rating: 5 - Best movie of the summer
I went into Spiderman with high expectations for a movie on one of my 2 favorite super heros, directed by one of my favorite directors. I can happily say that I was not let down. This movie blew my expectations away. Toby Maguire is a perfect adolescent Peter Parker; Kirsten Dunst is beautiful, and does a pretty good job playing Mary Jane Watson; and Willem Dafoe is outstanding as the Green Goblin. Casting was outstanding. The costumes, unlike those of the X-Men, look like they were torn straight from the comic-book pages. Everything is presented in Sam Rami's (Evil Dead trilogy, Darkman, and Xena television series) wonderfully campy style without going overboard and becoming stupid slapstick mush. Also, fans of the Evil Dead trilogy should be pleased to know that Rami has lots of Evil Dead cameos in Spiderman, Ash's car makes an appearance, as does Bruce Campbell

Personally,I feel Spiderman rises above my other favorite superhero movie: Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. Star Wars Episode II definitely has its work cut out for it, and I don't think there is much chance that the modernized Star Wars will be able to one-up the Wall-crawler. All in all, don't wait for this to come out on DVD. see it on the biggest screen possible. As for me, I'm checking it out on the giant IMAX screen this weekend.

Rating: 5 - An extraordinary movie on a splendid DVD edition.
Sam Raimi was the best choice for director for Spider-Man. His parents had a Spider-Man mural painted on his wall for him in his childhood, and he had the perfect vision for how Spider-Man should be. Better actors could not have been picked to play these roles; Tobey Maguire made the role of Peter Parker his. Kirsten Dunst was an excellent Mary Jane, and Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris were the best as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. J. K. Simmons stole the show as Jameson, who played the part magnificently; he literally WAS Jonah. Sam's brother Ted Raimi (from Xena) was a nice surprise appearing in the Daily Bugle office. Willem Dafoe's Norman/Goblin over-the-top performance was superb, but the armored costume took some getting used to. If you look quickly, you'll see Stan (The Man) Lee making a little heroic appearance! Right from the start, the characters are believable, and the characters are fleshed out wonderfully from the comic. A great deal of time was invested in getting a costume for Spidey that looks awesome; this endeavor was obviously taken very seriously and the designers did a great job.

The CGI Spider-Man was fantastic! The talents involved with the CGI captured Spider-Man's movements so flawlessly, I almost believed at some points that it was actually a person performing Spidey's complex acrobatic abilities and fighting style, but would have liked to see a bit more jumping; Spidey can jump pretty high and far, but will hopefully be more prominent when the character is older (in the sequels!) I'll have to get used to the organic webs; which was my least favorite aspect of the film. The creators decided it was easier than having to explain how he was able to pay for the chemicals for the webbing. This doesn't allow us to see Pete as a scientist, which I love, but maybe they will bring some of that out (and some higher jumping) for the sequel! More of the Bugle characters hopefully will make an extended appearance in the sequels, too.

The DVD is literally packed with special features from on-screen pop-ups that display information and tidbits pertaining to what was said, or shown in a particular scene, and a "spider sense" that takes you from the main movie to a mini-movie when you press the proper remote button. The menu selection is a visual treat and the DVD-ROM extras are a nice bonus, from Marvel dot comics to an Activision Spider-Man PC game demo. I would have liked to see some deleted scenes, but disc 2 provides some outtakes and gags which are a delight to see. It finally took a true, talented Spider-Man fan to turn out the best Spidey production I've ever seen. Sam Raimi's love for Spider-Man and the hard work of all the talented people in this film gave those of us who love Spidey an unforgettable movie experience, and just as much work was put into this DVD edition that is a pleasure to own.

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Spider-Man (Widescreen Edition)