Imagine how you would giggle if there was a film coming out called Beetle-Man or Stick-Insect-Man... That is exactly the reaction I have to Spider-Man.

Going in, we all know that this film is going to follow the standard formulaic clichés of the superhero genre. There are set rules for this type of film and we are aware that no major Hollywood studio is going to even bend them, let alone redefine them. So we must judge this film on how well it stylizes the clichés and how original the dialogue is, so as to make it seem fresh. Spider-Man doesn't spin a new web on the formula, but it does have a lot of energy and color which helps distract us from the predictable plot. There is also some nice humor sprinkled throughout the film, but not enough to be truly memorable.

I have a slight problem with Tobey Maguire in the lead role... he lacks the vibrant energy, and he is too young and too bookish to be a superhero. Now that may be fine for the scenes as Peter Parker, but you have to be able to convince me of both. I just don't buy him as Spider-Man.

When I was fifteen I would have waited for months to see this film, counting the days. As soon as it was released I would have seen it two, three, maybe four times... and I would have loved it. Now that I am an adult I found this stuff to be pretty boring. I mean, for goodness sakes, it's a man wearing a red and blue spandex suit casting webs all over the place, fighting a green man on a flying surfboard, and falling in love with a girl who gets in more trouble than Penelope Pitstop. I guess I have just outgrown this type of fluff. The stunts & effects look pretty ridiculous. Sometimes CGI (computer generated imagery) can be too obvious, there is no weight or physical presence to Spiderman when he swings around... he looks like a computer generated image rather than a man swinging through the streets of the city. It's skillful, but not believable.

By the way... What in hell was up with the whole Wrestling bit and the Uncle getting whacked by a car-jacker? I understand that the film wants to stay relatively faithful to the original comics, but I thought that too many things didn't work for the movie and should have been cut or altered to fit better.

Overall, I have to say the film is a corny disappointment!

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - C- Richard Propes - B Jacob Hall -

Richard Propes' Comment

I was thrilled when I heard that Tobey Maguire would tackle the part of Spiderman. While, on the surface, an odd move...It felt right to me with Spidey's mix of bravado and vulnerability. I was not disappointed at all, and incredibly impressed with this film on every level. There have been so many wonderful comic books ruined on film, but I loved the script, the cinematography, direction and performances of Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Dafoe had his moments, but it went a bit over the top at times. Additionally, while I thought James Franco was well cast...well, there were times I had flashbacks to his James Dean film. The end, in particular, I felt was weak for Franco. Still, a wonderfully entertaining film and certainly, for me, the highlight of the comic book genre.

Jacob Hall's Comment

n/a