Analysis
We have all at some point read the comics, watched the cartoons and seen the TV movies from some years back. We all know how Peter Parker became Spiderman, this time however there is a Hollywood budget to back this Marvel production up. When it comes to comic book conversions you just know that the result will go one of two ways. Its either going to stay true to its origins and result in a box office hit that old and new fans adore and flock to see. Or it will go the other way and the result will be dire and people might just rent it on a wet Sunday night from the local video store when there is nothing else to do. Luckily Spiderman has more positives than negatives and has raked in a nice tidy profit.

Tobey Maguire cast as loner Peter Parker does produce a convincing lead. Maguire does not have that many fantastic qualities about him and therefore suits the role of Parker. Parker in the comic is the geek kid with not much going for him until he’s bitten and given his gift. Maguire handles the part very well and only the CGI lets his character down. There are some scenes, which just look a little too animated. But don’t let this ruin your enjoyment. William Dafoe plays the Green Goblin well, a very convincing enemy fueled by hate and revenge after the gas experiment goes wrong and he is sacked. But in all honesty the Green goblin has never been one of my favorite characters. Kirsten Dunst plays Mary Jane the love interest for Parker and is the eye candy element within the movie, just there really to play the helpless girl role. It gives Spiderman something to do as he saves and protects her throughout the film.

Throughout the movie there are many enjoyable scenes, for example Parker getting the better of the school bully. But on the whole some of the scenes where spoiled as the Spiderman character changed from the real Tobey Mcguire to a very animated and bendy character.

The script keeps its form and does keep the comic book style to it. It’s good that the movie shows the development of Spiderman. If you look at other films like Batman, the movie drops you straight in to the super hero world with only flashbacks to his early life before he became Batman.

The film ends at really the beginning of Spiderman’s career. Therefore I am left looking forward to the sequel.

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		The action scenes would not look out of place in an episode of Power Rangers. They are well choreographed but the shots of Spiderman swinging through streets and spinning around do look very animated. Some of the positions he is seen to bend himself in to are just not possible.
Tension		There are a few scenes that have a brief flash of the green goblin screaming at high volume. This can make younger viewers jump and upset. So this movie is not for the very young. Stick to the cartoon for now.
Violence/ Gore		Relatively tame in comparison to some action movies.
Bare Flesh	NONE	A zero but Kirsten Dunst does not look that bad at all in the scene where she is attacked in the street. The rain adds greatly to the moment.
Plot		Boy gets bitten, Boy develops powers, and Boy fights evil. There was never going to be a major surprise in the plot to this movie.

Verdict This is not the best film you will ever see but its entertaining and fun. What the film offers is a sound base on which a sequel will hopefully develop. With any luck Spiderman will battle against some of the better evil characters, as The Green Goblin was never one of my favorites. If X2 is anything to go by then the sequel will hopefully be better.

Movie Pictures (Click picture to enlarge)