Spider-Man Review

"Spider-Man" is by far the biggest movie of the year so far worldwide and it's easy to see why. Cult filmmaker Sam Raimi (director of "The Evil Dead" movies, "Darkman" and "The Quick And The Dead") has delivered a brilliant mainstream Hollywood blockbuster that is also a modern day fable, telling the story of Marvel Comics' most successful character Peter Parker, the teen nerd who is bitten by a genetically engineered spider on a school trip and wakes up the next day to discover he has become the amazing Spider-Man. The film follows him coming to grips with both his powers and the responsibilities they give him, before he has to take on his arch foe from the comic books: The Green Goblin.

The fact that this was a labour of love for long time fan Raimi is apparent; "Spider-Man" is great fun and thankfully avoids the camp irony that ruined the latter "Batman" movies. As you'd expect in this day and age the effects in the film are breathtaking, particularly when we see our intrepid hero using his famous webbing to swing from skyscraper to skyscraper along the streets of New York. However the film has much more going for it than simply great effects: former indie kid Tobey Maguire is perfectly cast as the timid teen Peter Parker (and that's the hard part to get right, as it be could anyone inside the Spider-Man costume!). Willem Defoe hams it up (in true Jack Nicholson/The Joker style) in the dual role of wealthy industrialist Norman Osbourne and the evil The Green Goblin, while Kirstin Dunst gets to look gorgeous and scream a lot as Peter's would be girlfriend, the often in peril Mary Jane.

The only people likely to be unhappy about this movie are the under twelves, who thanks to a harsh ruling by the BBFC, won't be allowed to see it. However, while there are enough in-jokes & references to keep the hardcore comic book fanboys happy, the film works so well because its far from just another superhero movie; it's the best kind of entertaining & hugely enjoyable popcorn fodder that Hollywood has to offer.