I know a lot of you have been waiting with great anticipation
for the new Spider-Man movie especially since its his
40th anniversary this year. Well it has arrived. It stars
Tobey Maguire as high school student Peter Parker who gets
bitten by a genetically-modified spider during a school trip
and becomes Spider-Man. That means he gains superhuman strength
and spider like agility to use against the bad guys.
First he tries to make money of his newly acquired powers
but after his Uncle Ben is murdered by a thief who earlier
Peter had a chance to stop, Peter decides to fight crime and
do good with his powers.
You see Peter is basically a good kid who was orphaned at
an early age and since then has been raised by his Aunt My
and Uncle Ben in Queens, New York. They both love him but
their over protectiveness especially from his uncle causes
some family conflict. After his uncle is murdered Peter realize
how much he really meant to him and makes him recognize that
he shouldnt waste his newly acquired power. His uncles
words of with great power comes great responsibility
resonates passionately in him.
There is also the pretty Mary Jane Watson, the girl Peter
lusts after who doesnt give him the time of day until
he becomes more macho through his recent transformation. Until
then he was a bit nerdy for her.
Peter is shy so before he gets the confidence to ask Mary
Jane out his friend buddy Harry Osborn (James Franco) starts
dating her. After graduation they still hang together which
give Mary Jane plenty of time to hint to Peter that she likes
him more than Harry.
To complicate matters more, Harrys father Norman is
a megalomaniac businessman who conducted some scientific test
on himself and turned into the evil Green Goblin. He goes
insane and with his extreme strength sets on causing mayhem
wherever he goes.
Although Norman has always liked Peter everything changes
once Spider-Man refuses to join the Green Goblin in his wickedness.
They become arch-enemies and battle each other all over the
city.
Those fights and Spider-Man swinging from one tall skyscraper
to the next is where this movie shines. Otherwise the story
and acting is rather juvenile. With exciting and spectacular
effects those who easily get vertigo should expect plenty
of it.
Unlike the excellent Spider-Man costume, The Green-Goblins
mask looks like it was taken from an old Power Rangers episode.
But even with the silly dialogue that works better in comic
books than on the screen, Spider-Man delivers great visual
exhilaration.
Director Sam Raimi does an impressive job at putting together
exciting action scenarios using todays top notch special
effects to give your senses a colossal rush.
Spider-Man should prove a wonderful escape from reality for
not just action fans but to most people who want a non challenging
but fun time at the movies.
Gil Benzeevi
During
my youth I read comics like many children do. I was never
a collector, but had subscriptions to a few series. I recall
Rom the SpaceKnight, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Micronauts,
Spidergirl and my favorite, Spider Man. Sure I read some of
the others like Batman, Superman, The Fantastic 4, and so
on, but Spider Man was always the one I enjoyed the most.
The reason for this was simple. Sure Spiderman had powers
that are unrealistic for a human being, but unlike most comic
heroes, he was a real person. Spiderman's alter ego Peter
Parker, had to deal with real-life issues such as money, taking
care of his Aunt, his job, his friends, school, and of course
women. This was not a person who had all the answers; he was
a regular person who fate selected to possess extraordinary
skills, and to use them for the good of others.
Following
the success of the "Superman" and "Batman"
series on the silver screen, it seemed only natural that Spiderman
would be slinging webs on the big screen in no time, but a
tangled web of lawsuits delayed the debut for over a decade.
In the late 80's Cannon films planned to release a film based
on Spiderman only to see their company fold before it could
get off the ground. The years passed, and eventually 20th
Century Fox and James Cameron started production on a Spiderman
film, and unleashed a fury of lawsuits. It seemed that 21st
Century films founded after the breakup of Cannon claimed
they still had the rights to the character, and since they
sold the rights to various companies for television, video,
and other media outside of film, there were several parties
who had a claim to the property. When one lawsuit was resolved,
another would arise, as with Cameron onboard, the series was
a veritable gold mine. Cameron eventually left the project
to do "Titanic", but after the lawsuits were finally
resolved, a slew of writers working from the Cameron outline
went to work bringing Spiderman to the screen. Director Sam
Raimi who was best known for his "Evil Dead" films
as well as producing the "Hercules" and "Xena"
series was tapped to bring the film to life despite never
helming a film with a big budget.
The task
of bringing Spiderman and his alter ego fell to Toby Maguire
who was Raimi's choice from the start despite the studio wanting
a more bankable lead such as Leonardo Di Caprio or Heath Ledger.
With the star in place the task of finding a leading lady,
and a person to play the villain was a bit harder. John Malkovich
was the lead choice to play the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn,
but he passed on the role in order to devote more time to
independent films. The role eventually went to Willem Dafoe
who has had a solid career playing characters with a dark
edge such as his Oscar nominated role in "Shadows of
the Vampire".
With production
about to start, Raimi went to Europe to audition Kirstin Dunst
for the role of Mary Jane Watson. She was a natural in the
role and the chemistry between her and Maguire was obvious.
With the cast finally in place, the crew began filming in
New York, only to have the tragic events of September 11th
cast a pall on the film as the trailer and posters for the
film had to be recalled due to the prominate placement of
the World Trade Center Towers in them.
With all
of the turmoil behind them, the cast and crew signed on for
a sequel before the first film had made its debut thus ensuring
future screen adventures for the wall crawler. The film is
faithful to the comics and tells of how kind but nerdy Peter
Parker (Maguire), is bitten by a radioactive spider during
a school visit to a lab. At first it goes unnoticed by Peter,
but he starts to display increased strength, agility, and
the ability to climb walls. Wanting to exploit his new abilities,
Peter becomes a professional wrestler and dressed in a homemade
costume, he starts to make a name for himself in the ring.
Once again fate steps in, and an action Peter does not take
comes back to haunt him, and causes him to rethink the gift
he has been given and the best way to use it.
The fate
in question is the radioactive spider bite that transforms
peter into a strong and athletic individual who becomes intoxicated
with his new abilities to the exclusion of his work and chores.
He still has an eye for the lovely Mary Jane Watson, but is
uneasy about approaching her due to his shyness. The mask
he wears as Spiderman gives him the confidence to do and say
the things that he has always wanted to as Peter, but was
unable to do so.
The film
stays very close to the comic series that inspired it, as
the origins of the characters and their relationships to one
another, as well as outcomes are faithful to their natural
origins. Peter finds himself battling all manner of criminals
and soon is pitted against his deadliest foe, The Green Goblin.
The Goblin is a very dynamic and interesting villain, as he
is a good man, who becomes a modern day Jeckyl and Hyde due
to an experiment gone wrong. The Goblin is bent on revenge
for all those who oppose him or have wronged his alter ego.
His goal is to gain Spiderman as an ally or to destroy him
outright. What makes the Goblin so interesting is not his
armor, air glider or weapons, it is the performance given
by Da Foe. His portrayal of both Osborn and the Goblin is
riveting. Da foe walks the fine line between madness and sanity,
evilness and compassion without being campy, and invokes a
sense of compassion about his character that is sadly lacking
in most film villains. The performance of Da Foe is every
bit as gripping as his Oscar nominated role in "Shadows
of the Vampire", and might just be rewarded with a supporting
actor nod.
Naturally
Peter has to save the girl, the day, and defeat the Goblin,
all the while earning money from his job selling Spiderman
photos to the crusty J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), who
is the editor of the Daily Bugle. Maguire and Dunst are fantastic
as the chemistry between them is obvious and I look forward
to seeing their characters develop in future films. Dunst
is great as the pretty girl from the troubled family who is
misunderstood but never loses sight of her goal. She plays
Mary Jane as a strong, and caring woman without being a typical
damsel in distress. She comes across as a real person, and
is perfect as the girl next door whom Peter has admired from
afar since they were in the first grade. The film does a great
job in showing the transition that Peter, Mary Jane, and his
friend Harry Osborn (John Franco), (Yes, the Goblins son),
as they move from High school to the job market and college
over the course of the film and in doing so, shows how people
change roles when they get into the real world. Peter is getting
away from the shy bookworm, and Mary Jane is leaving the popular
girl role to that of struggling actress and waitress. The
real star of the picture is Maguire, as he gives a very realistic
and sympathetic portrayal of Peter. You can share the joy
he has as he explores his new powers, and you can feel the
pain and isolation he endures as he is unable to tell the
ones he loves about his alter ego and learns that his powers
make those he care for a target for those he battles. There
are some very tender moments in the film and Maquire and Dunst
carry them off with a maturity that is beyond their years
and leaves little doubt that they are on their way to stardom.
Director Sam Raimi does a great job of getting the most out
of his cast while staying faithful to his material. The special
effects are great, but never get in the way of the story.
The scenes of Spiderman slinging his webs as he travels the
city are exciting and well crafted. As "Superman"
many years ago made audiences believe a man could fly, "Spiderman"
takes you along on the wild ride, complete with some outstanding
effects. I could go on forever praising this film but I will
summarize it as follows. Not only is "Spiderman"
a true classic, and a great film, it is easily the best film
adaptation of a comic book character ever. The wait was well
worth it.
5 stars
out of 5
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
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