Spider-Man

RATING: B-

There was a time when superhero films were much simpler than they are now. They used to focus on just one guy, doing his job. Heck, there was a time when the X-Men films would've been considered complex. But now with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the upcoming DC Universe, things aren't exactly simple anymore. 

Spider-Man managed to go through two actors in about twelve years; and we're getting ready for a third. Some still look back on the original trilogy with a degree of fondness. In a new movie world where guys like Batman, Iron Man, and Captain America rock everyone's worlds, I must confess Spider-Man kind of falls off my radar sometimes in comparison. There are a couple reasons why, though. 

Not that I've got anything against Spider-Man. I like him as much as the next guy. But that's totally different from his secret identity, though--aka Peter Parker. Tobey Maguire nails the role pretty well, at least when you're comparing things to the comics. The problem of Peter not entirely being a likable character occasionally remains, though. This guy can go from being a total genius to being cringe-worthily stupid. Andrew Garfield may not have been as true to the comics, but he was more easy to identify with. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

We've got Peter Parker, who gets bitten by the radioactive spider. And then he becomes a superhero... but not without learning a few tragic lessons along the way. Hence the classic catchphrase he learns from his uncle, "With great power comes great responsibility." Something he has to figure out pretty quick when he has to deal with a psychopath in the form of the Green Goblin. 

Spider-Man's first outing definitely has its moments. The casting is overall quite well done (save for Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane). We've got Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, James Franco in one of his better film roles as Harry Osborn, and J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. The fight scenes with the Green Goblin are quite cool and hold up well (though some of the mercenary fight scenes look oddly like something out of Ninja Turtles from 1990). There's some clever dialogue as well. 

At the same time, though, it is flawed. Kirsten Dunst is quite an annoying Mary Jane, and her character in this film series isn't particularly good either. In a couple of scenes the action is too cartoony for its own good (we'll give them a bit of a break though, it was still 2002). I'd probably enjoy this film *and* the other two (both of which are superior to this one) more if I didn't have to put up with Peter Parker's love life as much--especially considering Maguire and Dunst have horrible chemistry. 

I guess I can't be too critical though. To an extent, Hollywood was still learning how to make superhero movies for the 21st century (even though they'd already released the first X-Men film). Like I said, though, the film has a few annoying moments that conflict with the few spectacular moments. Sure, Raimi's trilogy has a better story than the one we're given in the Garfield reboot, but for sheer entertainment purposes, this first film is a little bumpy at times. It's still well worth watching, though, especially considering the two sequels that follow.