3 out of 5

Director: Sam Raimi

This is closer to 3.5 stars, but I rounded down to differentiate between S.Man 2 and 3. So: how is it as a comic book movie? Fun. Spider-Man is a slow build to a very fun hero film. Its spread out a bit, and I agree that that was necessary, but it also makes for a pretty big difference between the first and second half of the movie – the second half being when he really embraces his powers. (For those unawares, this movie is about a teen getting SUPER SPIDER POWERS! Extrapolate lessons about responsibility and power from there.) So when things get going they are great – Green Goblin (Defoe) hovers between cheesy spectacle and creepy believability, thanks to being anchored to his confused son, James Franco, and the interesting ties to our hero, Peter Parker (Maguire). The best part is that all of these pieces are kept ..mostly.. true to the roots laid down in the comic, which lend itself to great soap opera. The effects hold up and are used sparingly enough to be entertaining. This is pretty much the best Spider-Man origin movie that could be made – patient and respectful with tongue slightly in cheek – but it has a hollow element that I dont think was filled until #2.