Spider-Man
Right off the bat, you know the filmmakers have done something right when you hear the confident opening chords of Danny Elfman’s theme music over the credits. The man who laid down the cards for Burton’s Batman films once again gets the job done with a music score both epic and exciting. As director, Sam Raimi has a sure hand, keeping the pace brisk and the visuals bright and colorful as we follow the story of Peter Parker, uber-nerd turned superhero. Since Tobey Maguire has made a solid career up to this point of playing social misfits and creepy types, his casting here is solid for the role as written, even if it is a change from the All-American genius from the comic books; Dunst as Mary Jane nails the chemistry with her costar early, and succeeds in making MJ a likable romantic foil on par with Lois Lane; James Franco as the best friend is given little to do really, but his character is more of a set-up for plot payoffs later in the series; Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris bring the right kind of dignity to Uncle Ben and Aunt May, with Robertson bringing some fine acting to the table with limited screen time to remind us why he won an Oscar many moons ago; and J.K. Simmons in many ways steals the show as the obnoxious yet lovable asshole newspaper editor, getting many of the best lines and quips out of his role. The man who owns this thing though, is Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, in many ways the proverbial Joker to Parker’s Batman. We first see him as a kind but troubled businessman determined to keep his company together with his superstrength serum (a concoction that was also reportedly used to fire up Captain America), but after trying it on himself, manages to convince us that the Goblin is almost a separate entity from the scared, human, and vulnerable Norman Osborn. In all, a magnificent villain, and one that should have earned Dafoe a Supporting Actor nod. I could have done without an almost total switchover late in the film to CGI for the Spidey-Goblin fight scenes, giving the proceedings at times the feel of a glorified power rangers movie, or the extremely campy cameo from has-been wrestler Randy Savage as Parker’s opponent in a special challenge he gives himself (though that scene allows for a great bit from the legendary Bruce Campbell who gets the credit for coming up with the hero’s name). In the end, a superb comic-book flick, and a great start for this franchise…
9/10