By: debbie lynn elias
My spidey-sense is tingling — and its not because evil is lurking on the horizon! That’s right folks, one of the most talked about and anticipated films of the year has finally hit the big screen and has already swung into the annals of moneymaking and moviemaking history. Long having been a fan of not only the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko comic but the various cartoon and live-action versions as well (thanks in large part to my brothers during our youth), Sam Raimi’s latest interpretation of this comic book hero now brings the legend to life using not only the latest technology, but by weaving a tale of good versus evil, love and loyalty, friendship and family and a good old fashioned “aw shucks, he’s a nice guy” theme.
Screenwriter David Koepp, also responsible for “Panic Room”, “Lost World” and “Mission Impossible”, stays faithful and true to the original story. Orphaned at an early age, your Peter Parker lives in New York with his beloved Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Slightly nerdy, bookish and gawkish, a social outcast at best (okay, even the school bus driver doesn’t like him) Peter works as a photographer for the New York Daily Bugle, headed by the curmudgeonly J. Jonah Jameson. A normal teen, Peter hangs out with his best friend Harry and has spent his life pining for the red-headed girl-next-door, the beautiful Mary Jane Watson. Bitten by a genetically altered spider while on a class science outing, Peter develops some rather unique spider-like powers, gaining a strength and agility he previously lacked, not to mention those enhanced tingly “spidey-senses.” After his Uncle Ben is killed by a burglar, Peter decides to use his newfound powers to fight crime and protect the innocent. Naturally, archenemies and super villians get thrown into the mix (can’t have Spidey just hunting down car jackers now, can we?) – in this outing, the Green Goblin. Norman Osborn, wealthy businessman and father of Peter’s best friend Harry by day, turns into the Green Goblin after an experimental formula goes awry, not only increasing his strength and intelligence, but making him insane as well.
Tobey Maguire is masterful as Peter/Spidey. Hooking you with his wide-eyed intensity and physical minimalism as Peter, Maguire draws you into the web even further with his transformation into Spidey, exuding and eliciting emotions like a kid in a candy store. Probably known best for his dramatic turns in “Cider House Rules” and “Pleasantville”, Maguire is delightfully thrilling here as he tests his new powers, complete with spinning webs and sticky fingers, swinging from rooftop to rooftop against the New York skyline.
Big action and special effects are unleashed in the second half of the film. Although expected, anticipated and necessary to every action hero tale, the effects are nevertheless breathtakingly exciting. Special effects wizard John Dykstra spares no expense with computer generated imagery, weaving the high flying stunts and web crawling with a flow so as not to seem gratuitous or unnatural. And let’s not forget costume designer James Acheson, who has outdone himself here with one of the coolest, sleekest action hero costumes in history.
There is one big fault with “Spiderman” and that lies with the creation and interpretation of the Green Goblin. Unlike those larger-than-life notorious evildoers in “Batman,” here, the Green Goblin surfs the skies on motor scooter/ jet-shoes, starkly immobile, stiff and seemingly lacking in imagination and costume development. Rather than appear as the super villain that he is, the Green Goblin looks as if the pages of a book are being turned too quickly in order to generate his locomotive skills.
But beyond the good versus evil, crime fighting-for-revenge theme and special effects galore, we have a skip-a-heartbeat, lump-in-your-throat, star-crossed romance between Spidey and Mary Jane. From its explanations of love as being a feeling “that makes you feel stronger and weaker at the same time” to one of the best kisses in movie history (move over Rhett and Scarlet), a hanging upside-down Spidey locking lips in an open-mouth kiss with Mary Jane, girls and guys alike will want to experience the thrill of it all.
And what can possibly be said about Kirsten Dunst in her turn as Mary Jane? Delightful innocence – even endearingly childlike at times yet with a slightly sexy damsel-in-distress overtone, a teenaged crush (or not) — Dunst has come into her own, making every girl out there want to be Mary Jane complete with a belief in fairy tales, heroes and love. Yes, you too can have your prince, although he may swoop down from the sky rather than ride in on a white steed.
In the words of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben (and a nice turn by veteran Cliff Robertson), “with great power comes great responsibility.” “Spiderman” shoulders that burden well. A true masterpiece, er, make that, web-masterpiece.
