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 If
good things come to those who wait, then the long-awaited big screen
version of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is definitely
a good thing. Not a great thing, mind you, but a good thing. Thanks
to near-perfect casting and breathtaking, Matrix-style special
effects, the film more than fits the bill as an immensely entertaining
summer diversion. It's just too bad that not even Spidey himself can
save the script from being weak and contrived.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) may be close with his beloved Aunt
May (Rosemary Harris) and idealistic Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson),
but his academic life isn't quite so rosy. For one thing, he repeatedly
gets picked on by his fellow high school students, but more importantly,
the love of his life--red-headed beauty Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten
Dunst)--hardly knows he exists. Fate intervenes when a genetically-altered
spider from a lab experiment accidentally bites Peter on the hand,
giving him its proportionate strength and agility. Peter initially
revels in his newfound web-spinning powers, but he soon learns the
hard way that with great power comes great responsibility.
After more than a decade of legal entanglements that threatened
to keep the wall-crawler grounded for good, Spidey is finally free
in time for his 40th anniversary and ready to take Sony Pictures
on a multi-billion dollar spin. Fortunately, director Sam Raimi
does Spidey, Sony, and the rest of the fans proud by taking creative
liberties to update the story while still remaining true to the
spirit of the character. Unlike Batman, who was a rich tycoon with
fancy gadgets, and Superman, who was an alien from another planet,
Spider-Man's alter-ego was a nerdy kid from a working class New
York suburb, and Raimi--like Stan Lee's original comic--wisely keeps
the story focused on his coming of age and adolescent upbringing.
James Cameron was originally tapped to direct the project before
lawsuits and development hell made him jump ship for Titanic,
but Raimi was wise to incorporate some elements of his 57-page treatment
into the finished film. In the comic book, Peter Parker created
his mechanical web-shooters, but in Cameron's version, his webbing
is organic as a result of his physical metamorphosis. That plot
change may have irked some die-hard fans, but the fact is, the update
works and makes perfect sense.
The problem is that Spider-Man's story may be a little too complex
for David Koepp's (Panic Room) congested script. Not only
does it have to set up how Spidey got his powers, but it also has
to grapple with the soap opera-like scenario of having the woman
he loves go out with his best friend, whose father just so happens
to be his arch-enemy, the Green Goblin. It's a lot to cover, and
the rushed progression tends to weigh down the emotional impact
of the film.
Since Peter Parker was a lanky, sweet-natured kid, Tobey Maguire
was perfect to play him after similar roles in The Ice Storm,
Pleasantville, and The Cider House Rules. In this case,
Maguire shows remarkable range, both physically and emotionally,
and the result is his strongest performance yet. He also has incredible
chemistry with Kirsten Dunst, who plays Mary Jane Watson with free-spirited,
sexy vulnerability.
The supporting characters are somewhat underdeveloped, but that's
to be expected when there's so much going on. Still, that doesn't
stop J.K. Simmons from stealing the show as embittered Daily Bugle
Editor-in-Chief J. Jonah Jameson. James Franco broods his way through
his role as best friend Harry Osborn, but at least he bears a striking
resemblance to Willem Dafoe, who conveniently plays his insane father
Norman. Unfortunately, it's Dafoe's performance as the Green Goblin
that leaves much to be desired. In an effort to convey the maniacal
threat that the Goblin represents, Dafoe goes over the top into
camp territory, and he's just not as menacing as he should be.
Spider-Man
is about as good as can be expected for an introductory superhero
movie, but it would have been nice if it was better than expected.
It also would have been nice if Danny Elfman's musical score had
a catchier theme, especially considering how catchy the theme music
was for the classic 1960's cartoon series.
No matter, because in this post-9/11 world, the film ends up being
the ultimate tribute to the real heroes of New York City. Like so
many Americans last year, Peter Parker was an ordinary person who
was thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and he rose to the
occasion to meet his great responsibility. If Hollywood is going
to meet its responsibility and honor the real heroes of the USA,
then you can't get a better tribute than this one, courtesy of your
friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
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