SPIDERMAN [2002] Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe ; Rated 12

The long awaited take on the old comic book hero. The film sees Spidey go up against the Green Goblin whilst trying to recognise his own potential in love, life and being a hero. Sam Raimi directs, (The Evil Dead, A Simple Plan) with his usual atmospheric approach. He does succeed in replicating the comic book feel and for the most part the action is good and the film is well paced. However, Sam Raimi makes no attempt to stretch himself in the basics of film making. As typical with Raimi, his concentrations on creating an exciting and uplifting atmosphere result in him forgetting about the little things, like holding the camera steady and hiring professionals to do the CGI. That to one side though, the average Joe will not pick up on those things or his enjoyment won't be hampered by them. It is Raimi's best film to date but it's the countless decades of comic books which deserve the credit, not him. It's better than Tomb Raider, and no doubt Spidey fans will think it's the best thing since X-MEN, but to us normal folk it's watchable, enjoyable in parts but more often than not, just plain silly. It's only worth the money if you didn't earn it. So for all you students out there, go right ahead.

3/5