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Spider-Man (2002)
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Reviews Counted: 207
Fresh: 186
Rotten:21
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Consensus: Not only does Spider-Man provide a good dose of web-swinging fun, but it also has a heart, mainly due to Maguire.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for stylized violence and action
Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:May 3, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $403,706,375
Synopsis: Orphaned at an early age, Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) lived in Queens, New York with his beloved Aunt May (Academy-Awards®) nominee Rosemary Harris) and Uncle Ben (Academy Awards® winner... Orphaned at an early age, Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) lived in Queens, New York with his beloved Aunt May (Academy-Awards®) nominee Rosemary Harris) and Uncle Ben (Academy Awards® winner Cliff Robertson). Peter leads the life of a normal student, working as a photographer at the Daily Bugle under the tutelage of publisher J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), pining after the beautiful Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and hanging out with buddy Harry Osborn (James Franco). On a school trip, during which Peter and his classmates are given a science demonstration on spiders, Peter is bitten by a genetically altered spider. Soon after, he discovers that he has unusual powers: he is endowed with the strength and agility of a spider along with a keen, ESP-like "spider sense." After discovering these powers, Peter appears in a televised wrestling match and, armed with his new spider strength, wins the match in record time. But the wrestling match promoter refuses to award Peter the $3,000 prize money, alleging that Peter won too quickly. Soon afterwards, Peter has the opportunity to catch a burglar fleeing from the promoter's office, but because he wants revenge, he refuses to stop him. Moments later, the same burglar kills his beloved Uncle Ben. As Spider-Man, Peter apprehends the burglar but is plagued with guilt for not being a hero sooner. During his time of turmoil, Peter remembers something Uncle Ben once told him: "With great power, there must also come great responsibility." Peter takes this to heart and decides to us his extraordinary powers to fight crime. Meanwhile, megalomaniacal businessman Norman Osborn (Academy Award® nominee Willem Dafoe), Harry's father, is undergoing some changes of his own. An experimental formula has blown up in his face, increasing his intelligence and strength but also driving his insane. He is now the Green Goblin, Spider-Man's arch-enemy, who will put young Peter Parker's vow to fight crime and help innocent people to the ultimate test. -- © 2001 Columbia Pictures [More]
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Bill Nunn, Scott Schwartz, Randy Savage, Michael Papajohn, Deborah Wakeham
Director: Sam Raimi
Director: Sam Raimi
Screenwriter: David Koepp, Alvin Sargent
Producer: Laura Ziskin, Ian Bryce, Grant Curtis
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Release:
Aug 4, 2009
Reviews for Spider-Man
An adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero adventures that effectively takes time between exhilarating digital effects to develop character and motivation.
Colourful, energetic and well-cast, Spider-Man is a good-quality, highly-entertaining action movie.
A perfectly serviceable early-summer popcorn picture that will satisfy its core teen constituency and not displease general viewers looking for some disposable entertainment.
[Sam] Raimi captures the ineffable quality that makes this misfit with muscles New York's own blue-collar, working-man's hero.
Spider-man flows as smoothly from scene to scene, catching the audience in its charming web and setting us up for a sequel which, for once, will be welcome.
Unfortunately the film, like many of its ilk, is driven by special effects, and there's a serious disconnect between Maguire's sweet-natured dialogue and Spider-Man's pounding violence and stunning acrobatic work.
This accomplished blockbuster announces itself as a stylish piece of pop myth-spinning.
At its best, it's action packed fantasy, grounded in reality by a talented cast who pack a real emotional wallop. At its worst, it's over the top, and more than a little sappy.
Spider-Man was the first really alienated guy to swoop around fighting crime in a funny outfit. His strange powers made this teenage outsider into even more of an outsider -- and Spider-Man... stays true to that idea, thanks mostly to Maguire.
Count on Sam Raimi ... to deliver a Spider-Man movie that recaptures the wonder of those first-generation comics.
This is one of those rare adventure movies in which character, not violence, is the backbone of the film.
Director Sam Raimi was right. Tobey Maguire was the right choice for Spider-Man.
Let the gauntlet be thrown: Spider-Man may be the best comic adaptation of all time.
Will have any 12-year-old trying to perfect that trick of hoisting themselves up between walls using their legs.
The final sequence . . . will have you leaving the theater feeling both dizzy and giddy, and looking up at the top of the nearest building wishing you could shoot a web at it.
This is not a good movie, but a mediocre means of passing a few hours. It is a classic example of money and special effects diluting artistic vision and talent.
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