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Review: Spiderman
First off lets talk about the cast. Toby Maguire was great in The Cider House Rules. He's just a solid actor. But I was seriously wary of him in the role of the webbed one. He seemed like a flimsy choice. He needed to pull off the one liners, but still convince us of his love for Mary Jane. But he pulls it off admirably. From the goofy glasses wearing scenes in the beginning to his badass battle scenes towards the end, its a solid showing. The best scenes in the whole movie are the ones where we see Peter Parker coming to grips with his new spider powers.
Now I'm gonna skip in a bit with a statement about staying true to comic books. Yes- some of the details have been changed from the books. Like most noticably, the nature of Spiderman's webbing. But whatever- this is story telling and it works for me.
Kirsten Dunst does a good job in what could have been a bland role in the hands of an actress who was just a pretty face. Mary Jane is convincing, and since she is in many ways the thing that grounds spiderman, its a tough burden. And the other biggie is of course the head of Oscorp, Mr. Norman Osborn, Willem Defoe. he does allright, but most of his maniacal scenes are covered by a mask that leaves him little room for any actual facial expressions.
So the plot: Boy loves girl. Boy gets bit by radioactive spider and develops super powers. Boys friend's dad inhales nano gas that makes him super powerful, and super crazy. Boy explores powers and eventually must save city from the attack of the newly crazed buddy's dad, all while dealing with the loss of his family. It's spiderman in a nutshell, and it's just damn solid.
The special effects are smooth. From the ads I was a little concerned since spiderman looked a little fake leaping around. But within the context of the movie it usually worked for me. They looked unnatural, but frankly seeing spiderman leap off inflatable balloon floats and swinging around flagpoles suspended by spiderwebs is already pretty unnatural so I let the suspension of disbelief win out on this one.
Danny Elfman hasn't sounded this good since Batman. I loved the score. It doesn't really feel original, but it sure fits like a glove.
In short, its a great movie. I won't comic-book-guy the details that were missed in the transition from paper to film, but I think they did a great job of making an entertaining movie, and staying extremely true to what I think Spiderman is all about. And goddamn it, the raw sense of excitement as he discovers his abilities is enough to make every guy wish he had those powers- swinging from building to building and howling like a mad freak. God I loved it. Congratulations to everyone involved- you win.
All that, and I even scored tickets to the 12:01 showing of star wars on opening day ;)
The Lone Gunmen are DEAD? Man, why did you have to give that away?!? Crap, I won't have to watch my TIVOed X-Files now...!
I didn't have to suffer through a Jon K(r)a(p)tz review!
CmdrTaco, you've made my day!
No mention of Bruce Campbell's cameo roll? Thats the entire reason I've been excited about this movie for the past year..!
Your "different generation" argument would hold more weight if your sig didn't quote a Pink Floyd lyric
My other sig is extremely clever...
It's spiderman in a nutshell, and it's just damn solid.
I haven't seen this flick yet, but it sounds like it lives up to the book.
Oh, wait...
daed si luap
Foxtrot beat you to it.
"People that quote themselves in their signatures bother me" - athakur999
I liked Jon Stewart's (of The Daily Show) description a couple of years ago when the movie was up to be greenlighted by the major studios... something along the lines of:
:)
"Just remember, spidey; when you're up in front of all those Hollywood mogul-types, it's not "Spider-Man," it's (pronounced): Spidermn, Eli Spidermn."
Nobody tells better "jew jokes" than Mr. Stewart.
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
he need some fancy high tech nano stuff to get into this stage?
When I was a kid, throwing snow or water ballons inside, was more than enough.
Carbon based humanoid in training.
It seems like, for the first time in a long while, somebody Gets the Comic Book Idea.
Which usually means "tight, interesting story, complex characters in the ordinary world with extraordinary circumstances, and spandex".
Now, if we can just get someone to perform a videogames2movie conversion that doesn't suck. (Well, except for Street Fighter II the Animated Movie, but that was an anime, so it doesn't count.)
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
Either this is a typo or Kirsten Dunst was getting blazed the whole movie...
Their both good in their own way I suppose...
Nah, he was right the first time - all movies are best viewed with a little Mary Jane.
Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
All that, and I even scored tickets to the 12:01 showing of star wars on opening day ;)
May You ROT IN HELLL!!!!!
Rapid Nirvana
How to actually kill Wolverine was the topic of many a cafeteria discussion when I was in college.
Take me. Take me now. You're a woman's dream.
i find it humorous that spider-man loves 'mary jane'...maybe all those superpowers are just a mild hallucination. :)
R.I.P.
Spiderman very underhyped
;)
Spider-Man has been very underhyphened as well.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Actually I think it was Pick-El originally, but has gradually lost the hyphen and the spelling over time. ;)
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
I had the highest hopes of any movie since Episode I.
so i guess a little book made into a movie last christmas didn't suit your fancy?
-rp
(BTW, I always wanted to see a jewish Superman whose dad could be Emanu-El)
----
WWJD...For a Klondike Bar?
Hey! You're right. How come The Village missed that particular trick? The Number Six would have talked in no time if he would have been convinced he had a wife.
The owls are not what they seem
And remember folks...
I don't want knowledge. I want certainty. - Law, David Bowie
Funny, I didn't even notice the lack of a hyphen when I read that review the first time. Quick question: should "anal retentive" be hyphenated?
Be careful! After the scene I keep seeing previews for, with Kirsten Dunst in a completely soaked and tight shirt, your kid might suddenly try reverting to breast feeding at age 4.
Hmm...I'll take Kirsten Dunst. You can swing from building to building howling like a mad freak all you want.
No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?
I skipped out early this morning and went to see the first showing of Spiderman in my local theater.
How much did that cost the economy?
I was bitten by a radioactive punchcard. Now I have the superhuman ability to write code for IBM704s.
should "anal retentive" be hyphenated?
Only if used as an adjectival phrase in front of a noun: 'anal-retentive post' as opposed to 'the post was anal retentive.'
ROFL
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Hell, that scene makes me want to revert to breast feeding at age 21.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
Quick question: should "anal retentive" be hyphenated?
I prefer:
"Is there a dash in anal retentive?"
because then someone can respond
"Damnit, it's a HYPHEN!"
Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
If it were a word, it would be under-hyphenated, not underhyphened! I think underhyphened is similar to underlined.</anal-retentiveness>