SPIDER-MAN ...... ROCKS!... RollingStone Review

RollingStone Magazine

[BlackJack]

To get the big news out fast, Spider-Man is up, up and away as the firecracker to beat this summer. Working from a script by David Koepp, director Sam Raimi gives this unapologetic fluff a mind, a heart and a keen sense of fun -- all the ingredients missing from, say, The Scorpion King.

And the actors seem to be having almost as good a time as we are. The unlikely superhero that Stan Lee created at Marvel Comics in 1962 makes a perfect fit for Tobey Maguire. OK, so maybe a stuntman squeezed into Spidey drag for the dangerous feats that aren't CG (computer generated).

Maguire's substantial accomplishment isn't acrobatic; he builds a real character out of the sketch that is Peter Parker, an orphan from Queens, New York.

Peter has a high school geek's sense of the universe: He's getting screwed out of the good stuff, especially teen angel nextdoor Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst, taking adorable to a sexy new dimension). Superman's roots on another planet and Batman's wealth always kept those crusaders at a distance.

Peter is the average joe incarnate. Even after that mutant spider bites him and he starts going bugfuck climbing walls, Peter still can't make the move that would get him into Mary Jane's pants.

He feels resentful when his rich friend Harry (a brooding James Franco) horns in on her, but says nothing. Peter is a product of the solid values instilled by his uncle (Cliff Robertson) and aunt (Rosemary Harris). Mary Jane's father is abusive.

And Harry's dad, the scientist-mogul Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), ignores him while staging shouting matches with his villainous alter ego, the Green Goblin. Dafoe is a wild, warped wonder, taking the Goblin to dark places the Joker never investigated.

Comic-book freaks will bitch about liberties taken. You'll hear that some of the CGI isn't so hot (it isn't) and that the Goblin's mask looks like party plastic (it does). Know what? It doesn't matter. Raimi mixes his flair for the sensational (The Evil Dead) and the subtle (A Simple Plan) into one knockout package.

Peter testing his new powers with small skips and jumps until he is leaping across rooftops is Raimi's style in a nutshell: slow build, huge payoff. The cold technology of the FX, like the Times Square battle between Spidey and the Goblin, can freeze off feeling. Raimi counters by showing a New York crowd booing the Goblin with a moving, post-9/11 fervor:

"YOU MESS WITH ONE OF US, YOU MESS WITH ALL OF US."

It's the little things that float this $139 million balloon. That includes the upside-down kiss when Mary Jane slowly pulls down Spidey's mask for a smacker and nearly strips his face naked before he leaps away. Maguire and Dunst keep Spider-Man on a high with their sweet-sexy yearning, spinning a web of dazzle and delicacy that might just restore the good name of movie escapism.

[supercat]

A few comments, if someone who's familiar with both the books and movie could help me out [massive spoilers; highlight text to read]:

• The Green Goblin seems like a more CGI-powered character than I'd expect to see in a comic book, and yet the setup of his son as someone who hates Spiderman seems very comic-book-ish. Are there any comic book stories featuring those characters, and if so, how do they compare to the movie plot?

• While I understand Spiderman's promise not to reveal the Green Goblin's identity, dressing Osborn's corpse and putting it in bed as he did made no sense. Were the guy uninjured, that might work, but Spiderman's actions would do nought but implicate him in Osborn's murder.

  What would have seemed logical would have been for Spiderman to have arranged the scene so that it would appear that the Goblin had killed Osborn and then gotten blown up sufficiently to leave no corpse. After all, if Osborn was innocent of the Green Goblin's crimes, he would--as the sole surviving Oscorp board member, be a very logical target for the Goblin.

• I don't mind at all that superheros are not bound by ordinary human limitations. I don't mind too much that they're not bound by laws of physics. But why do other characters get a free pass on such things? Superman catching Lois Lane (helicopter fall, original movie) could be explained away by stating that empowers those touching him with the ability to accellerate their entire body. How, though, can one explain MJ's fall to the cable car's roof?

• How can Spiderman's identity be a mystery when he himself performed in public before starting his superhero role? The wrestling people would certainly have Parker's name and signature on file, especially since he had no particular reason to hide it at the time. Do the comic books get into this at all, or does he not do his wrestling performance in them?

Okay, maybe I'm being too pedantic; I did generally like the movie. Parts were too predictable, but I supose superhero stories need a certain formula as their baseline.

[Syncro]

The previews of this movie rock!

A friend of mine works at Lucas Ranch down the road and I tried to see it there ahead of time but no such luck...gotta be related to an emplyee...I can't wait to see this one...and my six yr old g-son will love it too!

[supercat]

There was zero chemistry between Maguire and Dunst but given how good Maguire was everywhere else, I have to think it was the result of Kirsten Dunst not even having a hint of acting ability.

What sort of chemistry are they supposed to have when Peter is deliberately trying to leave MJ available for his friend?

BTW, this is only the third film in which I've seen Ms. Dunst, and the second in which I'd particularly noticd her. The first was Interview with a Vampire in which her acting was excellent; the second was Jumanji which I didn't find memorable [and would not have remembered if I'd not looked her up in IMDB]. She's been in a number of movies and television shows, but for whatever reason I'd not seen them.

I was unimpressed with Dunst's performance in this film, though perhaps I set the bar too high after seeing her in Interview with a Vampire. If I didn't know the name I don't think I would have recognized her as the same actress.

[BADROTOFINGER]

Raimi has a long tradition of having his friends and buddies slip cameos into his movies. It's one of his trademarks (although it usually coincides with his other trademark: having Bruce Campbell do a cameo).

Another of his trademarks is (I have been told) his old car appearing in every movie he makes. The car in Army of Darkness and Uncle Ben's car are one and the same I believe...JFK

[Brett66]

The dynamic between Parker and Osborne's son was fairly close to the comic. I believe Osborne's son eventually aquires the power to become Venom.

[MasonGal]

That's for sure!!

We live in southern IN - greater Louisville area - and my 15-year old and some friends went to Tinseltown on Oaks Day (for those of you who don't live in Louisville - that' the "local folks' " Derby.

Fortunately, he was able to get a ticket before it sold out. We're going to TRY and take our 10-year old to see it today, before we head out to Lexington to take our oldest son back to college!!

WHEW - glad Derby is over!

[Pablo64]

We took the kids to see Spiderman yesterday. I have to say it was great. Of course, the die-hard comic book geeks may try to pick nits, but really, they should be thankful that there was so much careful attention to make it seem like a comic book come to life.

The camera angles they used, the poses and movements they had Maguire perform, etc., were all lifted right off the pages of our favorite comic book. We loved it.

Unfortunately it reminded me of the fact that while I was away at college my sophmore year, my mom "cleaned out" my room and got rid of all the stuff she was sure I "didn't want" anymore (her college boy is too grown up for comic books now!). I had a fairly decent collection of The Amazing Spiderman that I had started in the early 70's. I did manage to save one box (she overlooked it) but lost many favorites and all continuity of the collection (deep sigh!) Oh well, I know mom meant well...

[Luis Gonzalez]

[who knows what evil?]

The dynamic between Parker and Osborne's son was fairly close to the comic. I believe Osborne's son eventually aquires the power to become Venom.

Eddie Brock is Venom's 'human persona'. Harry Osborne becomes the 'new' Goblin, after discovering his father's notes and 'hidden' laboratory. I saw the movie last night, and really enjoyed it. All were excellent in their roles, especially Willem Dafoe. Having read the books from the early 60's to the 90's, I knew what was coming in most instances, but it was still a blast seeing it carried off so well on the 'silver screen'. Sudden Goblin appearances had the audiences jumping out of their seats...might shake up the little ones. Raimi really brought out the 'comic book violence' in the fight scenes; especially the end.

[who knows what evil?]

Oh well, I know mom meant well...

There used to be a comic shop in Connecticut (still there?) called "My Mother Threw Them Away". Retailers, past and present, have heard this story a million times. I used to get a kick out of showing a price guide to former collectors who had been 'victimized' in such a fashion by their mothers. The look of shock was always priceless. A MINT copy of 'Amazing Fantasy' #15 (1st Spider-Man) is now pushing $40,000. I USED to have one.

[supercat]

Harry Osborne becomes the 'new' Goblin, after discovering his father's notes and 'hidden' laboratory.

In the comic book, what were the circumstances surrounding Harry's discovery of his father's death?

[Pablo64]

I've never had the nerve to try and find out just how much cash mom may have cost me. I never had them all cataloged or listed anywhere, so I would have had to go through other catalogs and try and remember from the covers. Now, after alomost 20 years, I know I could never remember what they all were. All I know is that they were my friends and I miss them.

When I saw your screen nick, I had to laugh, since I think (I'll have to dig out the box and check) that I have a 1st issue DC Comics of The Shadow. I'll have to check to make sure it's not a re-issue, but I'm sure that one survived moms well-intentioned closet cleaning.

[Long Cut]

You would be correct about the car. The old Oldsmobile has appeared in all of his movies, in some fashion.

I, along with Mrs. Cut, saw the movie last night, and as an old Marvel/Spidey fan from way back, I can say that it indeed rocked. My only complaint was the Green Goblin, whose costume and mask seemed especially fake and goofy-looking. To my mind, no "super-villain" was even needed: Spider-Man is at his best when chasing muggers and bank robbers IMHO. Adding a supervillain almost seemed to plug too much into one movie, what with backstories, origins, and such going on. Again, IMHO, keeping it simple with the "great power=great responsibility" theme, would have solidified the narrative, and a supervillain could have been brought in for the inevitable sequel.

Not, of course, that it was a fatal flaw- we thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was exciting, the actors were perfect in their roles, the FX were up to the task, and most importantly, you cared about the characters. Too many movies of this kind lose that essential element. A bonus: It stayed true to its source material. This is also quite rare nowadays. I'd give it three out of four stars, knocking one off for what in my opinion is a poor-looking Goblin. The villain should, of course, look as cool as the hero, no? Bottom line is, it was worth the money and the trip to the theater, and never left us bored or insulted.

[rintense]

Another great review! I grew up watching the Spiderman and Friends (?) cartoon on Saturday mornings with Iceman and Firestar. LOVED those cartoon. I wish they were on the Cartoon Network. Hopefully going to see Spidey this week.

[rintense]

From what I've heard through the grapevine, Bruce Campbell has already been lined up for the sequel...

[Long Cut]

Hell, I grew up with the ORIGINAL cartoon. The one with the infectious theme song (Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can...) AND loved its cover by the Ramones! I hope 'ol Pete Parker checked out the Ramones when they hit Queens, I bet he'd have loved those boys.

I liked the old cartoon better- Spidey's voice was cooler(and different than Peter's, as per the comics), and it could get downright...odd, at times. In a good way, of course. It certainly didn't beat you over the head with the fact that it was a cartoon, and had a lot of themes that seemed geared to adults.

I'm personally thrilled that Marvel's finally getting their due in movieland. DC characters always left me cold...Superman and Batman and co. somehow never seemed human. Marvel's characters had real-world lives and issues, on top of having to actually deal with their powers like a normal person would.

You don't think that, with all of the Marvel-based movies coming out, and Marvel's propensity for cross-overs, that they'd...NAAAHHHH, probably too much to ask for! But wouldn't X-Men vs. Hulk vs. FF vs. Spidey be a hell of a hoot as a movie?

Only time, and the box office, will tell.

[steve-b]

Spoiler protection should be carried over:

• The Green Goblin seems like a more CGI-powered character than I'd expect to see in a comic book, and yet the setup of his son as someone who hates Spiderman seems very comic-book-ish. Are there any comic book stories featuring those characters, and if so, how do they compare to the movie plot?

  The main differences I recall are: 1)In the comics, Norman Osborn didn't become clearly aware of his Green Goblin personality -- he just felt something come over him and went to get the Goblin's gear. 2)In the comics, the Goblin discovered Spider-Man's identity (and Osborn knew nothing of it).

• While I understand Spiderman's promise not to reveal the Green Goblin's identity, dressing Osborn's corpse and putting it in bed as he did made no sense. Were the guy uninjured, that might work, but Spiderman's actions would do nought but implicate him in Osborn's murder.
  What would have seemed logical would have been for Spiderman to have arranged the scene so that it would appear that the Goblin had killed Osborn and then gotten blown up sufficiently to leave no corpse. After all, if Osborn was innocent of the Green Goblin's crimes, he would--as the sole surviving Oscorp board member, be a very logical target for the Goblin.

  I don't remember how that came out in the comic. It didn't bother me in the movie; given the circumstances and the fact that he's still relatively green at this, I can chalk it up to not thinking it through properly and the usual Spidey bad luck (if Spider-Man had gotten in and out unseen, the authorities might have decided that the Goblin had hunted down Osborn at his home just before the battle at the bridge).

• How, though, can one explain MJ's fall to the cable car's roof?

  If you watch closely, she does find the nerve to climb down a fair distance -- by the time she falls, it's only a few feet.

  How can Spiderman's identity be a mystery when he himself performed in public before starting his superhero role? The wrestling people would certainly have Parker's name and signature on file, especially since he had no particular reason to hide it at the time. Do the comic books get into this at all, or does he not do his wrestling performance in them?

  The wrestling bit is straight out of the comic -- and it's even harder to explain away there, because his wrestling costume in the comics is pretty much the final version. IIRC, in the comics he doesn't want Aunt May and Uncle Ben to find out how he's making money, so he doesn't give his real name.

[ecurbh]

This is a great movie, but it's not 'Lord of the Rings'.

I agree, but then if every movie were "Lord of the Rings"...

I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of being 10 again, watching Superman for the first time. Although I never thought I would like a comic book movie as much as Superman, I think I do now. I connected to characters in this one much better. In a few places, the effects are a bit too obviously CG, buy hey, it's a comic book story and they still seem to fit somehow.

The acting was very good too. Toby Maguire (sp?) has a great "everyman" way about him that makes Peter Parker easy to connect with. Several times while watching it, I was thinking, "Hey, that's me he's portraying."

And on top of that, it's a pretty good family film - no language, and no sex (other than a brief wet t-shirt shot and a kiss). The only caveat would be some rather intense hand-to-hand type fighting. If the little ones can handle Lord of the Rings, though, this would be no problem.

Of course, I don't think I will go see this one 9 times. :)

[BibChr]

I agree with you about everything except the "family film" part. I will definitely take my olders, but after discussion with Valerie, not Josiah (6). The violence isn't generally lingering or excessive, but there are too many "adult elements." The death of his uncle, the threats to home, the way of the ultimate resolution, etc. — these are things we decided a 6yo just doesn't need at present. Parents' call, of course.

But yes, what a great film on so many levels: script, characters, acting, pacing. The best superhero film to date, much as I enjoyed Superman (the first, only), and Batman, this didn't have the flaws they did.

But it isn't Lord of the Rings. And I won't be seeing it fifteen or sixteen times!

Dan

[X-Servative]

I have the original teaser 1-sheet that shows Spider-man and the World Trade Center reflecting in his eyes. Wonder what this will be worth?;-)