February 26, 2003
Spider-Man (2002)
[4 - Good]
Mega-studio Sony took a huge leap of faith in choosing B-movie master Sam Raimi to direct the blockbuster flick Spider-Man (2002). Best known for his zombie and blood trilogy The Evil Dead (1982), Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987) and Army of Darkness (1993) most people forget Raimi's failure with the blockbuster bust Darkman (1990). Sony seemed to take a further leap of faith casting Tobey Maguire in the title role. I was happy to see their bets pay off.
Maguire keeps his dopey, easygoing attitude through the film, which works surprisingly well for the character. I believe that nerds everywhere felt their deepest fantasies come true as the nerd-turned-dude Peter Parker catches the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson, as she slips and falls in the school cafeteria, and then beats his jock oppressor down in the hallway. Speaking of Mary Jane, I believe that costume designer James Acheson should be commended for his valiant efforts at finding shorter skirts and tighter shirts for the enchanting Kirsten Dunst. Dunst manages her character with skill though her constant grin becomes, at times, annoying. Dafoe nails The Green Goblin, giving us a superb schizophrenic dialogue of quality equaled by the Gollum performance in The Two Towers.
If there is one complaint I have for Spider-Man it is that Raimi's love for moving the camera, while amusing in his early films, becomes downright obnoxious when armed with a virtual camera in CG sets. Ignore the amazing swinging camera and the movie is quite enjoyable.
Posted by Leopoldo at February 26, 2003 07:44 AM | TrackBack
