Nothing comes closer than Goldwyn’s words of wisdom to describing the big-screen “Spider- Man,” a sweeping piece of popcorn entertainment whose only goal is to entertain, which it does with the veracity of an attentive party host who refuses to let anyone go home until they have had a good time.

When “Spider-Man” swung into existence in Marvel Comics back in 1962, creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko fashioned him as a teenage version of “Superman.” The comic books shared more than passing similarities: a conflicted super hero, surrogate parents, unrequited love for a girl who can’t tell the difference between man and superman, a cantankerous newspaper editor, all set in a city resembling New York. Hey, if it worked once, why not use it again?

In many ways, I like “Spider-Man” much more than “Superman,” and definitely like the “Spider- Man” film more than the lead-footed “Superman.” Director Sam Raimi, working from a faithful (to a point) and very efficient screenplay by David Koepp, has accomplished what no other director of comic book films has ever done. He has created a film that looks, sounds and behaves like a comic book.

Even though “Spider-Man” is set in New York, it’s an artificial New York that allows the fantastic to happen without much explanation. It’s a city where someone like nerdy high school student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is virtually invisible. The guy at the beach who gets sand kicked in his face, Parker harbors a crush on the girl next door, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), whom he has known since he was orphaned as a young boy.

Parker lives with his uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), and his only friend is Harry Osborn (James Franco), who is vying for the attention of both his father, a former arms manufacturer-turned-mad scientist, and Mary Jane, who always seems to hook up with the wrong kind of guys.

Parker’s life is transformed, literally, when during a class field trip to Columbia University, he is bitten by a genetically altered spider. Overnight Parker finds himself a new man, no longer needing his glasses and boasting a chiseled physique that could cut diamonds. Oh yeah, he can also shoot super-strength spider webs from his wrists.

Like a kid in a candy store, Parker explores his newfound powers, using them for typical teenage triumphs like beating up Mary Jane’s boyfriend and indulging in a wrestling match to raise enough cash to buy a car to impress Mary Jane. Boy, does this guy have a one track mind? He does, but all that changes when a family member is killed, and Parker decides to use his powers to fight evil instead of impressing the girl next door. Well, sort of.

The first “Spider-Man” villain on tap is the Green Goblin, played with demented duality by Willem Dafoe. When Harry’s father Norman (Dafoe) swallows a serum of his own making, it provides him with super-human powers plus one nasty drawback: instant insanity. When the Norman/Green Goblin isn’t battling his enemies, he’s taking on himself in some of the film’s most amusing moments.

“Spider-Man” the film serves two purposes. It sets up the story for the rest of the films in the series, plus it provides us with enough action and excitement to make us want to come back for more. Not only did “Spider-Man” catch me in its web, it made me feel like a kid again. Sure some of the visual effects aren’t as perfect, but their B-movie appeal gives the film a charm all its own.

Everyone here knows they’re not making great cinema. This group effort is strictly for fun, and it shows. Raimi is a “Spider-Man” fan, and his passion is evident in every frame. Raimi’s horror films “The Evil Dead” and “Army of Darkness” were live-action cartoons, but his work on “Spider-Man” surpasses anything the director has ever done. For such an epic film, Raimi still manages to keep the story’s heart and soul intact. Finally, a comic book film where we care more about the characters than the special effects.

Tobey Maguire is “Spider-Man.” The 26-year-old actor is at his best playing tormented characters whose inner dialogue is just as important as the words that come out of their mouth. Maguire’s delicate performances in “The Ice Storm” and “The Cider House Rules,” plus the wide-eyed innocence of “The Wonder Boys” and “Pleasantville” were obvious stepping stones to Peter Parker. Maguire effectively explores Parker’s inner conflict, creating a character whose life choices are more complicated than his peers.

Dafoe is delightful as the Green Goblin, an armor-plated mad man who isn’t out to take over the world, just make life for his enemies a living nightmare. To their credit, none of the cast play any of this as camp. For Dafoe to be convincing as the Green Goblin, we have to believe his sincerity. Winking at the screen would only dilute the powerful performance he works hard to create.

You can understand Parker’s desire to win over the lovely Mary Jane. As embodied by the stunning Kirsten Dunst, Mary Jane is a spirited eye full. There’s history between the two, but not the kind that Parker wants or needs. When “Spider-Man” rescues her, Mary Jane (like Lois Lane with Superman) falls for her savior, never realizing who he is.

Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris are engaging as Parker’s surrogate parents, while Franco is quite good as the brooding best friend who seems to have everything Parker desires in life. J. K. Simmons, so evil on “Oz,” is hilarious as the newspaper editor making Parker’s life difficult.

Director of photography Don Burgess and visual effects supervisor John Dykstra turn the streets and skyscrapers of New York into a concrete, steel and glass labyrinth for the ultimate showdown between the adversaries, while Danny Elfman’s serviceable score keeps the action moving.

“Spider-Man” is critic-proof. A sequel is already in the works, and with Marvel Comics enjoying a major revival on screen, we’ll be seeing a lot more super heroes. Hopefully they will have the same sensibilities and grand design as “Spider-Man.”

SURFING THE WEB Director Sam Raimi does the comic book Spider-Man justice

SPIDER-MAN

Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, J.K. Simmons, Rosemary Harris in a film directed by Sam Raimi. Rated PG-13. 120 Minutes.

LARSEN RATING: $7

“Pictures are for entertainment; messages should be delivered by Western Union.”

– Samuel Goldwyn

This entry was posted on Friday, March 4th, 2005 at 5:58 pm and is filed under Film Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.