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Spider-Man (Spiderman)

2002

Sam Raimi

Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco ...

6.4

94,844

Fantasy. Action Average teenager Peter Parker is transformed into an extraordinary super hero after he is accidentally bitten by a genetically modified spider. When his beloved uncle is savagely murdered during a robbery, young Peter vows to use his powers to avenge his death. Deeming himself "Spider-Man™," he sets about ridding the streets of crime, bringing him into conflict with malevolent super-villain "Green Goblin."

	Author	Review
United States	Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"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."	POS
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"The best part of 'Spider-Man' comes between the spider bite and Peter's discovery of his calling, when the movie asks us to imagine what a retiring, middle-class teenager would do with superhuman powers (...) Fatigue is (...) what one feels emerging from a movie like this"	NEU
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"The origin story is well told, and the characters will not disappoint anyone who values the original comic books. It's in the action scenes that things fall apart (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Todd McCarthy Variety	"Pic’s happiest surprise is Tobey Maguire in the title role, as the young actor provides an emotional openness and vulnerability that gives this $120 million production its most distinctive flavor."	POS
United States	Kirk Honeycutt The Hollywood Reporter	"Maguire is perfect as an ordinary guy with a big secret (...) Thanks to a likable cast and lighthearted special effects (...) the two hours zip by quickly."	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"It is all carried off with such gusto it's impossible not to be swept along by the fun, and impossible not to appreciate the metaphorical qualities of the Spider-Man myth (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Neil Smith BBC	"A stylish, exciting, and ingenious thrill-ride (...) Maguire brings a touching pathos to his diffident hero (...) Kirsten Dunst is also fabulous (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	J.R. Jones Chicago Reader	"[It] offers several kinetic and exciting chase scenes, and Tobey Maguire is charming (...) There's a serious disconnect between Maguire's sweet-natured dialogue and Spider-Man's pounding violence and stunning acrobatic work."	NEU
United States	Manohla Dargis LA Weekly	"[Spider-Man] is not particularly interesting or, well, animated (...) The tinniness of the big action scenes is especially calamitous."	NEG

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