An Ordinary Man. An Extraordinary Power.

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Remember, with great power comes great responsibility." - Uncle Ben

Why watch this? This film set a new super-hero film standard, and it's a treasure.

Plot Summary: Shy high schooler Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically engineered spider, granting him incredible powers. After a personal tragedy, Peter embraces his new abilities to fight crime as the masked vigilante Spider-Man, driven by the realization that "with great power comes great responsibility". However, he soon faces a formidable and vengeful adversary who emerges to challenge his burgeoning heroism.

Dad's Preview: Film technology had to evolve to make a great Spider-Man movie. Then it took Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire to make it a reality. This is Peter Parker's origin story, and we meet many familiar characters from the comics: newsman Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson and the evil Green Goblin (played by the great Willem Dafoe). Many fans liked the second film better, me included, but this one still holds up well on its own. It is helped along by great performances from Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris as Uncle Ben and Aunt May.

Columbia Pictures, Marvel Ent., Laura Ziskin Prod.;
Sony Pictures Releasing