Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Spider-Man

MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for stylized violence and action.

Reviewed by: Douglas Downs
Edits and additional review by: Ken James
STAFF WRITERS

Moral Rating: Better than Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: 10 to Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure Fantasy
Length: 2 hr. 1 min.
Year of Release: 2002
USA Release: May 3, 2002
Copyright, Columbia Picturesclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Columbia Pictures
Relevant Issues
Copyright, Columbia Pictures

orphan

spiders in the Bible

genetic science

father son relationship / unloved son

jealousy

thieves in the Bible: theft, robbery

sin and evil

stabbed to death—murder in the Bible

death

grave

guilt—If God forgives me everytime I ask, why do I still feel so guilty? Answer

redemption

belief in god

How can we know there’s a God? Answer

What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer

Suffering

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer


male female relationships

megalomaniac businessman

split personality / multiple personality

madness / insanity

Prayer

saying grace—prayer

Lord’s prayer

23rd Psalm

self sacrifice

Teen Qs™—Christian Answers for teenagers
Teens! Have questions? Find answers in our popular TeenQs section. Get answers to your questions about life, dating and much more.

father daughter relationship

teenage romance

TRUE LOVE—What is true love and how do you know when you have found it? Answer

GUIDELINES—What are the biblical guidelines for dating relationships? Answer

DATING—Why won’t my parents allow me to single-date? Answer

Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures
Featuring Tobey MaguireSpider-Man/Peter Parker
Willem DafoeGreen Goblin/Norman Osborn
Kirsten DunstMary Jane Watson
James FrancoHarry Osborn
Cliff RobertsonBen Parker
Rosemary Harris … May Parker
J.K. SimmonsJ. Jonah Jameson
Octavia SpencerCheck-In Girl
Bruce CampbellRing Announcer
Elizabeth BanksBetty Brant
See all »
Director Sam Raimi
Producer Columbia Pictures Corporation
Marvel Enterprises
Laura Ziskin Productions
Avi Arad … executive producer
See all »
Distributor
Distributor: Columbia Pictures. Trademark logo.
Columbia Pictures
, a division of Sony Pictures

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

Spider-Man was always a favorite of mine growing up—I was a fan of the comic book series. Like many young children, I always enjoyed stories about superheroes, but “Spidey” was the best. How can you not like a hero that struggles for acceptance as a teenage nerd? Many of us can identify with his more normal struggles. But while Peter is battling the bad guys, he’s also worrying about how he is going to pay the rent. And what fan of Spideys can ever forget the loving but nagging aunt?

Spiderman debuted in 1962 and the discussion of a large screen version of our action hero began in the 70’s. This film has been a long, but a very worthwhile wait. Stan Lee, the series creator, told ABC news that the film was even better than the original comic book series. Spiderman came and broke the “god-like” mold of other super heroes. He was the “everyman” that readers could relate to. Most guys could identify with his shyness and awkward actions around girls. He is a human hero with much vulnerability, but he still goes after the villains.

In our story, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is your average geeky high schooler most interested in academics (science particularly), chess, photography, and that girl next door he’s liked since the 4th grade (Mary Jane, played by Kirsten Dunst) but is too shy to say a word to after all these years. Naturally, she’s one of the most popular girls in school and unfortunately going out with a big bully. But there is just something about MJ you just gotta like. She is sweet, compassionate, and cares about much more then just surface level adolescent interests. Her abusive father and sad home life make you want her to succeed in life even more then a girl who seems to have it all together. Since Peter lives next door to MJ, he knows the hardships she lives with and can’t wait to escape from.

One day on a science fieldtrip, Peter is bitten by an escaped genetically altered super spider. That afternoon, he stumbles home where his loving Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) await him, but all Peter can do is collapse on the floor of his room. The next morning Peter awakens feeling like a new man. The discovery of his spidery attributes are a joy to behold (shooting webs, super strength, the ability to scale walls and jump great distances, superhuman reflexes).

Peter wonders if his new abilities could help him get MJ. While brainstorming, he comes across an ad in the paper that promise $3000 for surviving just 3 minutes in an underground fight. “Colorful characters wanted,” the ad says. And so “The Human Spider” is envisioned. But after winning the fight, Peter is cheated and subsequently witnesses a robbery in which he lets the bad guy get away on purpose (due to his own anger at the time). Little did he know that his own Uncle Ben would be killed during a carjacking incident by the very criminal Peter let get away (in typical superhero storyline). Awash with emotion and the reminder that “with great power comes great responsibility” (Uncle Ben’s words), a super hero concerned for the moral right is born.

Willem Dafoe in “Spider-Man”Willem Dafoe plays the multi-millionaire Norman Osborn who tries offers a father-figure like relationship to Peter. His own son Harry (best friend to Peter) is a bit of a disappointment to him. Norman sees in Peter what he wishes for his own son. The CEO of a top-secret lab hired by the U.S. Department of Defense, Norman is faced with the imminent closure of his lifes work and takes a risky step of experimenting a new serum on himself. The frightening conclusion causes a rift in Norman, a Jekyll and Hyde personality, which brings about the birth of the feared Green Goblin who is inherintely evil and wreaks havoc on New York City.

Director Sam Raimi (who begged Columbia Pictures for the job) does an outstanding job with this overwhelming task of bringing a favorite superhero to the big screen. Not only does he have a great eye for action, but also makes brilliant choices on the cast. Toby Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker/Spider-man. He does a convincing job as the hero that must rescue the damsel in distress and get home before ten to finish his homework. Dafoe as Osborn is just one of those great character actors that you love to see flex his acting muscles. It is great that another generation of moviegoers gets the opportunity to see him do what he does so well (some of his past films include “Clear and Present Danger” and “The English Patient”). The same is of Robertson and Harris who play as Peter’s Uncle and Aunt. While not personally a big fan of Kirsten Dunst, she does very well as Peter’s love interest.

Spider-Man has great action and top-notch CGI effects. The other positives include the role of prayer and the Christian faith that is present within this film. I loved the dialog and every corny pun. With all the positives, I do not approve with vigilante justice, some of which plays out in this film. However, it is not nearly as dark as any of the “Batman” movies.

The language in this film is quite tame compared to most. Kids-in-Mind reports “4 mild obscenities, 8 religious exclamations and some insults.” Screenit.com warns moviegoers that “some brief kissing occurs, while a young woman wears some cleavage revealing tops and is caught in the rain in one scene where one can rather clearly see her breasts through her wet top.” But overall I do recommend this Spider-Man with the above reservations. This is what a matinee-popcorn film should be like.

See review of the sequels: Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007)

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—This is the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen. I was a huge spider-man fan when I was a kid and I am now a born-again Christian (I am not linking the two). So, when I heard this movie was coming out, I was hoping that it would stay fairly true to the original story (as it has some strong moral lessons) and for the most part I was not disappointed. I agree with the above review and I would like to add a couple of additional points.

Positive aspects of the movie:

1. In this day and age of moral relativism this movie has a very strong message against this worldview. This is clearly pointed out when Peter Parker allows the robber to run past him because he thought the victim of the crime (who was not the nicest guy) deserved it for cheating Peter earlier.

2. This movie states that people must make a distinct choice between truly being good and doing what is good for me (or feels good) at that moment (which is the definition of evil). It also says choosing true goodness, will inevitably lead to uncomfortable or painful situations.

3. Some people may say I’m reading too much into the movie on this point. However, I think a movie like this resonates with people because it points to our need for a Savior. I’m not saying that spider-man is an allegory for Jesus. However, there were some situations in the movie that required a savior—an example would be when a building was on fire and collapsing; just when it was realized that it was now impossible for human strength “to save” the trapped infant, in-comes someone who is “super-human” to save the day. We are all like that trapped infant in a doomed situation, but there is one who is “superhuman” who is there to save us from assured destruction.

4. It was good to see that Aunt May was portrayed as serious (or a least somewhat serious) Christian. We see her praying the LORD’s prayer and her comment that “we are to do Thanksgiving Supper right and say grace.” This makes clear that there is a Judeo-Christian ethic at work through this movie.

The Minor negative aspects of the movie:

1. I agree with the reviewer that there is an element of vigilante justice in this movie but not strongly. Actually, I can’t remember a recent superhero movie (maybe except for X-men) that doesn’t have this aspect.

2. There are a few expletives but if you find the language offensive in this movie you will have to give up going to movies completely.

3. I don’t understand why they had to throw in the “wet-see through t-shirt shot” it didn’t add anything to the movie. I don’t know—maybe the producer figured that the teenage boys needed something extra to get their attention at this point in the movie. Again it was a quick shot and nothing “outrageous”.

4. As one should expect going to a movie like this there is a fair bit of fighting in this movie.

All in all, I think it’s handled fairly well because spider-man usually only resorts to fighting when forced in order to protect someone. However, if you have kids who are the type when they see screen fighting they can wait to give their best friend a poke in the left eye, you may want to wait until they mature a little before you take them to see the movie. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this movie. I recommend this movie for the family. However, I will say that this movie is aimed at the 10-12 and older age groups. You may want to wait for video if you have younger children.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Glenn Buckmaster, age 33
Positive—The weekend of May 5th showed that a relatively tame movie based on a comic book character from the ’60s can take the movie going public by storm. Spider-Man in its first weekend broke two box office records for generating the highest weekend totals for both a holiday and non-holiday weekend gross ticket sales previously held by “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” respectively.

In its first three days of release Spider-Man took in over $114 million. As a fan of the comic book series, I noticed a few changes to the original story of how Peter Parker transforms into his alter ego Spider-Man. But they are so minor they are hardly worth mentioning, and could better be referred to as updates rather than changes to the original story. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I was particularly impressed with Sam Raimi’s direction. Apparently Raimi begged for the chance to direct Spider-Man and his passion for the story and the characters definitely shows through. Raimi’s trademark as a director is his use of sweeping camera shots which is perfect for telling the story of a man that fights crime by swinging from building to building.

The performances in Spider-Man are great. Toby Maguire is perfect in the lead role. He captures the dual nature of the role quite convincingly and his performance is well supported by Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson (or MJ) and Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin (aka The Hobgoblin according to the man sitting behind me in the theater). The visual effects in this movie are extensive, however Raimi makes the transition from computer generated to live action pretty seamless. The only cue I had in the movie that a scene was computer generated was when the action looked like something a human actor or stuntman would be physically unable to perform. I would suggest getting a seat farther back in the theater if possible because the action and sweeping camera shots can be quite dizzying if you are too close to the screen. All in all this is a pretty wholesome movie.

The violence is quite pervasive, but not gory. The final scenes are the most graphically violent, but there is no depiction of open wounds or anything that would turn your stomach. There is one questionable scene where Kirsten Dunst gets caught in the rain and the audience is given an eyeful of what she has under her shirt. For the most part this movie is still pretty tame by today’s standards and the underlying message of the movie that, with great power comes great responsibility, turns Spider-Man from being merely a brilliantly directed comic book adaptation to a movie that is destined to become classic.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Michael Klein, age 36
Positive—If you’re a fan of the Spiderman comics, you’re going to love many of the scenes in this movie. In fact, there are quite a number of teachable moments for parents to talk with their children about. While watching the movie, I was quite surprised by the demonstration of prayer in the movie. Yes, there was prayer—The Lord’s Prayer and the offering to say grace and God’s protection. You’ll have to see the movie to find out what I’m alluding to. The only reason that I gave this film the “moral rating” that I did, is due to my concern for young children—ages 9 and under. The action is intense but not overly dramatically so and there are some topics that will be more appreciated by kids in jr high and up. Why do you think the film was rated PG-13?
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Barry Brindisi, age 37
Positive—As a Christian minister, I try to be careful what I take my family to see. My daughter really wanted to see Spider-man, and I admit I kinda wanted to see it myself as I used to collect the comic books. I had heard that there were a few objectionable scenes, mostly scantly clad females. I took the chance and I’m glad we went. There were a few times the lead actress could have been a little more dressed, but it wasn’t near as bad as I expected. Other than that I found it very enjoyable. It was great to see Peter’s aunt and uncle portrayed as Christians. Overall, I enjoyed it and will probably go see the sequel.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]
Jason Osborne, age 26
Positive—My two older boys (15 and 11) loved this movie. Definitely not a movie for the 10 and younger crowd. We struggled with whether or not to bring them. There is the obvious action/adventure violence. I was disappointed about the unnecessary cleavage and a brief wet shirt scene. However, there were no objectionable moral ideas, which is very refreshing in a new movie. The theme is “with great power comes great responsibility.” What a concept.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]
Maria Dewhirst, age 35
Positive—Those who are die-hard fans of Spiderman might take offense at some of the liberties taken with the basic Spiderman story. When I first heard that Tobey Macguire was cast in the lead role, I was skeptical. However, he does a good job. The villain Norman Osbourne is a perfect example of what happens when man depends on his own judgment and reasoning, with greed as the main motivating factor. Not very much offensive here, but some blood, scary images (esp. of the villain), and a lot of explosions. I wouldn’t take very small children.
My Ratings: [Average / 3]
Hillari Hunter, age 40
Positive—I went and seen this movie with my Pastors of my church and we all found this movie very entertaining. This movie has everything for everybody with out being offensive or crude. It has wizzing action, heart felt pathos (Uncle Ben’s death), warm hearted romance, and Spider-man!! We recommend this to all families and who love heros and movies. This is a movie to cheer for. We will see this film at least two or three times. I cannot wait for the second film. Spidey rules this movie.
My Ratings: [Good / 5]
Allen Wilcox, age 38
Positive—I had fun watching Spiderman, did not find anything too objectionable, and felt my money well spent. The movie plays to comic book style violence, and refrains from bloody gore. Given that however, Spiderman does take quite a beating from the Green Goblin that had me wincing a little. The storyline was surprisingly well thought out in that it actually entertained with a decent story vice special effects. I could not remember hearing any strong profanity, but I do recall hearing “Jesus” once as an exclamation by the villain I think. Sexually, there was a subtle allusion to a growing male body part, nothing visual, just hinted about in a sophomoric way. Mary Jane does plant quite a kiss on Spiderman, and in the same rainy scene, she appears in a very clinging damp shirt. Also, Mary Jane does dress like the typical Hollywood version of a teenager: navel and mid-riff baring haltertop. However, that’s the worst of it. No implied sex scenes or situations…
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]
David, age 34
Positive—We took our 9 year old to see it when it opened, and while it is very good and exciting, she felt there were a few moments that scared/startled her. It is a very good movie, with a good bit of humor as well. I thought Kirsten Dunst wore a little too little, and Peter’s grandparents said a few bad words at the beginning, but the grandmother actually says the Lord’s Prayer at one point. All in all, it was a very exciting, good movie.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Beverly Shoemaker, age 31
Positive—I really enjoyed this movie. Mcguire is great as the nerd/super-hero. There were a couple of times that vulgar language was used (and it didn’t need it at all), but for the most part it was a clean movie that I would recommend to my Youth Group.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]
Scott, age 28
Positive—While never being much of a comic book reader (though I have read many of the old original comics, including Spider-Man) I have always been a big fan of Super-Hero movies, to the extent that I’ve sought out and seen movies most people probably have never heard of (with good reason most of the time :p) Let me say, Spider-Man takes the cake. This is a movie that gets everything right. It’s filled with many super-hero conventions, but the difference between this movie and the ones before it is that all of the “typical” super-hero elements actually work all the time. From beginning to end, this movie is incredible. From a Christian standpoint there are many strong moral messages, and I really liked how they showed Parker’s turning point (not stopping a criminal due to anger on his part, and that same criminal later killing his uncle. This is true to the comic, btw). I also thought the portrayal of the Green Goblin was superb. The sympathetic aspects of the character were brought out, without removing the fact of his evil insanity. And if that’s not enough, the music is by Danny Elfman, probably the best composer ever to score a super-hero movie (he’s even better than John Williams in this regard). His brooding, powerful scores are the perfect complement to the action and emotion of the film and characters.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Christopher Ables, age 20
Positive—Spiderman is a wonderful movie for the whole family. The violence has been kept to a minimum. The Lord’s Prayer is even said in one scene. This movie is on par with other great action movies of the day including Lord of the Rings. For a Christian watching this film I was reminded in one of the main lines of the movie of the verse, “To whom much has been given much is required.” Uncle Ben’s line to Peter is “with great power comes great responsibility.” I think this movie was extremely clean and well written. Not to mention a fun time at the theatre. Go see Spiderman!
My Ratings: [Good / 4½]
Jason, age 23
Positive—I think this movie was really great! As a Christian, it also helped me recapitulate some important facts. Two of the most important parts to me included the scenes where Peter is constantly tempted by the goblin to join forces with him, but makes a decision to stand by what is right… it so much reminded me of how Satan tries to tempt us, and we must yet choose correctly… somewhat like The Lord of the Rings; the other part is that where Peter clearly makes his decisions on a conscious fact that “with great power comes great responsibility!” Of course the special effects were dazzling and a real treat, and the message was very clear: there are more important things in life than power, romance and fame!
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4½]
Clinton Mathias, age 26
Positive—This Film did a great job of keeping with the original story of Spider Man. It is also cool to see that Peter Parker and his family are Christians! The cast did a great job! I enjoyed this film much more than Batman.
My Ratings: [4½]
KevinF, age 29
Positive—I thought this movie was absolutely wonderful! There is no sex, no profanity (except the word ass) and treats God with respect… faith is mentioned several times. GO SEE IT!!
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Christine, age 28
PositiveSam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” was an excellent movie. The movie glorifies heroism, maturing into a man, and courage, time and time again. Mary Jane was a bit immodestly dressed, but she was refreshing compared to most women in Hollywood these days. I was a bit annoyed at the wet t-shirt scene, but, honestly, you have to be in the “seek immorality every spot” mode to really care about it. Aside from an intense kiss (which is OKAY, if tame), there was nothing to complain about in terms of sexual immorality.

The violence in this movie is “Light vs. Dark”. While the Green Goblin does act very violent (kills a lab scientist, blows up a military base, and turns about 6-8 people into skeletons with a bomb), it is NOT portrayed in an attractive light; you are not supposed to be cheering-on this kind of stuff, nor is that Raimi’s intention anymore than the Bible wanting you root for Jezebel or Judas Iscariot.

While I was saddened by the lack of grace at Thanksgiving dinner, Aunt May and Uncle Ben are clearly Christians. As for some comments against them, I need to remind everyone reading this: Christians are NOT perfect, and we will not be UNTIL we reunite with Christ in Heaven. Sinless perfection is NOT possible, and even God’s best children sin daily. No, it’s not justifiable, nor should we indulge in sin, but we need to PRAY for people and be more like Jesus Christ, NOT Fred Phelps or Westboro.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Peter, age 22 (USA)
Positive— After the Horrors of 9/11 September 11, 2001, this Spider-Man film gave myself and countless other Americans a sense of pride, joy and hope that good can and will triumph over evil, Even in 2018, myself and countless other movie fans consider this 2002 Spider-Man film to be the best in the series, and one of the greatest Superhero Films of all time, superb special effects, great script, Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe and Kirsten Dunst gave the best performances, incredible special effects, never a dull moment, very enjoyable film, respectful to Christianity, nothing very offensive, true to the comic book version of Spider-Man. I’m proud to say that I watched this movie on the big screen when it was released in 2002. In this age of countless TV and movie “reboots” and lack of original fresh ideas, this film remains a classic.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
—Jeff Andrew Winters, age 38 (USA)
Negative
Negative—A very unpleasant surprise. This film is way too violent and graphically portraits frightening evil behavior which was totally unnecessary. Approximately the first fifteen minutes are entertaining, but then beware—After you are jolted by a horrid “flashback,” the film goes downhill real fast and never makes a comeback to make you feel good about having seen it. And of course, evil is well set up for resurfacing in a sequel. Well, they won’t get our money again. It is a very poor choice for anyone looking for fun or wholesome entertainment. It is certainly not appropriate for children. Yep—this one had to be a “hairs-breath” away from getting an “R” rating. So parents be forewarned. We are disappointed to see so many “positive” comments. That seems sad.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive / 3½]
Pat and Doug, age 49
Negative—I used your Web site to “preview” the movie Spiderman before my wife and I took our son to see it. I must say I was very disappointed by the movie, and the perception I received from your Web site. Yes, my perceptions are mine, alone, and when I looked back at the site, I am older than any of the reviewers or commentators. So let me please get in my two cents. The response I see on the Web site, compared to the movie Spider-Man itself, just reinforces how far standards have slipped in our country as well as the movie industry especially over the past 20 years. This movie has much about it that is very dark and evil, and would have been rated R for that and the shock impact of the violence, and the innocence of the victims. This movie is NOT uplifting at all.

Yes, our children need to know about the evil one, but I would think that 16 years or older would be acceptable. (My wife would prefer to have never seen the movie.) Any child younger, does not really need to deal with the insecurity of many of the situations presented in this movie. Note the pervasive feel—Peter lives with his Aunt and Uncle—not his parents. His best friend lives with just his father, who is not at all spiritually supportive, and has purely materialistic views about marriage and women. The girlfriend, MJ, has a father yelling at her all the time, and she appears to have somewhat of a loose life, running after material guys. Nothing uplifting here.

Let’s look at the “good” side. His Christian Uncle and Aunt use the word “ass” quite a bit right at the start of the movie—with absolutely no need. When his Aunt says the Lord’s Prayer, she is interrupted violently by the Green Goblin, intent on injuring her to get at Peter. Doesn’t leave a very good impression about the Lord’s Prayer. No grace at meals. And not a word of faith in the Christian sense, from Peter. All he says could be obtained from a psychologist. I could go on but that is enough. Even though we need to know of the evils of this world, I do not view this as a must see, or even preferable see. I would rate this as “average” for today’s movies, only because they have slipped so far, movie making was well done technically, but poor choices for a comic book presentation, so a 3.
Cliff, age 51
Negative—This movie is not for kids under 13 no matter what friends or this Web site tell you. I would not even let a teen go see this until maybe 17.

The violence is graphic and the movie is evil. The profanity was kept to a minimum except in the first part of the movie. I am not sure the purpose of using the a__ so many times. I was coaxed in by reviews on this Web site to take my 10 year old boy. What a major mistake. Way too much violence of an extreme nature and very dark and evil. The voices that the villain was hearing were very disturbing. My wife and son left the movie early. Thank God for that. The final fight scene was very graphic and not suitable. I wonder if this movie was really for 13 year olds. I warned a friend of mine when we left. Too late. Friends of his had said it was OK. He gave it a thumbs down as well. Other friends have agreed to go see it before having their son’s birthday party there.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive]
John Turnage, age 46
Negative—What a let down. Very Dark and evil. I took my kids and they didn’t even enjoy it. This should really be rated R for the violence. Save your money and go to the Rookie.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive / 1½]
Jay Mason, age 43
Comments from young people
Positive—For 15 years have I waited, and now Spider-Man has hit the screen! And with a bang! The casting is perfect. Tobey Maguire IS Peter/Spidey, Dafoe is frighteningly fantastic as Norman/Green Goblin, Kirsten is gorgeous as Mary Jane, James Franco is grand as Harry, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris both shine as Ben and May, and J.K. Simmons is perfect as Jameson. The effects are nothing short of spectacular! And the lesson “with great power comes great responsibility” is so true, something we all need to learn. This could also reflect when the Bible says “To whom much is given, much is required.” The only things to be wary of is the heavy violence, and the slightly revealing outfits worn by MJ. Look out summer movies, here comes the Spider-Man!
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4½]
Christopher, age 19
Positive—I expected Spider Man to be good, but my expectations were completely and totally blown away by the beauty and amazing scope of this superhero film! Let’s start off with the casting: it’s perfect. Tobey Maguire is the perfect counterpart for Peter Parker. He’s nerdy and goofy, but at the same manly and determined. Kirsten Dunst makes a gorgeous Mary Jane Watson, with all the quirky mannerisms that come with being the most popular girl in school. Willem Dafoe makes a great villain as Green Goblin and exhibits some wonderful acting talents as he talks to himself (see the film and you’ll know what I mean). The man they got to play Jameson, the head-man at the Daily Bugle, was picture perfect as well. He had the hair, he had the voice, and he certainly had the attitude. Next, the direction: Sam Raimi directed this movie to a “T”. He kept and the screenwriter kept the movie about 95% accurate to the original comic book story, with only a few minor (and mostly, enjoyable and forgivable) [discretionary differences]…My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]
Josh Bizeau, age 18
Positive—I believe it was a very cool movie, the slight objectional attire for MJ made the viewer understand how she was raised at home and how she was used. Though she could’ve had different clothes. Several light words used I’m glad there wasn’t anymore it would have taken away from the movie and made it stupid. (doesn’t take much to write a cheap swearing script) Overall, I liked the movie, and in the end very strange that the hero didn’t take the girl. I liked that and it opened for a spider-man two. The graphics and background music was excellent as far as stressing different parts of the movie. One last thing I don’t like spiders, but it made the movie.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Teresa, age 18
Positive—“Spider-Man” is excellent both qualitatively and morally. It has good acting, great special effects, and the fight scenes between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin are very cool. There is minimal profanity and very little sexual content (the “wet T-shirt” thing). Christianity is presented in a positive light—Aunt May and Uncle Ben are definitely Christian. Peter Parker/Spider-Man is an exemplary character (though his religious opinions aren’t described), as is Mary Jane. Osborn/Green Goblin seems to be a good person whenever the “goblin” aspect isn’t in control. Overall, I give it a very good review.
My Ratings: [Good / 5]
Matt Quinn, age 17
Positive—FUN!!! OK, I was skeptical. All of my friends have been holding their breaths for the premiere of the amazing “SPIDERMAN”, while I was simply going along for the ride to enjoy a new movie. I was totally entertained! Spiderman is an exciting action movie that served its purpose… to entertain. Not that my two cents means anything, but I say have fun and go see a great movie. Although, I’m not so sure I liked the REAL spiders in the beginning of the movie. I’m a bit arachnophobic. Oh well, nothing a lil bit of squirming in my seat won’t cure. :)
My Ratings: [Good / 4½]
Danielle, age 17
Positive—After being in the theatre for 2 hours, I realized that not even once did I wonder when the movie would end or what time it was. This film was captivating and was most definitely intriguing. If you are skeptical at all of what this movie would turned out to be, as I was, I am sure you will be surprised, in a good way. I would say this movie is suitable for anyone who likes suspense and action without all of the blood and profanity. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
My Ratings: [Good / 5]
Katie R., age 15
Neutral—All my friends were talking about Spider Man and how great it was so I went and saw it and I must say I was very disappointed. The special effects were not good at all and the script was horrible with cheesy lines such as “I swear on my father’s grave I will get spider man.” I mean come on this is supposed to be a 5 star movie?
My Ratings: [Good / 2]
Grace Thompson, age 15
Positive—WOW! I thought this movie was amazing! The best that I’ve ever seen! I thought The graphics were very good, and I really liked some of the comedy a lot! But I did notice a little bit of bad language but there was so few words it was better than a lot of movies that I’ve seen. There was some other parts such as a scene where Spidey saves MJ and the rain had soaked her and the top was see-through. When I went there were children of all ages but there were some quick scary parts that could scared the boots off of anyone. The movie directors did a magnificent job casting it and I can’t wait for the sequel.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 5]
Tyler, age 15
Positive—This movie was fantastic! I had many low expectations before I saw the movie; because of how much computer animation I knew was in it. But it was a great movie! There’s some A’s, D’s, and H’s for the language, but nothing real offensive. Its mostly PG-13 for the violence, big-time action sequences. The CG animation was better than I thought it would be. I recommend that everyone should see this movie! (WARNING: There are a lot of parts where “Green Goblin” jumps out and it will scare little kids. I know, because it scared the WHOLE audience.)
My Ratings: [Average / 4½]
Davie Powers, age 14
Positive—Hello! First off, I would like to say that this film was simply a lot of fun. There was barely any language and no sex. For me, it was a relief to see a film that was good, clean fun. It had a good moral to it and they played around with a few neat concepts. Spidey has some really cool special effects scenes as well as great acrobatics to rival Cirque DuSoleil (who cares if some of it was C.G.-it was still cool!). Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it for really small children due to a few tense scenes. To cap it all off, I loved it! :)
My Ratings: [Good / 5]
Abigail, age 13