One to crawl up the charts! (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 (DVD))

Name: holdencaulfield

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Product:	Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 (DVD)
Date:	20/06/02 (323 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Graphics, camera angles, special effects, Acting, Storyline

Disadvantages: Green Goblin's costume

Waking up early in the morning to a cold breeze and my friend turning the TV on to BBC1 was the days when I first started watching Spiderman. I was never quite as good as he was as waking up so he knew that if his room was freezing cold and I heard the old "Spiderman, Spiderman, Radioactive Spiderman" singing from the TV I would wake myself up to watch it. Week after week I would watch it and soon enough when I got Sky I watched it all the time on Fox kids. Eventually I had seen every episode that it had to offer and a few of them many times again and again.
Knowledge that this film was being produced came a certain long time ago, of course then it was a mere whisper in the wind. Along with it came the rumour of Keanu Reeves playing the role of Spiderman, so much for that rumour. I must have heard about this at least 4 years ago or so and had since eagerly anticipated it with each passing day. I had in my mind a vague recollection of an old Spiderman movie and was very much hoping the costume would look a lot better than it did in that one.
After seeing the clips not so long ago I knew that what I had been waiting for, for so long now would be worth the wait. The awesome graphics and camera shots said enough without the fact the Spiderman suit looked the way it should be.


So here was me withdrawing money from a Halifax branch in Newcastle whilst my friends decided on what movie we would see. I told them they could go see anything they wanted to but I was seeing Spiderman no matter what. I walked over to them and they told me that they decided we were going to see Spiderman. I let the fact that I was going to see it with or without them pass by as I was just happy with the fact we would be seeing it hassle free. So off we went over to Warner Village, got our tickets, snacks and supplies and went into the cinema to watch it.
What I viewed that day was nothing less than a great movie and an excellent adaption of the cartoon. It was c
lear that Stan Lee the creator of Spiderman overlooked the production of this movie. The storyline I knew so well from the cartoon was parallel to that of the movie's. The only different parts to the story was the fact of Peter Parker getting bit by the spider and that his body makes spider webs. Other than that there were only tiny little additions to the storyline but nothing major. This made me extremely happy as my memory sparked from what I was watching. I was incredibly impressed that they had stuck so close to the actual story, of course it could only be expected when Stan Lee was around.

Where Special effects, graphics and camera angles are concerned in this movie I failed to find any kind of flaw. The excellent graphics and camera angles gained when Spiderman jumps around or web slings around New York etc are simply impressive.

Where acting falls in to the equation, well I thought it was an outstanding performance from all. Though I have to admit that I didn't think Peter Parker was as nerdy as he was portrayed to be, though I'm not so sure that this is the fault of Tobey Maguire. Even if you let this irritate you slightly the very fact that the incredibly beautiful Kirsten Dunst will make up for all of this. Unless of course you are not a guy in which case I'm sure you will find amendments in other forms.

As for music it seemed quite obvious from the opening that we were listening to sounds from the same man who done music for Batman. A very eerie yet brilliant theme tune was inevitable when he was selected to do the music for Spiderman. Obviously I was very happy with this aspect of the movie except when I heard Macy Gray singing. She was in the movie itself singing on stage and as I saw her I knew the soundtrack had just went down the toilet. I felt sorry for Sum41 and Chad Kroeger who would have their names on the same list as the Marge Simpson impersonator.

Overall this movie was amazing with only lit
tle bits and pieces modified. Admittedly the change of how Parker was bitten by the spider and the fact he can make spider webs without using a special cartridge were changes for the better. What stunned me was the fact that the movie was made up of flash backs and some episodes from the Spiderman cartoon and it didn't even reach the beginning of Spiderman's adventures. You can be sure that there will be more Spiderman movies if the cartoon is anything to go by. If it is then you are in for a definite treat with greater action and yes more blossoming romance between Peter and the angelic Mary-Jane.
One thing that impressed me about this movie was the fact it actually had a tearjerker factor to it. Now usually I only feel like I'm going to cry at Cartoon movies where someone is dying to be honest. However this movie actually had me nearly going a couple of times and I'm sure if you've seen it you won't understand why. I'll tell you why, it was the moment when the most of the city was helping Spiderman not get killed. Something incredibly touching as both in the movie and cartoon he is a misunderstood Super Hero.
Other than this the very fact that they remembered little things from the cartoon was most impressive. Like the fact that Mary-Jane constantly calls Peter Parker "Tiger" after she gets to know him really well in the cartoon was remembered. At one point in the movie she calls him "Tiger" a very small detail but yet it was impressive that it was included.

The one and only flaw to the movie itself however was the Green Goblin's costume. In the cartoon it was such a natural thing like Spiderman's outfit. In the movie however the Green Goblin looks like he had bad luck with the Power Rangers and thought he would try Spiderman instead. When he first appears and they're both on the ground I thought Spiderman was going to shout, "It's morphing time!"
However this moment is
the only dire part of the movie as you soon get a lot more used to this costume of the Green Goblin and adapt to it.


In conclusion I was incredibly satisfied with this adaption of the Spiderman cartoon and of course comic. It was packed full of action, great graphics and a storyline true to the name of Spiderman.
Anyone that goes to see this movie will be left stunned I'm sure and definitely will not regret paying the ticket price to see it.
It is one great movie and throughout it definitely takes full advantage of the cinema surround sound system. Not only did my friends and myself wet ourselves from a sudden noise in the movie but we were also tricked into believing the Green Goblin's laugh was someone in the cinema for a moment. A highly impressive moment that part was when his laughter goes from the back left clockwise to the back right speaker. At the same time you watch Norman Osbourn follow the noise with his eyes in the same direction a very impressive moment indeed.
So it's needless to say that this movie is one to watch. Regardless of your age it is one great movie and although it is an action movie it leaves you with something philosophical to think about. Something that both in cartoon and movie Peter Parker is told and is important for us all to remember and that is "With great power, there must also come great responsibility"

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