Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2350 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-11-25
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English, Hindi
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 116 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Marvel Comics fans have been waiting for this big-screen Spider-Man since the character made his print debut in 1962, which attaches impossible expectations to a film that rates as a solid success without breaking out of the spandex ghetto in the way that Batman Returns or X-Men did. Tobey Maguire is ideally cast as speccy Peter Parker, a high school swot with personal problems. The suit and effects take over when he gets bitten by a genetically engineered (i.e., no longer radioactive) spider and transforms into a web-swinging superhero who finds that these super-powers don't really help him get close to the girl next door (Kirsten Dunst) or protect his elderly guardian (Cliff Robertson) from random violence. The villain of the peace is Peter's best friend's industrialist father (Willem Dafoe) who has dosed himself on an experimental serum which makes him go all Jekyll-and-Hyde and emerge as the cackling Green Goblin, who soon gets a grudge against Spider-Man.

Sam Raimi gives it all a bright, airy, kinetic feel, with wonderful aerial stuff as Spider-Man escapes from his troubles by swinging between skyscrapers, and the rethink of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's origin story is managed with a canny mix of faithfulness (JK Simmons' as the crass editor JJ Jameson is the image of the comic character) and send-up (after a big introduction, Spider-Man finally appears in a really rubbish first attempt at a spider costume). Maguire and the impossibly sweet Dunst make it work as a hesitant teen romance, but somehow the second half, which brings on the villain to give the hero someone to fight, is only exciting when it wants to be affecting too. --Kim Newman

On the DVD: Spider-Man's two-disc offering is nothing out of the ordinary, but fans will find some gems here including Stan Lee's thoughts, a gallery of comic cover art and profiles on the baddies. The two commentaries (cast and crew, and Special Effects) both have long periods with pauses, but the special effects guys are full of insight. The DVD-ROM section offers some of the more exciting features, including three comics transferred onto your computer, page by page, although be aware that the "Film to Comic" comparison is not for the original but for the new comic of the film. As you would expect from a blockbuster superhero film, the sound and vision are immaculate. --Nikki Disney

Special Features
Widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1
Dolby Digital 5.1
Commentary by director Sam Raimi, Kirsten Dunst, producer Laura Ziskin, and co-producer Grant Curtis
Commentary by special effects designer John Dykstra and visual effects crew
Theatrical trailer(s)
Disc 1:
"Weaving the Web": subtitled pop-on production notes and historical facts
Branching web-isodes
Music videos: Hero (Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott), What We're All About (Sum 41)
TV spots
Filmographies and character files
DVD-ROM features
Disc 2:
HBO Making of Spider-Man
Spider-Mania, an E! Entertainment Special
Director profile: Sam Raimi
Composer profile: Danny Elfman
Screen tests for Tobey Maguire, J.K. Simmons, and CGI Spider-Man
Costume and makeup tests
Gag/outtake reel
Conceptual art and production design gallery
Comic book artist pin-up gallery
"Spider-Man: The Mythology of the 21st Century" historical documentary
The Spider-Man Comic Book Archives
Rogues Gallery
The Loves of Peter Parker
Activision game hints and tips

Synopsis
Based on the classic Marvel Comics series, Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN deftly details the origin of the web-slinging superhero. When awkward New York City teenager Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) attends a class field trip to a laboratory, he gets bitten by a genetically altered spider while taking photos of his longtime crush, the lovely Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Soon he discovers this bite has given him remarkable powers--heightened strength, dexterity, and awareness, along with the ability to cling to walls and shoot webs from his wrists. Hoping to win Mary Jane's heart using his new talents, Peter becomes distracted from home life with his doting Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), ultimately leading to tragedy--and his new role as the crime-fighting Spider-Man. Meanwhile Harry Osborn (Willem Dafoe), the industrialist father of Peter's friend Norman (James Franco), undergoes a transformation of his own, bringing about the creation of Spider-Man's arch-nemesis--the Green Goblin. In order to save his loved ones--and all of New York City--from the devastating force of the deluded Goblin, Spider-Man must take on the villain in a series of stunning battles.
By staying true to the essence of the comic book, Raimi accomplishes the rare feat of crafting a superhero movie with a real heart. Rather than focusing solely on action and explosions, SPIDER-MAN wisely shines the spotlight on the character of Peter Parker, played with perfect bewilderment by Maguire. The special effects, of course, are dazzling, but they are topped by an excellent cast that also includes the radiant Dunst, the menacing Dafoe, the brooding Franco, and the scene-stealing J.K. Simmons as Peter's tough-talking boss. (Raimi fans will notice cameos by the director's brother, Ted Raimi, and EVIL DEAD series star Bruce Campbell.) The result is a charming and amazingly entertaining film unafraid to combine CGI animation with sincere human emotion.

Customer Reviews

Look out... Here comes the Spider-Man
There were super hero movies before Spider-Man, and many of them were very good, but the glut of summer box office films drawn from the genre really began here. If Spidey's appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 back in the early sixties started the Marvel Age of Comics then this piece of box office gold kickstarted the Marvel Age of Movies.

The story revolves around nerdy Peter Parker, smart, likeable, and decent who is bitten by a genetically altered spider and gains the proportionate abilities of a human sized arachnid. Initially just taken with the idea of using his new gifts to make money, Peter's life is turned upside down when a tragedy strikes his elderly Uncle Ben- a tragedy for which our hero blames himself. This drives Pete to create the identity of Spider-Man to battle crime but he soon meets a greater threat in the form of the cackling Green Goblin. Its a story that children have been exposed to through comics and cartoons for over 40 years and Spidey is part of our modern mythology so Sam Raimi sensibly doesn't dwell on the origin story too much and allows plenty of room for the antagonism between the hero and villain of the piece to breathe. As the Goblin repeatedly threatens New York and, after discovering Spider-Man's secret identity, Peter's loved ones (there's a fairly harrowing scene involving him threatening Peter's elderly Aunt May) it forges our hero into a man. Its all done rather well.

Peter Parker is an ordinary boy with ordinary dreams, he wants to be able to provide for his elderly guardians, he wants the girl next door, and even as Spider-Man he can't bounce bullets off of his eyeball. Tobey Maguire is brilliant in this role because he gets that and helps the audience get it. Maguire is nerdy-goodlooking and seems sweet in the role which captures the essence of Peter Parker wonderfully. He's supported by a strong cast as Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson dispense homespun wisdom and warmth in a manner that makes anyone wish for them as grandparents, JK Simmons chews up the scenery in a hilarious turn as caustic newspaper publisher J Jonah Jameson, and James Franco does a nice job as Peter's rich and handsome best friend Harry. Willem Dafoe has fun as Harry's father Norman, and the villain of the piece the Green Goblin. His scenes of schizophrenic self-doubt are not on a par with the similar Gollum scenes from the Lord of the Rings but they do the job nicely. Probably most surprising is Kirsten Dunst who seems miscast in theory but in practice gives us a very sweet Mary Jane and plays nicely off of both Maguire and Franco.

The direction is frothy and colourful and the script is punchy and knowing and really sets a standard for other movies of its genre. Like Dunst Sam Raimi seemed an odd choice for a movie this big and a character this iconic but he does a great job. Some of the CGI effects of the web-slinger swinging about NYC looked a bit cartoony at the time, and moreso now, and there's a slight sagging part way through but Spider-Man is still brilliant entertainment and can be watched time and time again.

The Best Comic Book Movie Next To Batman Returns
This review will be split into three sections, they will be The Story, The Characters & The Verdict. This will give you a fair and true description of the movie and its characters and will give you my personal opinion of the movie which should help you make an informed decision on whether to watch this film for the first time or whether to stay away like you have already done for six years.

The Story: Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker an aspiring photographer who one day is taking pictures of his crush Mary Jane Watson for the "School Newspaper" when he's bitten by a radioactive spider. After the incident Peter goes through a change and gains powers that are similar to a spider, he can walk up walls, shoot web, he gains super human strength, agility and has the ability to sense danger before it comes. One day after Peter uses his powers to take part in a wrestling event to try and win some money, his uncle Ben is shot dead, Peter discovers that his uncle was shot by the man he'd let pass by after stealing money from the wrestling promoter who'd cheated Peter out of money. Peter tracks down the criminal and through a series of incidents the man is killed for which Peter makes the decision to become a superhero, thus giving birth to the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility." The best friend of Peter, Harry Osbourne is the son of the CEO of Ozcorp Industries Norman Osbourne. Ozcorp industries develop weapons and other experimental devices for the United States Army, they're also working on an experimental treatment that would increase the speed and strength of soldiers. One night Norman tests this treatment on himself, but something goes wrong with the treatment and it develops an alternate evil personality that we come to know as the Green Goblin.

The Characters:
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker was a genius choice to make and at the time he was chosen, Tobey was very much an unknown actor but he's now an A-Lister and it's thanks to his stellar performance as the troubled Peter Parker. You gain this sympathy for Peter as he's the typical geek who always gets the worst of everything, you begin to feel like you really want him to succeed in getting the girl and getting the great career being a photographer for the Daily Bugle.
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane was again a genius choice of casting as the chemistry between the two was something inspirational. Kirsten is a really good fit for this character and through the movie you expect her to go with Harry but you know she really wants the excuse she's looking for to get with Peter. To be able to convince the viewer that you're going to go in the opposite direction than is obvious for the story to progress is something special and I hope if there is a Spiderman 4 then these are the first two to get re-signed as the main characters.
Willem Dafoe: I've never really been familiar with Willems work and I think a lot of people went into this movie and said "who the hell is he?" when he first came on the screen. After about the first half hour and after first seeing him play the psychotic Green Goblin, we came to realise that although to many casual movie goers he may have been an unknown we came to recognise that he was the perfect choice for this part.

The Verdict: Many would agree that the Spider-Man character is Marvels greatest creation and the mainstream success of this movie would not dispute that in the slightest. Personally I loved this film, the action sequences between Spidey and the Goblin are intense and something that although they're minimal they get the job done in establishing the characters and the story. The relationship between MJ & Peter is at times heart wrenching as you first see that Peter is starting to win her over then when he saves her as Spidey she's won over by him. Peter becomes stuck in sort of a four way relationship and one of the other people he's competing with is himself. Because of the reason he can't tell MJ he's spidey it becomes heartbreaking to see her love struck by him and yet Peter can't tell her that he's Spiderman. This is a really good movie that gives us a great blend of both character development and action. It takes a completely fantasy element like an average man getting superpowers and puts it in the real world setting with real characters that people can relate to, this is something Stan Lee set out to do when originally creating the spiderman character and this is something that is carried on with the movie.

rubbish overated rubbish
cant belive this is so highly rated this is bland,boring and predictable
the cgi is awful and the acting below par.this is a misfire