May 5, 2002 -- "Spider-Man" is the latest of a bunch of comic book super heroes to hit the big screen, and it is one of the best, too, thanks to solid acting, direction and production values. The temptation is to over-praise this film because it has "edge," that means key characters die and we see a lot of pain and dark emotions. What is so wonderful about that? Even if you get your kicks watching others' pain, it certainly doesn't hide the fact that this film is slow-moving in quite a few places and it takes itself just a little too seriously.

Tobey Maguire of "The Cider House Rules") stars as Spider-Man, whose alter ego is the mild-mannered nerdish high-schooler, Peter Parker. The gimmick about Spider-Man is that he was one of the first super heroes portrayed as an ordinary person, flaws and all. That is why so many readers of the comic identified with him. He wasn't the most popular kid in school. He wasn't born with an innate sense of right and wrong, or with an incorruptible character. He had to find his own way. The screenplay by David Koepp ("Panic Room"), based on the story by longtime Marvel comics editor Stan Lee (who also has a bit part in the film) and Steve Ditko, really plays up this angle.

Parker is like millions of other high school kids. He's not popular. He has a crush on a girl (Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst of "Crazy/Beautiful") who he thinks is way out of his league. He gets pushed around by the school bullies. It is a little unusual in that he's being raised by an aunt and uncle (Rosemary Harris of "Sunshine" and Cliff Robertson of "Escape From L.A."). It is really strange, of course, that he is bitten by a genetically-enhanced spider and that causes him to mutate into a guy with super spider powers. The theme of the film is that with great power, comes great responsibility. Parker learns the hard way that because of his great power even his inactions can lead to tragic consequences.

By the end of the film Parker has learned that his superhuman powers are both a blessing and a curse. He seems trapped by circumstances into a life of self-sacrifice. He is not able to live a normal life. The ending of the film also very cleverly sets up the sequel. It is an intelligent screenplay for what once would have been considered a B movie. The darkness of the film is a little reminiscent of "Batman," although it borders on pretentiousness. You could call this Batman-lite. Besides Maguire's strong performance as the main character, Willem Dafoe of "Shadow of the Vampire" gives a sparkling performance as the villain, The Green Goblin (whose alter-ego is Norman Osborn, a high-rolling defense contractor). Dunst is also good as the love interest. The seldom-seen Cliff Robertson gives another fine performance in a too-brief screen appearance. One of director Sam Raimi's favorite guys, Bruce Campbell of "Army of Darkness" has a cameo role as a wrestling announcer. J. K. Simmons "The Gift," is hilarious as the stereotypical, curt, short-tempered, cigar-chomping editor of the Daily Bugle.

Raimi ("A Simple Plan") is a talented director who is well-suited to this project. He gets good performances and knows how to shoot action sequences and comedy. The special effects are good, a little live action mixed with heavy doses of blue screen effects and digital animation. There is good stunt work and nice production design with some Batman-like gothic gargoyles. This is a good adaptation of a comic book (don't even start with me about "graphic novels"), but it does tend to slow to a crawl between some of the action scenes. On the plus side, there is some actual character development. It is an interesting meditation on the genesis of a super hero. This film rates a B.

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