SPIDERMAN, directed by Sam Raimi

Some weeks back I had put a link on Salon to a review in The Washington Post, where their critic had praised this latest comic-book adaptation. Such positive critical buzz had instilled high expectations in me. But Spiderman was another disappointment.

The film has its moments though. When our hero tries out his newly acquired super-powers and takes off on his first gravity-defying web-swinging journey amidst the skyscrapers, it is an exhilarating moment. But the silliness of the villain, the ‘Green Goblin’, stands out unpleasantly. Though the casting of the main role is inspired and Raimi shows flashes of the talent that he is, overall, the film lacked inspiration.

For a successful tribute to comic-books and their heroes and villains, see Manoj Night Shyamalan’s effective Unbreakable, with Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson, which I felt was a better film than his over-rated The Sixth Sense.slfr