| Look Out! It's Spider-Man |
| By Todd Karella May 8, 2002 |
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| With big budget backing, great special effects, and a world famous storyline, Spider-Man swung onto the big screen over the weekend. |
| People all around Orange County wore spider masks and carried Spider-Man action figures as they hunted for theatres that weren’t already sold out, some moviegoers |
| even crossing the Orange Curtain from Los Angeles to see the big budget flick. The long lines, sold out shows and $114 million record breaking weekend proved that Spider-Man has not only been capturing criminals for the last 40 years but capturing the hearts of Americans as well. Whether it’s the story about an average teen who becomes a superhero because of a spider bite, the struggle of good vs. evil, or the soap opera quality of it’s story line, people find themselves caught in the spider’s web. Sony has been over-hyping the movie for the last year, and fortunately it’s one of the few that lives up to the hype. Even though the movie trailers kept showing the scenes where it was |
| obvious digital animation was used, the rest of the movie looked nothing like it. The special effects were amazing as Spider-Man swung through the skyscrapers looking completely realistic. The worst scene in the movie was when the Green Goblin tried to convince our hero to join him in evil. Since both characters woremasks obscuring their faces, it made their conversation look quite ridiculous as if it were a bad episode of the Power Rangers. While Spider-Man was an excellently done movie, there are still several |
| things that might drive the hardcore spider fans up the wall. Peter Parker was never a complete wimp as he was shown to be in the new movie. Sure, the school bully picked him on, but he certainly wasn’t the total |
| social outcast that he was made out to be. Even the school bus driver hated him. The most obvious change in the movie is that after being bitten by a spider, Spider-Man could shoot webbing. Originally, he actually used web shooters and had to make a web formula, something that affected the plot as the poor photographer struggled to make money to buy the needed chemicals and always seemed to run out at the most inconvenient time. |
| Even though I was glad that they finally made a decent Spider-Man movie, I felt as if there wasn’t anything new in the movie that I hadn’t already read about or seen in a previous movie or cartoon. The quick wit and smart-aleck comments that were his trademark seemed to be absent as well. The most refreshing aspect was watching as our hero tried out his new powers and found that just because you have gifts doesn’t |
| mean you can immediately use them. After the big opening at the box office and beating both Harry Potter and Phantom Menace for an opening weekend, a sequel is already in the works, and next time I’ll remember to buy my tickets in advance. |
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