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High school nerd Peter Parker is nearing graduation when a trip to a genetics lab gets him bit by an engineered super spider.  The bite passes on to him incredible powers including the ability to climb walls, a huge increase to his strength and agility, and the ability to shoot sticky webs out of his wrist.  Meanwhile businessman and scientist Norman Osbourne is having trouble with his military bid to supply weapons and a super-soldier treatment to the government.  He tests the treatment on himself which make his strong but insane and taking the weapons he was going to sell he goes on a rampage through the city to deal with the people who he sees as trying to destroy not only his financial empire, but himself as well.  Now the newly made hero Spider-man must face off against his first real threat, the deadly Green Goblin.  And what of the hot babe from next door whom is caught in the middle?

This film treatment of Spider-man is an absolute joy on the eyes and ears.  The special effects are top notch.  The musical score and the lyrical soundtrack are excellent and accent the film very well.  The pace is good, the script is well done, and the acting was very good.  It doesn't take long to accept the casting choices, which is a good sign with such a recognisable cast as that of the Spider-man comics.  The film diverges from the comics in a few respects but not glaringly so, especially in the context of the film itself.  Despite the fact that certain results of the story are predictable to anyone who follows the comics there are a suitable number of other twists and turns to keep the film interesting.  The plot is not without a few small holes though, such as the under-play of the Spidey-sense.  Still this is a good solid film that no doubt has left many people salivating over the thought of sequels, especially now that they have entirely covered the genesis of Peter Parker into Spider-man.

DVD NOTES: This double disc DVD has more special features than you can sling webs at.  It is jam packed with featurettes, 2 commentaries, and gobs of extras.  The video quality is excellent from the brightest brights to the darkest darks.  The audio is equally good with nice surround effects and movement from one soundstage to another.  The Limited Collector Edition has a third DVD, "Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels" and other non-disc extras to boot.

( Thank you for reading my review.
Bob Male)

All ideas, opinions, and information are from the reviewer and are not representative of any company or group involved with the creators and/or staff of the materials being reviewed.