WebPress

I’ll lay my cards on the table right off the bat and confess what in some circles could be considered sacrilege – I’m not a fan of comic books. I’ve never read any, and I couldn’t tell you the story behind Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man if my life depended on it. All of my knowledge of ’superheroes’ comes from the movies, and I’d even label that knowledge mediocre at best. “Superman” wasn’t my kind of movie, “Batman” (in his many leading actor incarnations) wasn’t up my alley either, and I went into the theater for Spider-Man just hoping it would live up to half of its hype. Half would have been nice, but “Spider-Man” pulled off the near impossible – it lived up to a full 75% of the hoopla and was close to nudging its way 85-90% when it backed off just a smidge (smidge – such a technical term for a movie review).

Tobey Maguire, while wildly questioned and almost literally spat upon by Spidey comic book loyalists when he won the sought after role, is perfect as he brings the webslinger to life in an astounding manner. With Maguire, it’s all in the eyes. He can tell a story without uttering a word. As Peter Parker, graduating high school student and the much picked upon class nerd, Maguire makes you feel every bit of ridicule he undergoes. He draws you into his world, the world where his best friend is also an outcast, the love of his life – Mary Jane – lives next door but hasn’t a clue how he feels, and where he’s raised in a loving home by an elderly aunt and uncle whose very embrace sets the world aright.