Little Deuteronomy is a STAR WARS fanatic right now and wanted to see ATTACK OF THE CLONES again, but instead I dragged him to SPIDER-MAN, and both of us wound up really enjoying it. I guess this is one of those rare occasions when I'm in agreement with the mainstream critics and the moronic masses. Of course, it goes without saying that SPIDER-MAN is pure Hollywood crapola, but hey, it's fun to see pure Hollywood crapola when it's done as well as it can be done.

I admire SPIDER-MAN for not descending into the self-mockery that permeates most movies about comic book heroes; the film actually takes itself seriously! I also admire SPIDER-MAN for striving to capture the look and feel of the first issue of the comic book, and for following the plot of that first issue fairly closely.

Tobey Maguire is engaging and likeable as Peter Parker, and believe it or not, crusty old Ants felt genuine emotions when Peter crouches over his dying Uncle Ben and when he expresses the depth of his love for Mary Jane Watson. The story is a sentimental melodrama, not exactly my favorite literary form, but damn it, my heart raced when the Green Goblin (stylishly played by Willem Dafoe) cackles with glee and tells Spider-man that he must choose -- if he saves Mary Jane, a bus-full of children will die, but if he saves the bus-full of children, then Mary Jane will die! You cannot save both, Spider-man! You must choose! Har de har har!

My rating on the Watson scale: 4