Tobey Maguire is excellent in this epic tale of a comic book character come to life.  This was a dream role for Maguire, who is best known for softer dramatic roles in such films as Wonder Boys and Cider House Rules.

Kirsten Dunst plays Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker’s love interest in the new Spiderman movie, and the chemistry between Dunst and Maguire is definitely believable. Don’t get me wrong, I was waiting for the romance stuff to get over with until the scene with Dunst and a wet t-shirt.

We get to see the evolution of Spiderman’s abilities, from the spider bite to learning to use his webs to swing through the city. His initial vigilantism allows him to struggle with good and evil, and Maguire pulls it off.

There were a couple minor problems with this film. The story has been updated from the original comic books. A friend at the show complained afterwards about the differences between this movie and the original story. I think making the spider genetically engineered instead of radioactive was a smart move, and having the webs as part of him instead of fabricated by Parker the scientist was more believable. Genetic engineering is easier to believe in than engineering in this case.

Spiderman is definitely an entertaining action movie, but there is enough romance and decent acting to make it palatable to different tastes..