Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Willem Dafoe, Rosemary Harris, Cliff Robertson

Runtime: 121 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for action sequences and violence

Peter Parker (Maguire) is your average awkward teenager who works hard at school, lives with his Aunt May (Harris) and Uncle Ben (Robertson), has a best friend in Harry Osborn (Franco) and happens to be smitten with Mary Jane (Dunst), the girl who lives next door. Things change when he's bitten by a radioactive spider while on a school trip.

Peter soon realizes that he's developed new powers such as perfect vision, climbing buildings with his bare hands and the ability to shoot webs from his wrist which also enables him to maneuver between some of the city's tallest buildings without any trouble. Trouble, however, soon finds Peter. When Uncle Ben is killed while waiting for Peter (who had a plan to win money for a car by competing in a wrestling match), he makes it his responsibility to use the persona of Spider-Man to combat crime.

But every superhero needs a villain to combat and Spider-Man's nemesis soon emerges in the guise of the Green Goblin (Dafoe) a.k.a. Norman Osborn, Peter's mentor and Harry's father. As the battle between the two rages, will Spider-Man be victorious? You'll have to watch 2002's "Spider-Man" to find out!

This has to be one of the better superhero/comic book hero films to ever hit the big screen. For those who don't know the beginnings of Spider-Man, the movie gives a great look into the character of Peter Parker, a young man trying to get used to his sudden powers and at times can also be a flawed individual. The movie keeps you interested with the romantic triangle between Harry, Mary Jane and Peter, the dramatic tension between Harry and his father as well as Norman's "will he find out Spider-Man's real identity" moments.

There's also plenty of nonstop action! The battles between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin are a thrill ride up until the very end. One particular scene keeps you glued to your seat as the Green Goblin balances the lives of Mary Jane in one hand with a group of trapped children in the other, while demanding that Spider-Man choose their fate.

My Rating: Out of 5 stars, I'd give this 4 1/2.

Did You Know... James Franco had originally auditioned for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-man for the film?

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