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The big-screen version of Spider-Man has finally arrived. For almost a decade, studios bickered over the rights while fans argued over the actors. Titanic director James Cameron wrote a script and seemed poised to helm the project, but the title went finally to Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, A Simple Plan). It apparently paid off: the movie grossed $114 million dollars in its first weekend, almost the entire cost of the film's production. The Webbed Wonder has torn asunder Harry Potter's box office record.

In a feat rarely achieved, a blockbuster action movie is also getting good reviews. Most critics found it high-spirited fun. The cast is extraordinary. Raimi couldn't have done better than Tobey Maguire as the awkward photographer Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst as sweet and seductive Mary Jane, James Franco as Parker's friend Harry, and Willem Dafoe (who has played Jesus and various devils) as the Green Goblin. The cinematography is bright, vivid, and at times breathtaking. And scriptwriter David Koepp has the patience to develop characters we care about. Even in the battle scenes, Raimi never stoops to bullying the audience with chaos and explosions. He always keeps us grounded in action that reflects specific personalities and serious choices. Spider-Man is one of those rare adventure movies in which character, not violence, is the backbone of the film.

You probably know the film's story: On a class field trip, Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider, and after a fever, he wakes up with strange new powers. Maguire gives Parker just the right mix of exhilaration, bewilderment, and fear characteristic of boys who are becoming men. But Parker's powers are more than a coming-of-age metaphor. They raise questions about responsibility that resonate throughout the film.

All of this works wonderfully in the film's first hour. But then things turn into a routine showdown, and the flaws really start to show. Many critics complain that the digital animation propelling Spidey through action scenes is too obvious. Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times) writes, "Not even during Spidey's first experimental outings do we feel that flesh and blood are contending with gravity … he's as convincing as Mighty Mouse." True. And there are other wrinkles. Obvious plot problems become distracting. (Parker fails to conceal his identity when he shows off his powers to classmates and an arena full of wrestling fans. So that bit about a "secret identity" is hard to believe.) Meanwhile, Danny Elfman's soundtrack is derivative and unremarkable. But the film succeeds in spite of it all. That first hour is an excellent example of how to enthrall audiences with strong character development and efficient storytelling.

Some religious press critics are thrilled with this first installment in what will likely be a long-running franchise. Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) declares that the movie "may be the most satisfying cinematic comic-book super-hero experience to date. Spider-Man has a swashbuckling flair and a style all its own." Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) raves, "This movie may actually live up to all of its hyphenated hype."

But Canadian Christianity critic Peter T. Chattaway muses, "I think there's a good film buried inside a pretty average film there." In comments at the Chiaroscuro Discussion Board, he writes, "The dialogue is too simplistic and expository. For the money they dumped on this film, I would have preferred [fewer] effects, and more attention paid to them." A critic for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops agrees about the effects and says that the film is "missing a compelling story line." But he adds, "Audiences may be willing to forgive the film these faults. Magnetic performances and an energetic pace fill in the narrative inconsistencies and lack of cohesion."

J. Robert Parks (Phantom Tollbooth) is frustrated by an overdose of overly sentimental "special moment" scenes between Parker and Mary Jane, Parker and Uncle Ben, Parker and Aunt May. "These outweigh the action sequences by several minutes and yet serve little purpose in either developing character or moving the story along. So yawns of boredom replace yelps of excitement. This puts me in the uncomfortable position of complaining about a blockbuster that actually tries to have some brains. I'm all for character development and interesting themes, but Spiderman doesn't pull it together."

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