Spider-Man (2002)

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man / Peter Parker, Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, James Franco as Harry Osborn, Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker, Rosemary Harris as May Parker, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Manganiello as Flash Thompson, Gerry Becker as Maximilian Fargas, Bill Nunn as Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson, Jack Betts as Henry Balkan, Stanley Anderson as General Slocum, Ron Perkins as Dr. Mendell Stromm, Michael Papajohn as Carjacker, K.K. Dodds as Simkins

"With great power comes great responsibility".These words, spoken by
Peter Parker's uncle Ben(Cliff Robertson)during their last conversation
and which have become Spider-Man's motto, also perfectly represent the
challenge Sam Raimi was facing when asked to bring one of America's
most loved superheroes to the screen.

You can relax, fellas: Raimi's movie is definitely worth a look.Loosely
based on the origin story and the Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. run, it's a
fascinating mix of spectacular action and powerful drama, as it
chronicles Peter Parker's(Tobey Maguire) transformation into a
superhuman and the responsibilities deriving from said metamorphosis:
while fighting crime to avenge his uncle's death, he also has to deal
with his feelings for Mary Jane Watson(Kirsten Dunst) and his
friendship with Harry Osborn(James Franco); add Harry's father
Norman(Willem Dafoe), who's become schizophrenic psycho Green Goblin,
and you've got a quite complicated situation.

Raimi's excellent at showing us the hero's pain, as well as the one he
causes to others, and he gets terrific performances from the entire
cast, particularly Maguire, Dafoe and Robertson.

On its own, it's a very good superhero flick, alongside the sequel,
it's an absolute masterpiece.

Recommended even if you don't care about the comics.