MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Director: Sam Raimi
Actors: Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane, Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin and James Franco as Harry.

Who can scale a skyscraper, shoot webs out of his wrists and swing through New York City like Tarzan? None other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Spider-Man does a lot of things right. A good story. Plenty of thrills. A sense of humor. And a moral message.

Peter Parker is a nerdy teen who gets picked on at school and ignored by the pretty girl he adores. Then a scientifically altered spider bites him and he becomes half man, half spider. He’s not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse, but Peter dedicates himself to fighting crime as a masked superhero.

Spider-Man spins a wonderful web of positive themes. Peter is humble, selfless, respectful and dedicated to helping others. There’s sharp contrast between loving, supportive family relationships and destructive ones. Viewers even hear a few honoring references to God. And in Peter’s relationship with his crush, Mary Jane, friendship is shown to be the most unselfish form of love.

The movie suffers from a few bad words and several misuses of God’s name. In a couple of scenes, Mary Jane is not dressed modestly. Action violence is graphic and gets intense. It would be quite scary for younger viewers, but Spider-Man draws a very clear line between good and evil and comes down on the right side.

NOTE: Our comments are not meant to endorse or discredit any particular film; they're just a way for you and your parents to make informed decisions about what enters your eyes and ears (Philippians 4:8).

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