As someone who used to dress up in Spider-Man Underoos and literally try to climb walls when I was a kid, the highest praise I can give this high-flying adaptation from director Sam Raimi is to say it made me want to be Spider-Man again. True to the original 1962 comic book, the movie grounds its thrills in a potent metaphor, allowing the newfound powers of Peter Parker (a perfect Tobey Maguire) to echo the identity crises of adolescence. Of course, there’s also tons of giddy action, in which the melding of computer-generated imagery and live-action stunt work is nearly seamless.
