John’s “Spider-Man” flashback review, May 18, 2019
“Spider-Man” — This is a colorful start to a new film franchise, but it has some nagging flaws: The Green Goblin, despite the best efforts of Willem Dafoe, is a boring villain, and the love story between Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) comes to a very unsatisfying end. How is “just being friends” going to protect MJ from villains who know that Peter cares about her?
—John Hansen, NDSU Spectrum, Aug. 27, 2002