Finally swinging his way onto the screen this side of the Atlantic is Sam Raimi's excellent adaptation of our favourite web slinger. Much like the success of X-Men, film studios seem to be doing Marvel Comics some justice, nailing the formula of comicbook adaptations by grabbing hold of a reputable director with a passion for the original source material.

The plot is simplistic, but effective. High school geek Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) tries to catch the eye of the girl next door Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). While on a field trip to a science lab, Peter is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider and before long is having sticky dreams and getting up to all sorts of pubescent mischief in his bedroom. When he wakes up in the morning he feels as good as new and finds he no longer has any use for glasses.

He begins to explore his new strength and abilities, as he climbs walls, shoots webbing from his wrists, leaps from building to building and discovers his spider sense. Eventually, after a major turning point in his life, he decides to use his powers to fight crime, while securing a job at the local paper as a photographer. Meanwhile his room-mate, Harry Osborn (James Franco), begins dating Mary Jane and Harry's father, Norman (Willem Dafoe), is going through some changes of his own, becoming a schizophrenic power ranger and starts blowing up the people that screwed him over. It's time for Peter Parker's spider strength to be truly put to the test.

Marvel has both a competent director and fan of the original comics, with Sam Raimi of Evil Dead fame. Much like Rings director Peter Jackson, Raimi is a somewhat cult figure and has the style and versatility to go with it - just look at his last two efforts, A Simple Plan and The Gift, compared to his earlier movies, showing that he has a serious side. A skilled filmmaker and avid comicbook collector - he claims to have a collection of 25,000 - his talent and interests have been expertly welded, making Raimi the perfect choice to helm Spider-Man.

The influence of a comicbook style is clearly seen in his early works, specifically his take on the superhero genre in Darkman. Returning to his roots for this movie, he succeeds on every level. Maybe that is what George Lucas should have done with his recent return to Star Wars and not been distracted by his revolutionary achievements in FX technology. Spider-Man is a film which doesn't loose itself in special effects, using them sparingly to develop the character's new found powers, as he swings from building to building and battles his arch enemy the Green Goblin. Raimi makes you believe that this man can do whatever a spider can.

Maguire is a great choice for the lead. Not only is he a superb actor with a strong repertoire behind him, but, like Christopher Reeve in Superman, is totally believable as both Parker and his alter ego. The casting is as good as X-Men and what Batman lacked. Not even Tim Burton's choice of Michael Keaton convinced me that he was Bruce Wayne, although he did a fine job as the Dark Knight.

Dafoe has the versatility to portray many different characters and do it with such ease. His ability to take on the split personality of Norman Osborn came as no surprise to me. You can clearly see him relishing every moment to camp it up and make his character as sadistic and evil as possible. His dual persona, brilliantly portrayed in the mirror scene, shows a perfect welding of good acting and good direction.

J.K. Simmons, as J Jonah Jameson, the newspaper editor, is another example of casting success. He relishes every moment, too, and is a joy to watch. Franco and Dunst lend terrific support, as best friend and love interest. There is a special chemistry created on screen between the three. The love story is far from cheesey, unlike this summer's other main attraction: Attack Of The Clones. These characters have genuine heart and feeling.

The plot development is well-handled. There are slight changes here and there, but, in my opinion, they surpass the original comicbook - the merging of Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane, Peter Parker being bit by a genetically enhanced arachnid rather than a radioactive one updates the concept and develops his powers to greater effect, as he takes on more characteristics of the spider by firing webbing from his wrists rather than building his web shooters.

Lack of emotion between the characters, as they wear masks, is cleverly handled at times. By the time their faces are entirely covered, we know them so well we can see behind the disguise and Raimi reminds us of who they are by delivering quick jibes and less subtle approaches, such as revealing Osborn's eyes and mouth and trashing Spider-Man towards the end in a brutal beat-em-up fight, revealing Parker's bruised and battered face, enabling us to see his duality and emotions more clearly.

The special effects are a little distracting at times and not always believable. The studios need to learn that the fast moving CGI human form still needs work - Blade 2 and Harry Potter being perfect examples. However, Spider-Man swinging through the city could not have been any better, his postures captured perfectly from Steve Ditko's original art work.

Unlike the return of Star Wars, Spider-Man delivers on every level. You come out of the cinema totally satisfied, if you are a Marvel fan, a Raimi fan or just a fan of entertainment movies. It does exactly what it says on the tin and is the best comicbook adaptation to date.

Spider-Man is a breath of fresh air to an almost forgotten film franchise. Roll on Doctor Octopus.