Maybe it was that I havent been to the theater in awhile, or maybe it was the movie itself, but watching Spider-Man sent me back to that place that made me love movies in the first place. The excitement at opening credits, the smell of the popcorn, the classic story of good versus evil...it was truly magical. How many movies today can capture that essence? Spider-Man does. And the excitement in the beginning of the movie never let up and never disappointed.

While there are lots of characters in the Spiderman comic books, the first installment of the Spiderman movies remains focused on a central plot. Peter begins to discover his new powers, which is often humorous and always interesting. Also along for the ride are MJ, the girl he has been in love with since kindergarden, Peters best friend who dates MJ, and Peters best friend's father, who, known only to Spider Man, is the Green Goblin.

Whats great about this movie is that it is more than just the classic good versus evil tale, because both the good guy and the bad guy are dynamic, 3-dimensional characters rather than static and 1-dimensional. The goblin struggles with the man he was and the monster he has become. Peter, too, has conflict. He must deal with the anger and guilt over his father's murder, as well as his feelings for MJ.

Needless to say, the effects are awesome. It is so exciting watching him swing from building to building. It just looks a lot more exciting than, say, superman simply flying over those same buildings.

I never really got into any of the Batman movies, or the more recent X-Men flick. But Spiderman seriously kicks ass. If you only see one summer blockbuster this year, make it Spiderman, even over Star Wars Episode II.