24Seven - Film: A web of wonder.

Byline: with Joe Riley

Rating: 10/10. Spidey will catch the punters just like flies

ONE of the summer's most eagerly awaited films swings on to the big screen, with Tobey Maguire donning the red and blue spandex as Spider-Man.

High-school student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) develops strange powers after being bitten by a genetically altered spider during a school trip to a science laboratory.

Following the tragic death of his Uncle Ben, Parker vows to use his new-found powers for good, ridding the world of evil.

The teenager's abilities are soon put to the test by scientist Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), whose experiments give birth to his dastardly alter-ego, the Green Goblin.

Meanwhile, Peter struggles to keep his other identity a secret from best friend and room-mate, Harry (James Franco), and the lifelong object of his affection, Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst).

Director Sam Raimi delivers the goods with a visually thrilling spectacle - a muscular blockbuster with plenty of substance and style.

Maguire is magnificent in the title role, capturing the inner torment of his accidental hero, who is driven to greatness by the guilt over his beloved uncle's murder.

The young actor is more than up to the physical challenges of the film too, cutting an impressive figure in the iconic spider-suit.

Screen chemistry with Dunst positively sizzles - no wonder rumours surfaced of a real-life romance - and Franco confirms his rising star status as the rival for Mary-Jane's affections.

Just like Jack Nicholson in Batman, Dafoe is wickedly deranged as the villain of the piece, cackling as New York City trembles in his wake.

There's little subtlety to the performance, but plenty of tongue in cheek, while the screenplay is blighted by plot holes and lapses in logic. Peter's family and friends seem untroubled by his sudden transformation from school nerd to beefcake, and there's no explanation of where he gets his Spider-Man costume.

Still, the film looks amazing, and the shots of Spider-Man swinging between skyscrapers and along the crowded avenues of the Big Apple are jaw-dropping.

Some of the violence is quite strong, especially during the big showdown between Spidey and Green Goblin, but the film warrants it.

IMPOSTOR (15)

Rating: 3/10 You'll wish you had a replacement who'd watched this tosh

THE year is 2079, and a race of aliens from Alpha Centauri has declared war on mankind.

Magnetic shields protect Earth's major cities from aerial bombardment, and citizens are monitored at all times via micro-chips implanted in their spines. However, the alien threat is considerable. The Centaurians are abducting humans, and replacing them with booby-trapped replicants.

The military, led by grizzled Major Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), believes weapons expert Spence Olham (Gary Sinise) is one such replicant, and orders his immediate termination.

However, Spence, is sure he is human, as is his wife Maya (Madeleine Stowe), a doctor at the local hospital.

Joining forces with mercenary-forhire Cale (Mekhi Phifer), Spence flees for his life into the criminal underworld, from where he hopes to disprove the military's suspicions.

However, Hathaway is in hot pursuit, and he intends to take in Spence, dead or alive.

Originally conceived as one 40minute segment of a movie triptych, Impostor has been hastily plumped and padded to achieve the featurelength 95 minutes.

The plot is inspired by a 1953 Philip K Dick short story, accounting for the obvious similarities to Blade Runner (itself based on Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) Sadly, Impostor doesn't come close to the visual splendour, or the edgeof-seat tension of Ridley Scott's dystopian masterpiece.

Director Gary Fleder seems to be on auto-pilot, and his pacing of the action sequences seldom moves into second gear.

Overly energetic editing renders many of the chases a blur of incomprehensible images.

Spence's ability to escape Hathaway within the blink of an eye, and likewise the police's reluctance to fire a single shot at the fugitive when he is in clear view, become very frustrating.

Sinise's performance is lifeless enough to suggest he may be an android, but he copes well with the physical aspects of the role.

The computer generated special effects are impressive, but unremarkable, and the ambiguous ending is the final frustration. Impostor, quite literally, crashes and burns.

CAPTION(S):

WINNERS; THE winners of our six pairs of tickets to see Spider-Man were: Mrs P. Griffiths. L25; Mr T. Sweeney, L12; R. Swale, L13; J.Price, L9; G. Riley, L12; K.Wilks, L24. Confirmation is in; SUPER HERO: Tobey Maguire is magnificent as Peter Parker, the schoolboy who becomes the amazing Spider-Man