Les nouvelles aventures de Spider-Man

I've always liked Spider-Man, and I have always enjoyed this show. Maybe it is not as good as the 90s series, but it is a hundred times better than Spider-Man Unlimited. It does have its problems, the show's ending did feel rushed and the Kingpin is rather bland this time around, too much of the standard crime boss sort of character. You also do wish that Aunt May was involved in this series, she always had that heart-warming sincerity and care for Peter that I think would have balanced the tone of the story lines even more if she was included. There is also not enough Jameson. That said, when I first saw the show I saw potential and on the most part the potential is lived up to. Having Spider-Man in computer-animation may be a shock to the system for some, but while I am a traditional-animation fan myself I really liked the animation here. The character designs are very well defined and the backgrounds are full of atmospheric colours and detail. The music is hauntingly beautiful, with a simply awesome theme tune. The writing is intelligent, thought-provoking and even Peter's wise-cracks raises some amusement, while the story lines have a very dark centre to them with the themes and the violence but does so in a way that does hit you hard but not in a heavy-handed way. The action sequences are very exciting, while of the villains Electro, Roxanne and especially the Lizard stand out. Kraven also intrigued me. The voice acting I think is very good, Neil Patrick Harris not only conveys Spider-Man's broodiness but also with the wise-cracks he gives a quirkier side as well, in short he makes the character his own while never deviating too far from it. Michael Clarke Duncan does do a fine job with the Kingpin, I just wish that the character was more interesting. Kathy Griffin as Roxanne is brilliant, as is Ethan Embry as Electro, and Rob Zombie gives a menacing and poignant edge. All in all, a very good show that should have lasted longer. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Spidey on TV has always suffered from being intended for children, and blatant cases of cheesiness, and that was a part of the appeal of it. Recently however, they've come out with a new Spider formula: more mature, having characters die on screen, insanity, and dealing with a broad range of new subject matter like sex, violence, drug abuse, and murder. This show is Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (or MTV Spider-Man).

Being done in full cell shading animation, it loosely follows up on the events of the first Spider-Man movie, following Peter Parkers life as he tries to deal with college, women, life, and his responsibility of being Spider-Man. The 13 eps. series flows in a somewhat sequestered format, with each eps being cut off from the others, aside from a few exceptions (a new love interest being introduced halfway through, and the 2-part series finale), which takes away from the feel that you're watching Pete's life go on, since his actions in one eps don't necessarily reflect in any of the others. But overall it works to establish the villains which show up in every eps.

As said, there is a villain appearance in each eps, ranging from a college girl obsessed with Spider-Man, to Russian terrorists, to telepathic twins. Of course some of your old favorites make an appearance such as Kingpin, The Lizard, and Electro to name a few, though not all of them are handled appropriately. For example, Kingpin, who's basically the nexus with which all crime in New York revolves around, comes off as no more dangerous than a somewhat successful crime boss. While others, such as Electro and The Lizard, are almost epic in their presentation. Both of which will tempt a tear to be released if not making you cry openly.

The voice acting is decent, with Spidey sounding appropriate and having a good hint of silly sarcasm to his voice, but the problem is he doesn't really change it. In some serious scenes, it just doesn't sound much different than when he's taunting a villain, only in a slightly lower tone. The real shining voicework comes from the one-shot villains. Particularly from Rob Zombie as Dr. Kurt Conners and Kathy Griffin as Roxanne (a telepathic twin). Both giving amazing performances and convey their characters marvelously. Especially Kathy Griffin, who doesn't seem like she would be the type to play a psychotic killer at all, but her voice fits amazingly well. One special note I'd like to make is about Ethan Embry who plays Max Dillon/Electro. While his performance isn't really anything special in the first half of his eps, once he becomes Electro his quality skyrockets. With 2 lines being given by him that are the 2 most memorable, and emotionally stirring in the entire series:

• No one is innocent!! NO ONE!! - Spidey: I know.. what it's like!! Electro: No.. you.. don't!!

It's not the lines themselves, but the way that they are said that just rips your heart out. The second line never fails to make me close my eyes and turn away slightly at his pain no matter how many times I see it. It's just that well delivered. You need to listen to it in order to understand what I mean, words can't explain it.

Overall, this is a well made Spider-man series with a more mature twist than what we're expecting to see from a spidey series. Though not without it's flaws (reuse of 3-4 people designs as extras continuously, repetition of Spidey's catch phrase "seriously.. ow!", etc.) it's definitely a worthy addition to the Spidey franchise, and is definitely worth a look if you're at all interested in your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.

I've never been too much of a Spider Man fan. I've never seen the movie the whole way through. But this show this amazing! I love it! I mean this is not emmy material, but it is just pure fun! I'm hooked in it's web!

A-

Spider-Man 2003 is a cel-shaded cartoon series for adults that aired on MTV and in syndication. It features amazing computer animation and the story-line is not the worst, though it does leave on a mini- cliff hanger. The action is interesting and fast-paced but not so much that you can't absorb scenery details and what's happening on the screen. I recommend that you give this series a try, as long as you watch the episodes in the correct order sequence.

I have determined the order in which to watch Spider-Man 2003. (I voted it an 8, but only if you watch the entire series in the correct order.)

Spider-man 2003 comes in a 2-disc set: disc 1 is A, disc 2 is B. Episodes are numbered, as on the discs. Copy and print this for your records.

Disc 1 (A) 3 4 1 5 2 6 7 8

Disc 2 (B) 2 1 3 4 5

If you can watch the episodes digitally, without discs, then watch the episodes in this sequential order (base this sequence on Wikipedia's list of episodes for Spider-Man 2003):

5. Law of the Jungle --- 2. Sword of Shikata --- 1. Heroes and Villains --- 3. Keeping Secrets --- 9. Royal Scam --- 4. Tight Squeeze --- 6. Head over Heels --- 10. The Party --- 7. Spider-Man Dis-Sabled --- 11. Flash Memory --- 8. When Sparks Fly --- 12. Mind Games I --- 13. Mind Games II

This cartoon was awesome, especially for a show that utilizes so much computer-generated imagery skillfully combined with traditional hand-drawn animation. "Spider-Man" is everything a reader of the original Marvel Comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko could want - everything they could ever want - on hyper-drive. "Spider-Man" comes to us from comic book artist Brian Michael Bendis, who has received some pretty strong accolades for his work on Marvel's recent "Ultimate Spider-Man" title.

As a reader of Spider-Man comic books, the new animated series "Spider-Man" features one adrenalin-charged action sequence after the other, and then slows down to focus on the characters and their personal matters, which is what the original Spider-Man comics did to completely change the game after the character made his debut in "Amazing Fantasy #15" in 1962. And this show also features one of the best electronic soundtracks I've ever heard for a cartoon (too bad it's not for sale anywhere).

As we find in this series, which is more or less a follow-up to "Spider-Man" (2002), Peter Parker (Neil Patrick Harris) is now a promising student at Empire State University, together with gorgeous, on/off would-be girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Lisa Loeb) and rich-boy best pal Harry Osborn (Ian Ziering). Peter divides his time between hitting the books as Everyman Peter Parker and hitting the streets as New York City's favorite wall-crawling vigilante superhero Spider-Man.

In "Spider-Man," a slew of familiar characters get brilliant, hyper-stylized makeovers, including Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard and Electro, plus some new villains including a Japanese samurai swords-woman, a trio of high-tech ex-KGB terrorists, and a Robin Hood-esquire would-be costumed crime-fighter.

And "Spider-Man" also features some pretty high-priced voice talent, including Michael Clarke Duncan (who played The Kingpin in 2003's "Daredevil"), Ethan Embry, Eve, Gina Gershon, and comedienne Kathy Griffin. This show is something that comic fans have been waiting for, since the animated series that aired in 1994 is no longer in production. This "Spider-Man" has been on hiatus for four years now; when's he coming back?!?

10/10