Like "The Incredible Hulk", "Spider Man" (played here by Nicholas Hammond) was another in the superhero stable that entertained legions of fans (adults too) in the late seventies, myself included. My review here refers to the pilot in which mild mannered Peter Parker inherits the senses and agility of a spider, after coming into contact with radioactive waves during an arachnid experiment. His boss at the local rag (David White, post-Larry Tate on "Bewitched") is eager for him to cover the story of how seemingly random citizens are suiciding, which leads both Parker and his alter ego to discover an elaborate mind control plot involving the evil Edward Byron (Thayer David) whereby he commits crimes vicariously through his hypnotised victims.
What distinguishes the pilot from its peers, in my opinion is the cast - Mike Pataki and Bob Hastings as the cops, Jeff Donnell as Aunt Parker, Len Lesser (future uncle Leo on "Seinfeld"), Ivor Francis and Harry Caesar. Lisa Eilbacher is so-so as the love interest in a role not too distant from her signature performance in "Beverly Hills Cop". It's definitely young adolescent material, but even as an adult, I found plenty of drama, action and light comedy to enjoy.
Less pretentious than the recent remakes, I'm still a little confounded as to why the three feature-length titles (the other two are "Spider Man Strikes Back" and "The Dragon's Challenge") haven't been re-distributed for DVD, to enjoy some residual popularity (and just plain ride the coat-tails of the Raimi success wagon). Anyway, probably still available on VHS, so if you're spider mad or just curious about this now 'ancient predecessor', it shouldn't disappoint.
What distinguishes the pilot from its peers, in my opinion is the cast - Mike Pataki and Bob Hastings as the cops, Jeff Donnell as Aunt Parker, Len Lesser (future uncle Leo on "Seinfeld"), Ivor Francis and Harry Caesar. Lisa Eilbacher is so-so as the love interest in a role not too distant from her signature performance in "Beverly Hills Cop". It's definitely young adolescent material, but even as an adult, I found plenty of drama, action and light comedy to enjoy.
Less pretentious than the recent remakes, I'm still a little confounded as to why the three feature-length titles (the other two are "Spider Man Strikes Back" and "The Dragon's Challenge") haven't been re-distributed for DVD, to enjoy some residual popularity (and just plain ride the coat-tails of the Raimi success wagon). Anyway, probably still available on VHS, so if you're spider mad or just curious about this now 'ancient predecessor', it shouldn't disappoint.