Scott's World -- UPI Arts & Entertainment

HOLLYWOOD, May 8 (UPI) -- Never in movie history has a motion picture enjoyed greater impact at the box office than this week's opening of "Spider-Man."

This mega-hit from Sony is likely to become the biggest financial accomplishment in the annals of entertainment, including Academy Award-winners.

"Spider-Man," while generally well reviewed, makes industry reporters reach for superlatives for its enormous appeal to filmgoers.

The anatomy of this stellar phenomenon is a compound of many elements beginning, naturally enough, with a sound script, which includes the tender love story of a couple of innocents.

The lovers-to-be are surrounded by fantasy, peril, violent and thrilling action, dramatic plot turns, colorful wardrobe, a worthwhile adversary and a moral lesson.

Moreover, "Spider-Man" has something for almost everybody: a refreshing cast of fresh young, relatively new faces, superlative special effects and character growth in its youthful hero.

It is based on a pre-sold character straight out of the comic books with an endearing nickname, Spidey, who rivals "Superman" and "Batman" as a champion of mankind against evil-doers.

"Spider-Man" was directed by a seasoned veteran who knows and employs all the tricks of the trade, and then some: Sam Raimi.

Written by Stan Lee, a comic book icon, and Steve Ditko, the script logically follows an illogical series of events that gives audiences a delightful opportunity to suspend disbelief.

Spidey actually is nebbish high school boy Peter Parker, who is bitten by a genetically modified spider and gains some agility and other physical characteristics hitherto the province of arachnids and other creepy-crawlies.

Perhaps as responsible for "Spider-Man's" astonishing success as the composite creative components is the "campaign" given the picture by Sony's publicity and marketing specialists.

It has had a saturation-advertising blitz worthy of "Gone With The Wind" and "Jurassic Park" combined -- and without Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, to say nothing of a passel of dinosaurs.

Newspapers commonly printed full-color ads for "Spider-Man" in double-truck format that could not fail to attract the attention of readers of every age.

It was plugged on television across the board and in periodicals for weeks prior to its release last Friday.

Perhaps the most brilliant Sony caper was opening the action/adventure thriller in an eye-popping 3,614 theaters.

Its success is partly attributable to the fact there were few quality films showing when it was released, save perhaps "The Rookie" and "Ice Age," which are not in the same class.

No wonder, "Spider-Man" was ranked No.16 in box-office ratings for the entire year after its opening weekend in theaters. No previous film came close to its record $114.8 million in its first three days.

All the same, if "Spider-Man" had been a mediocre movie all the hype, the number of the theaters and its other accomplishments would have been for naught.

But for its genre "Spider-Man" is an amazingly entertaining, exciting and poignant movie that deserves its public response.

Director Raimi's choice of cast was superb, which may be the salient quotient of the complex collaborative admixture that constitutes the art of moviemaking.

Raimi chose two young but seasoned performers of proven merit, yet who were not over-used, over-publicized veterans with whom audiences were overly familiar.

The hero and title figure "Spider-Man" is splendidly played by Tobey Maguire, 27, an unconventional-looking actor who could not be compared with say, Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power of the past.

No swashbuckler he. Indeed, Maguire is best known for his roles as a sensitive young geek in "Cider House Rules" (1999) and a variety of characters in seven or eight other films, including "Pleasantville" (1998) and "Wonder Boys" (2000).

He also worked in a dozen TV movies, gaining invaluable experience without "using up his face" as they say in Tinseltown.

Always an effective actor, Maguire attains superstardom in "Spider-Man," along with a $4 million salary.

Should he continue to play "Spider-Man" in this obvious new golden franchise, Maguire will earn $26 million for the scheduled two sequels.

His co-star, Kirsten (pronounced "Keersten) Dunst, 20, is somewhat more publicized than Maguire because she is a sexy-looking blonde beauty who recently starred in "The Cat's Meow" playing Marion Davies.

A former model who has acted since she was five years old, Dunst has worked in some 35 feature films and TV movies, but has retained a fresh-scrubbed youthfulness.

Together, Maguire and Dunst make a remarkably believable romantic duo, providing a Romeo and Juliet element to "Spider-Man" that would not have been possible with, say, Russell Crowe and Julia Roberts.

The refreshing casting of Maguire and Dunst gives "Spider-Man" a special urgency and sweet naiveté that enhances the physical derring-do enormously.

They are more compelling than older actors playing Clark Kent and Lois Lane in "Superman" films, providing special interest for "Spider-Man's" teenage fans who will see the film again and again.