Raimi has transformed cult genius into mainstream dependability.
He’s jettisoned a lot of style in the process, but A Simple Plan is such a
superbly sturdy, John Huston-ish piece of work that the broadening of
his repertoire can only be called a good thing (except when it meant
directing a Kevin Costner baseball movie). Spiderman, in any case,
will give him the chance to get back to a comic-book sensibility on a
much, much bigger budget. He’s mastered it already: the Evil Dead films
remain endlessly appealing for their sheer energy and gory invention,
while the massively under-appreciated Darkman is right up there with
the best of Tim Burton.
