Actually better than I thought it would be...

Apparently a remake of the 1958 film (which I haven't seen), to me, this film has more in common with Cronenberg's 'The Fly'. A mild-mannered, put-upon young guy (played well by Devon Gummersall) is hooked on comic books and also the girl next door. He works as a security guard at a research lab and a fatal incident there leads him to inject himself with a spider serum he believes will give him superpowers in order to ultimately win the girl's heart. Those expecting a fast-paced, action-packed film (like the 'Spider-man' movies) will be sorely disappointed; those who want to see character development and experience pathos for the protagonist as we witness his slow descent into madness (as with 'The Fly') will be rewarded. The effects are quite good (for a TV movie), though the rather pointless inclusion of 'big names' Dan Aykroyd and Theresa Russell detracts.