Asking Danny Elfman to write the music was perhaps the least inspired choice in the sense that he has been tried and tested, but of course it makes perfect sense. Curiously, reaction has been mixed. The number of reviews decrying either the lack of a decent theme (not really true) or of it being just like all other Elfman (it's called style) have been plentiful, but for me, Spider-Man is a resounding success. The main theme isn't, to be fair, the most memorable in the world although it is presented frequently enough that after a few listens, it becomes more obvious throughout the album. It's not a linear melody like Batman and is considerably less heroic, I guess you could call it more stoic really. It even converts well to a love theme as well, indeed the more thoughtful moments stand well against the more exciting parts - a balance that didn't work so well for his Planet of the Apes score.
Of course this is a superhero film, so some measure of excitement is a requirement. The best of these are the second part of Revenge, Parade Attack and the lengthy Final Confrontation. Revenge, as the title suggests, is somewhat more personally motivated than the others and the music is quite chaotic; the anger is quite startling at times. Parade Attack and Final Confrontation are both exciting, but still intense and multi-layered. The main theme isn't really suited to brief glimpses for when something heroic is happening, but Elfman still manages to suggest it from time to time, but it's less declamatory style isn't as obvious. This has the advantage of the main theme never sounding overused.
Other notable mentions go to the unfortunately brief Costume Montage which works in an electric guitar or two, (unlike Attack of the Clones) to great effect. The Farewell builds to a terrific finale in true Elfman style and the album completes with the brief End Credits (followed in the film by the obligatory pop songs). The re-listen value is high as there's so much to discover. It seems that listeners are not really prepared to grow to like a score, but in this case, you have to listen for the nuances. It doesn't smack you round the head every five seconds with the same thing and confirms Elfman's standing as one of the most interesting composers around.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 45:00