Spider-Man Release Date: May 3, 2002 Studio: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment Screenplay by: David Koep Directed by: Sam Raimi Music by: Danny Elfman Starring: Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin,
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, James Franco as Harry Osborn, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson,
Rosemary Harris as Aunt May, Cliff Robertson as Robbie Robertson, Randy Poffo as 'Bonesaw' McGraw,
Bill Nunn as Robbie Robertson
Description: Average teenager Peter Parker is transformed into an extraordinary super hero after he is accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider. When his beloved uncle is savagely murdered during a robbery, young Peter vows to use his powers to avenge his death. Deeming himself "Spider-Man," he sets about ridding the streets of crime, bringing him into conflict with malevolent super-villain "Green Goblin."
Spider-Man Review and Media Stu and Jim Harvey
In the summer of 2002, Columbia released Spider-Man. Directed by Sam
Raimi the film went on to become one of the most profitable and popular films of all time. And it's quite simple to see why. After a string of comic book films which ranged from good, like Superman: The Movie,
mediocre, like Batman and downright terrible, like Steel, Spider-Man was a welcome change from both
comic book films and action movies in general, and has since become the film most are frequently compared to.
The film tells the story of teenager Peter Parker, who was bitten by a radioactive spider, and gain the proportional
strength of a spider. Portrayed by Tobey Maguire (The Cider House Rules) the plot revolves around him learning that with
great power comes great responsibility, and fighting crime as Spider-Man.
Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), Peter's romantic interest, is slightly changed from her comic book alter ego, and is now the girl next door with whom our hero is madly in love with. In a rare twist for an action film, the villain doesn't feel the same, but his son; Harry Osborn (James Franco) does, which created an interesting triangle between the three of them. Whilst it's true that
Franco is a little wooden in the role, and Dunst is a little off here and there, they were treated to better development than
most supporting characters.
The character interaction was one of the best parts of the film. There was superb chemistry between all the characters.
Sure, there was the occasional cheesy line, as with all films, and some of them are great
("BONNEEESSAAWWW IS RRRREEEAAADDDYYYY!") It's no secret that the script is not the film's greatest asset. A fine
example of this would be the villain of the piece, The Green Goblin. Some corny lines are saved by an outstanding
performance from Willem Dafoe. His voice, body language and general presence more than made up for a really, really
stupid costume. He’s been accused of being a little on the camp side, but I disagree. I thought he absolutely nailed
The Green Goblin.
It's obvious the crew set out to tell a story rather than an action scene. There were a number of touching moments,
including Uncle Ben's death, and Peter and Aunt May talking after his funeral, along with that somewhat heartbreaking moment with Peter telling Mary Jane they can't be
together in the movie's final scene. There were a few extra attempts at heart-tugging scenes - Harry and Peter's conversation about Norman Osborn, or Aunt May telling Peter about when he first met Mary Jane - but those ultimately fall short. The odd weak scene aside, Spider-Man features some rather brilliant performances. Norman Osborn's mirror scene is a textbook
example, and practically all of J. Jonah Jameson's scenes were down right priceless. I could spend hours quoting
them, they are that good.
The fact it wasn't afraid to remain faithful to the original comics works in favour of the film, without a doubt.
There's the odd bit that doesn't follow the books - the organic web shooters, the car jacking, even Mary Jane acting more
like Gwen Stacey - but the movie remains a faithful adaptation of the source material. The characters are true, their actions are true, all of it feels like something I would've read when picking up a Spider-Man comic. I was never a
fan of movies that attempted to "improve" or needlessly modernise the comics. Superman: The Movie is still a fine example of
how to do a comic book movie, and if you read any interview with Richard Donner, you can tell he loved the Superman
character. Director Sam Raimi, and the film's creative team, seem to have the same love, and it certainly does show up on screen.
Even if you have a vague or passing interest in Spider-Man, this movie will hit all the beats you're familair with, but humanizes it all in a way that it feels like it matters. That it should be told. And seeing it in live-action (which by no means is a replacement for the comics or animated shows) really does make these comics feel, well, real. We're finally getting Spidey done right, on the big screen. And Spidey's story of "with great power comes great responsibility" seems more important than ever, and it was great seeing it done in live -ction.
While it's true that Spider-Man 2 perfects the Spider-Man movie formula, and is superior to Spider-Man almost every way, this is where it all starts. And watching this film, even if you know his story, matters. You want to see where the start of Spider-Man's movie career? Here you go ... and it's a heckuva spin.
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