Back in 2002, Spider-Man ushered in the new wave of the summer movie season. Before Spider-Man, summer releases usually didn’t hit until June but that particular film turned May into the new blockbuster destination. When it opened on May 3, 2002, it became the first film to open to $100 million ($114.8 million to be exact). By the time it was all said and done the film grossed $821.7 million worldwide and with that, a new franchise was born.
Marvel had hits with Blade in 1998 and X-Men in 2000 but Spider-Man was a totally different beast. Of all Marvel’s titles, Spider-Man probably has the most name recognition, due in no small part to the late ’60s animated TV series that became a staple in syndication. There have been other Spider-Man TV cartoons, and even an ill-advised foray into live-action television, but the first series is probably the one best remembered by fans and casual viewers alike. Crude as the animation may have been, nostalgia allows it to hold a firm place in cartoon history. A major motion picture adaptation had long been a pet project of Spidey’s creator, Stan Lee (who, along with illustrator Steve Ditko, gave birth to the web-crawler in 1962). In the ’90s, James Cameron spent years developing the project, but eventually gave up when legal issues held up production indefinitely. Eventually, those tangles were loosened and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi was brought on board.
Spider-Man would end being one of (if not the best) movie of the summer of 2002. It effortlessly brought the character to life in remarkable ways and also told a human story that was instantly relatable. This would be played even more effectively in Spider-Man 2 but the character struggles of Peter Parker and his growth into a hero who is trying to balance a normal life is the main reason the film works. The best superhero movies also tell a story that is easy to relate to and the growing pains of being a teenager headed into young adulthood is something that any viewer can grasp.
The movie starts by introducing us to nerdy high school senior Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), who is one of the least cool kids in school. He’s shy and smart, and the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), doesn’t know he exists, even though he has lived next door to her for more than 10 years. Peter’s best friend is Harry Osborn (James Franco), the underachieving son of the rich and arrogant scientist Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe). Peter lives with his uncle, Ben (Cliff Robertson), and aunt, May (Rosemary Harris), who is like a father and mother to him. Things change rapidly for Peter when, while visiting a lab at Columbia University, he is bitten by a genetically altered spider.
Things change rapidly for Peter when, while visiting a lab at Columbia University, he is bitten by a genetically altered spider. Overnight, Peter gains arachnid powers – a sixth sense, the ability to climb walls, unnatural strength and endurance, amazing agility, and glands on his wrist that allow him to spin webs. Eventually, Peter is forced to make a choice between hiding his abilities and using them for personal gain or coming into the open and helping humanity. After choosing the latter and donning the red-and-blue costume, Peter Parker gives way to Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Spidey’s first arch-rival is also in the making, as Norman Osborn’s scientific experimentation gives him equal parts superhuman strength and madness, and his access to the latest technology allows him to don a horrific metal suit and ride a one-man jet-propelled glider. After his first public appearance, at which he wreaks mayhem, the press dubs him The Green Goblin.
Upon re-watching Spider-Man again, the film’s first hour is a lot better than its second. The film is solid as a whole but watching Peter learn to use is powers for the first time proves to be more interesting than the main struggle with the central villain. The latter half of the film is more action-oriented and features an excessive reliance upon special effects. The CGI work is not clumsily done, but it is evident when the movie switches from live actors to computer-generated ones. Peter Parker has a lot of appeal and emotional depth. Those qualities do not always remain in force once he’s under his mask.
Although it is first and foremost an action/adventure film, Spider-Man is many other things, as well. There’s a fairly high romance quotient – after all, many of Peter’s motivations are centered around his affection for Mary Jane. These two make a cute couple, but the better part of their love story was still to come (although their kiss, with Spider-Man hanging upside down as they lock lips, is memorable). I will say the spark is stronger between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-Man but the chemistry between Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst works well enough to sell their budding relationship. Spider-Man also offers occasional doses of morality, the biggest one coming from Uncle Ben’s words of warning to Peter: “With great power comes great responsibility.” In the comic book, that phrase became Spider-Man’s credo.
Sam Raimi was an inspired choice to direct the film. I don’t think many thought he was wholly capable of handling the material but, even in 2002, I kept mentioning his highly underrated Darkman. That film showed he could handle superhero action and with a bigger budget to work with, he fully honed his craft as an action movie director. He avoids an overabundance of trickery but chooses his shots in a way that often gives us the sense of being on a journey with Spider-Man, rather than standing to the side as detached observers.
The actors are most capable in their roles although one casting choice still baffles me. Tobey Maguire exhibits enough likability and nerdy charm to make his Peter Parker work. He handles the transition from gawky nerd into would be hero with the greatest of ease. As Mary Jane, the casting of Kirsten Dunst has always confused me. She isn’t terrible and she has chemistry with Maguire but this isn’t the Mary Jane I envisioned leaping from the comic book. It could just be a personal preference but I’ve never understood it. An equally confusing casting choice, but one that ultimately works, is James Franco as Harry Osborn. Again, not what I would envision coming from the pages, but Franco is quite good in the role and he would show even more growth in Spider-Man 2. Wilhem Dafoe is adequate in his villainous turn as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin but I always got the sense that more could’ve been done with his role. He doesn’t go down as the worst villain in comic book films but any means but the character is so important in the comic book and I never felt you got that importance here. Dafoe is naturally chilling and that makes him a capable villain but I always felt like more could’ve been done.
All these years later, Spider-Man still holds up. It may have seemed like it would be impossible to bring him to the big screen but Sam Raimi and company did so in a big way. The film is still fun and a source of solid entertainment that has continued to leave its mark on the comic book movie genre.
Reel Talk gives Spider-Man 3.5 Reels
