Spider-Man (2002) Reviews

• Iconic, Electrifying, Classy, Vibrant, and Emotionally Stimulating, Spider-Man Represents the Gold Standard in Superhero Blockbusters

  jaredpahl2016-06-05

  The world of movie superheroes began with Superman, thrived with Batman, and reached its ultimate apex with Spider-Man. 2002's biggest movie event combines the slam bang roller coaster rush of Batman with the heart, sweetness, and aw-shucks sincerity of DC's other titan, into a comic book adaptation that is as close to perfect as any will ever come. A joyous blast of post-9/11 American verve, crafted with class and a keen eye for storytelling, Sam Raimi's 2002 mega-hit is a once-in-a-lifetime, generation defining summer blockbuster, and in the eyes of this Generation Spider-Man-er, it's still the gold standard in superhero cinema. Spider-Man takes most of its cues from 1978's Superman: The Movie. Peter Parker's journey from unassuming geek to high-flying hero mimics the Man of Steel's in story and tone. The colorful comic spirit of Richard Donner's gleefully exciting original is all here, just Marvel-fied. Raimi and screenwriter David Koepp approach Spider-Man's origin with reverence for Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's original story. Koepp's script hits all the beats you'd expect (Spider bite, wrestling match, great power, and all that), but it also includes, unexpectedly, an intelligent, eloquent emotional foundation. Raimi and Koepp understand who Peter Parker is, and how his transformation into Spider-Man can metaphorically parallel his development as a character. In being confronted by new and strange spider powers, Peter is also confronted by the responsibilities of manhood. Koepp takes Stan Lee's best idea (That Peter Parker should grapple equally between supervillains and everyday problems), and pushes it to its logical max. Peter's infatuation with girl-next-door, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) is given equal importance to his struggle with Norman Osborne's manic alter ego, the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). The result is pretty well timeless. The quintessential Spider-Man story. A coming of age tale that gracefully weaves together every important aspect of the wall-crawler's mythos into a grand concoction of pure Spider-Man. Enhancing the story is one of the great casting jobs in motion picture history. First and foremost is Tobey Maguire, who was a revelation as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man. Like Christopher Reeve before him, Maguire completely defines the role. His Parker is a good kid; shy, dorky, and believably square. He radiates with innocence and later, teenage anxiety. As Spider-Man, he's delightfully charismatic. Lively, but never annoyingly brash in the way other Spideys have been. In the costume or not, every subsequent Spidey will live in his shadow. Maguire's casting was a stroke of genius, but it was no anomaly. Kirsten Dunst is a luminous MJ, and she and Peter's romance sparkles with charm. Willem Dafoe relishes his Green Goblin role, with a voice and presence that burn with comic book intensity. And the perfection doesn't stop there. The colorful supporting cast is just plain superb, with a legendary turn from J.K. Simmons as the hard-nosed newspaper man, J. Jonah Jameson, and two measured, twinkle-in-their-eyes performances by Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. But Spider-Man belongs to Sam Raimi. A Spider-Man superfan since childhood, Raimi was destined to bring the web-slinger to life. The offbeat sense of violent fun and jubilant cinematic showmanship that made Evil Dead and Darkman so entertaining is precisely what was needed to bring Spider-Man's New York to dazzling light. And what a creation Raimi's Spider-Verse is! The tone, with a precarious balance of larger-than-life action and textured character moments, never wavers once. Raimi crafts in Spider-Man, a New York where the archetypical comic book mainstays: the cackling villains, the wise-cracking heroes, and the pedestrians who shout to the skies "Look, it's Spider-Man!", fit just as well as the richly drawn human characters. Raimi and the creative team behind the film's production design deserve the highest of praises. There is nothing else that combines style and realism to such astonishing effect. It's as if forty years of comics have been distilled into a real world somewhere alongside our own. Spider-Man is a captivating movie to look at. The action scenes are as fast and fun as the best of Cameron or Spielberg, but Raimi adds his own comic book punch, a kind of visceral razor-sharpness that leaps off the screen. The climactic showdown alone is as brutal, shocking, and frighteningly violent a movie battle as you will ever see. And when Spider-Man swings through the Manhattan skyline, you feel the exhilaration like you're right there with him. Despite a moment or two of spotty CGI from Sony Imageworks, the special effects here are world class too. The digital Spidey moves with a grace and elegance that would have been inconceivable just ten years prior, but digital or not, every time Spider-Man was on screen, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Spider-Man showcases Sam Raimi at his exuberant best. Every frame of this movie is bursting with life. Whether it's the often gripping action scenes or the carefully crafted soap operatic drama, Spider-Man is an enthusiastic piece of crowd-pleasing entertainment, a passionate celebration of the Spider-Man mythos, and above all, a work of unparalleled quality. Blockbusters, especially superhero movies, with their all but guaranteed profits, can often breed lazy filmmaking. Sam Raimi and company fly in the face of that conceit. The filmmakers have taken the time to really craft this film. Wrapped up in all the soaring spectacle is something real; An enchanting love story, a poignant morality tale about becoming the man you will be for the rest of your life. Spider-Man recalls the kind of stand-up-and-cheer excitement that Hollywood has lost in the post Dark Knight/Avengers world of superhero movies. Raimi doesn't try to transcend the genre. Spider-Man is not "more" than a comic book movie, but through sheer craftsmanship, it is as perfect a comic book movie as can be made. I can't imagine that we will ever see the stars align in such a perfect way again. Spider-Man came together exactly as it should have, with exactly the right people, at exactly the right time for the country. Seeing this movie in theaters was an experience I will never forget, and the film still stands as the standard for what superhero blockbusters can be. 95/100

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• Spider-Man (2002) - With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility!

  nickmesafilms2012-05-19

  Considered as one of the most successful superhero movies ever made, "Spider-Man" is a superhero film adaptation of one of Stan Lee's most popular Marvel comics, and becoming one of the first movies to score the highest opening weekend in the box office. There's no wonder, because this is an exciting and enjoyable motion picture. One of my childhood favorites, to be exact! This movie tells the origin story of Peter Parker, or Spider-Man, portrayed by Tobey Maguire, whom after being bit by a radioactive spider, he has gained extraordinary powers to climb walls, shoot web, and beat bad guys. But all that must be put to the test when Parker has to defeat one of the first villains of the Spider-Man universe, the Green Goblin, portrayed by Willem Dafoe. Although Maguire is somewhat bland in a few of his movies, I respected that he fit the role of Peter Parker perfectly, playing a shy kid, with no powers to either beat the bad guy or win the girl. Although given some of the corniest lines of dialouge in this movie, Kirsten Dunst makes an adorable portrayal as Mary Jane Watson, while giving a great chemistry with her co-star. But, Willem Dafoe seems a little miscast playing the deadly Green Goblin, feeling more like he's suitable for drama, instead of action. Rosemary Harris, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, and J.K. Simmons, round up the supporting cast, bringing some memorable performances on-screen, especially Simmons, who steals every scene he's in as J. Jonah Jameson, the angry editor chief of the Daily Bugle. There are few corny and goofy moments from here and there, but that doesn't stop the exciting momentum that this movie brings. Filled with impressive visual effects and a wonderful music score by Danny Elfman, director Sam Raimi perfectly stays true to the original Spider-Man concept, and delivers plenty of exciting action sequences that are both fun to watch, and stay true to the plot. Behind "The Dark Knight" and "The Avengers", "Spider-Man" is probably my third favorite superhero movie. I can watch this movie over and over again, and it's still a fun time. I was easily impressed with this movie, and it never disappoints to entertain. Everyone will find something to enjoy for sure. "Spider-Man", in my review, "a refreshing story, and exciting action".

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• A really great comic book adaptation

  MaxBorg892005-10-08

  "With great power comes great responsibility".These words, spoken by Peter Parker's uncle Ben(Cliff Robertson)during their last conversation and which have become Spider-Man's motto, also perfectly represent the challenge Sam Raimi was facing when asked to bring one of America's most loved superheroes to the screen. You can relax, fellas: Raimi's movie is definitely worth a look.Loosely based on the origin story and the Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. run, it's a fascinating mix of spectacular action and powerful drama, as it chronicles Peter Parker's(Tobey Maguire) transformation into a superhuman and the responsibilities deriving from said metamorphosis: while fighting crime to avenge his uncle's death, he also has to deal with his feelings for Mary Jane Watson(Kirsten Dunst) and his friendship with Harry Osborn(James Franco); add Harry's father Norman(Willem Dafoe), who's become schizophrenic psycho Green Goblin, and you've got a quite complicated situation. Raimi's excellent at showing us the hero's pain, as well as the one he causes to others, and he gets terrific performances from the entire cast, particularly Maguire, Dafoe and Robertson. On its own, it's a very good superhero flick, alongside the sequel, it's an absolute masterpiece. Recommended even if you don't care about the comics.

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• Amazing!

  sdjones-12002-05-02

  I thoroughly enjoyed "Spider-Man," which I saw in a screening. I thought the movie was very engrossing. Director Sam Raimi kept the action quotient high, but also emphasized the human element of the story. Tobey Maguire was very believable as the gawky teenager in the early part of the film and then, after his run-in with the radioactive, genetically engineered spider, as the athletic, acrobatic superhero of the title. His boyish glee at discovering his new superpowers was infectious and got a lot of laughs. I also didn't mind the changes to the "Peter Parker: The Amazing Spider-Man" comic book story that the film's writers made, e.g., having Spider-Man's web come out of glands in his wrists rather than being an invention of Peter Parker's. Especially good were Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson as Aunt May and Uncle Ben Parker, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin, James Franco as Harry Osborn, and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. And in a small but memorable role, J.K. Simmons ("Oz," Law & Order") as newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson was hilarious. Perfect casting. I also thought the special effects were very good. Although I could easily tell when Spidey was a computer-generated image (or a stunt double for that matter), it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie. However, I saw the movie with a six-year-old, who found the villainous Green Goblin -- superbly personified by Willem Dafoe -- very, very frightening, so I would advise against taking children younger than 10 years of age to this movie. "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic book was a childhood favorite of mine, and I can honestly say that Sam Raimi has done it justice! I'm going to go see this movie again (sans terrified six-year-old).

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• Amazingly Spectacularly Great

  to_kill_better2002-06-26

  Having seen the trailers for this film I have to say that I didn't walk into the cinema with high hopes. The computer effects looked badly integrated, the Green Goblin's costume looked awful and comic book adaptations usually have such painful scripting and plotting. Thankfully I was wrong on most counts (The Goblin still looks rubbish). As it turns out, this is probably the best super-hero film I've yet seen - certainly up there with Superman and Batman. People seem to automatically comment that the script and acting was bad because they expect it to be the case in these films; and indeed it usually is. But if you go into Spider-man without this prejudicial attitude you'll be pleasently suprised. The acting is generally great - there is never a time when anyone is not believable as their character and you think "Hey, that's an actor, not Peter Parker". The effects do look artificial but the pace of the movie means you don't have time to dwell on this and the script is fine! What do people want, Shakespearian soliloquies? That would sound incredibly out-of-place in modern day New York. There are few of the painful cliches or dreadful dialogue that plague films like The Phantom Menace and the catchphrases like "friendly neighbourhood spider-man" are fully in-keeping with the character. The comic turns from J.J. Jameson hit the mark, the snarling facial contortions of Willem Defoe were suitably evil-looking (and the conversation with his mirror-image was a great touch). My only gripe was with the Green Goblin's costume. Very monotone green and not very scary. All-in-all a great film that I wouldn't hesitate for a second in recommending.

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