Spider-Man (2002): When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family.
In preparation for Spider-Man 3 I am going to re-watch the previous movies. This first installment was the first successful adaptation of Spider-Man on the big screen.
Spider-Man was never my favorite superhero, but I did read his comics and watch the cartoons, so I can be considered a fan. I’d been hearing about all the failed attempt at Spidey, so when Sam Raimi came on board and things started to go smoothly I was excited.
This first movie tells the origins of SM which are very much in spirit with the original Stan Lee tale. Peter really is a nerd, he looks like a nerd and behaves like one. He can’t talk to MJ and is interested in science. I think Tobey McGuire does a perfect job with Peter the nerd, but he also conveys the excitement of Peter’s discovery of his powers.
I liked that the spider that bites Peter has the same colors as his costume. Speaking of which, I think the costume works very well. It does not have the same tone but the colors are the same, they’re just a little bit darker, which works well in the real world.
The powers are explained a bit more scientifically, including the mini hooks on his hands. The organic web shooters didn’t bother me as other comics fans. Raimi had his reasons not believing a poor teenager could invent such incredibly powerful webs on his own. I also think that it saved time in explaining and showing Peter coming up with these webs.
Watching SM swinging through NY was a blast, it really conveyed the excitement and fun Peter was having. Watching a bit more carefully it can be seen that it is a CGI character, but it didn’t really bother me. All I care about is that it gives me the thrills it’s supposed to deliver.
The villain of this story is brilliant. William Dafoe does an incredible job as the conflicted Norman Osborn. I believe that he is a good man who worked hard his entire life and was afraid of being robbed of his own company. Once he takes his serum he becomes the Green Goblin, but the GG was always a part of him. The serum simply accentuated that personality and brought it at the front. I am not too fond of the GG armor, but I guess it works better than the green and purple leotard costume of the comics.
I didn’t have as much problems with MJ as others, I thought she was ok and at least looked pretty. Harry was good character, though he had a very small role here. But I don’t understand why he would be friends with Peter. Aunt May and Uncle Ben were the wise and parental figures and they did a good job at it.
One problem I had were the dialogs in costume. In particular there is a scene on a rooftop where GG is talking to SM, and they’re both in costume so we cannot see their faces. That scene just didn’t look right. I think if SM’s jaw were moving it would have been better, I don’t understand why it never moves. Maybe there was something else underneath the mask.
I like the final battle at the cemetery, it really felt epic. The final scene at the funeral was heartbreaking, with Peter having to reject MJ in order to protect her, and maybe MJ realizing that Peter is SM.
Overall I wasn’t disappointed by this movie, it delivered on all accounts. It’s just that SM does not excite me as much as other characters.
Rating: 3 Stars