Rated PG-13 (Stylized Violence and Action)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 1 Minute
Cast-
Tobey Maguire-Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Willem Dafoe-Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
Kirsten Dunst-Mary Jane Watson
James Franco-Harry Osborn
Rosemary Harris-May Parker
Cliff Robertson-Ben Parker
J.K. Simmons-J. Jonah Jameson
Bill Nunn-Joe 'Robbie' Robertson
Elizabeth Banks-Betty Brant
Joe Manganiello-Eugene 'Flash' Thompson
Gerry Becker-Maximilian Fargas
Jack Betts-Henry Balkan
Stanley Anderson-General Slocum
Ron Perkins-Dr. Mendell Stromm
Ted Raimi-Hoffman
Randy Savage-Bone Saw McGraw
Michael Papajohn-The Carjacker
Bruce Campbell-Ring Announcer
Bruce Campbell-Ring Announcer
Directed by Sam Raimi
 |
| Mary Jane: Is it just me or are you happy to see me, Spidey? |
Note: Part of the "Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.
When it comes to comic book movies, there's certainly no short supply, with two high profile ones scheduled for this year: the highly anticipated "Watchmen," based upon the celebrated graphic novel of the same name, and the X-Men spin-off "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," with Hugh Jackman reprising his role as the titular character. The most successful comic book movie franchise (so far) is Columbia Pictures/Sony's "Spider-Man" trilogy, based on the famous Marvel character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962. One of the most popular comic book characters of all time, Marvel had long sought to do a film adaptation of Spider-Man but the project was stuck in development hell for over twenty-five years. Production finally went underway in 2000, with the film being released on May 3, 2002 to critical and commercial success. I must admit, I was blown away when I first saw it in theaters and must've watched it over a hundred times when it came out on DVD, with all the dialogue firmly ingrained in my mind. The upside-down kiss scene quickly became a pop culture phenomenon. The simply titled "Spider-Man" is now available on Blu-Ray, courtesy of the "Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy" box set.
When it comes to comic book movies, there's certainly no short supply, with two high profile ones scheduled for this year: the highly anticipated "Watchmen," based upon the celebrated graphic novel of the same name, and the X-Men spin-off "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," with Hugh Jackman reprising his role as the titular character. The most successful comic book movie franchise (so far) is Columbia Pictures/Sony's "Spider-Man" trilogy, based on the famous Marvel character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962. One of the most popular comic book characters of all time, Marvel had long sought to do a film adaptation of Spider-Man but the project was stuck in development hell for over twenty-five years. Production finally went underway in 2000, with the film being released on May 3, 2002 to critical and commercial success. I must admit, I was blown away when I first saw it in theaters and must've watched it over a hundred times when it came out on DVD, with all the dialogue firmly ingrained in my mind. The upside-down kiss scene quickly became a pop culture phenomenon. The simply titled "Spider-Man" is now available on Blu-Ray, courtesy of the "Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy" box set.
"Spider-Man" tells the story of
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), who lives with his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and
Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) in Forest Hills, Queens. Despite being your average
everyday teenager, his peers often bully him due to his strong interest in
science. Peter's best friend is Harry Osborn (James Franco), son of wealthy
scientist/industrialist Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), who owns the company
Oscorp. His next door neighbor is the beautiful Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten
Dunst), whom he secretly pines for. While on a school field trip to Columbia
University, Peter is suddenly bitten by a genetically altered spider (it was a
radioactive spider in the comics) and wakes up the next day to find that he has
20/20 vision and a suddenly athletic physique. He soon realizes that the spider-bite
has given him the proportionate speed, strength, and agility of a spider and
attempts to use his new abilities for his own personal gain by entering a local
wrestling contest. Peter easily wins but is cheated out of the prize money. A
thief (Michael Papajohn) later steals all of the promoter's money and in
retaliation, Peter allows him to escape. However, that same thief murders his
beloved Uncle Ben. Peter realizes he could've stopped the thief if he chose to,
making him indirectly responsible. Remembering his Uncle's words that 'with
great power comes great responsibility,' Peter becomes the costumed crime
fighter known as 'The Amazing Spider-Man'! Meanwhile, Norman Osborn has begun
experimenting on himself through a pseudo-super soldier serum but everything
goes horribly wrong (as they always do!) and becomes the maniacal 'Green Goblin,'
who begins to threaten everything that Peter holds dear.
"Spider-Man" is one of the most
faithful comic book film adaptations I've ever had the pleasure to see and the
first hour successfully captures Peter coming to terms with the fact that he
now has super powers (a metaphor for puberty) in both a serious and humorous
tone (the scene where he attempts to shoot webbing is hilarious!). The second
hour is somewhat derivative and moves at a somewhat rushed pace to lead into
the final battle but nonetheless, "Spider-Man" still ranks as one of
the best comic book movies ever made. There are some changes from the source
material and the most controversial is having the spider-bite grant Peter the
ability to shoot webbing organically from his wrists rather than having him invent
mechanical web-shooters. Director Sam Raimi said that having Peter make his own
web-shooters would've stretched the audiences’ suspension of disbelief too much
despite it being a longtime staple of the comic book. Though it irked some
fans, the change was more or less accepted. Perhaps the most criticized element
of the film was the Green Goblin's costume, which resembled cybernetic armor
but fans focused their complaints on the mask, which has a frozen, permanent
grin that severely limited Willem Dafoe's expression. While the armor itself is
well-designed, I agree with the fans' complaints about the mask. A 100%
adaptation of his costume from the comics would've looked silly on-screen but a
reasonable alternative could've been the 'medieval chainmail armor' that Osborn
wore in Peter Parker: Spider-Man.
Overall, these are minor issues at best and despite the second hour not being
as good as the first, Raimi's passion for the character allows "Spider-Man"
to shine even after seven years later.
The performances surprised everyone and
while the initial casting of Tobey Maguire was met with skepticism, critics and
audiences alike quickly embraced him and it’s hard to think of anyone else in
the role. Willem Dafoe as the malevolent Green Goblin is also excellent and the
scene where he begins to talk to himself in front of a large mirror perfectly
captures the character's emerging insanity. Likewise, Kirsten Dunst is good as
'the girl next door' (love that red hair!). The only actor that felt bland was
James Franco as Harry Osborn, with the actor delivering a flat performance and
making the strained father-son relationship not as strong. Even though he's not
on-screen much, J.K. Simmons steals every scene as Peter's boss, J. Jonah
Jameson. Despite being released in 2002, the CGI holds up rather well, and
you'll be wide-eyed with wonder as Spidey swings across the screen through
the urban jungle that is Manhattan. Some of the CG is a bit obvious and
overused but it doesn't detract from the experience. The final battle is
particularly brutal and I was surprised Raimi got away with so much with a PG-13
rating.
Critical reception was overwhelmingly
positive when "Spider-Man" finally swung into theaters on May 3,
2002, with an amazing (pun absolutely intended!) 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics hailed it for not only providing 'a good dose of web-swinging fun [but]
also…heart, thanks to the combined charms of director Sam Raimi and star Tobey
Maguire.' The film grossed a whopping $114.8 million over opening weekend,
which was an unprecedented record at the time, and went on to gross $403.7
million domestic and $821.7 million worldwide. It is currently the second highest
grossing comic book film, surpassed by "The Dark Knight." Released
back in October 2007, the Blu-Ray is somewhat of a mixed affair. The video
quality is excellent during close-ups but background details can come off a
little fuzzy. It still offers quite an improvement from the DVD version.
Fortunately, the sound quality doesn't suffer from any problems, thanks to the
sharp score by Danny Elfman and the appropriately loud action scenes, befitting
a summer blockbuster. Sadly, there are no special features included; it's just
the movie itself on a single BD-50 disc. It doesn't matter though because this
is pure comic book movie goodness. If you're a lifelong fan like me, you owe it
to yourself to experience "Spider-Man" again and go for the ultimate
spin!
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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