THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
After the success of X-Men in year of 2000, the superhero genre became the trend that hasn't slowed down. And although The Dark Knight is looked at as the best of the 2000s, you can't ignore the greatness of the first film adaptation of Spider-Man.
PLOT
The 2002 film follows Peter Parker, who is bitten by a radioactive spider at a field trip and gains spider like abilities such as: spider sense, wall crawling and web fluids coming from his body. He uses his powers at a wrestling match to earn some money to get a car, wanting to impress his crush Mary Jane Watson. However on that same day, a mugger attacks his Uncle Ben and after avenging him, he realizes that he must use his powers for good. He gets hired as a freelance photographer for the newspaper tabloid ‘Daily Bugle’ whose publisher J Jonah Jameson thinks he is a menace, not a hero, no mater how many people tell him otherwise. Becoming the superhero his city sees him to be, Peter encounters his first rival known as The Green Goblin, who turns out to be his best friend's father, Norman Osbourne of Oscorp Industries. Norman experimented on himself with an unstable performance enhancing drug that caused his sanity, desperately wanting to secure a military contract. They first fight took place at World’s Unity Festival. There, Spider-Man is able to save MJ’s life from a tragic fall. When the Goblin lures him at the Bugle, he offers the hero to align with him, which he refuses. Peter does save his crush again as his alter ego, only this time it was on a rainy night against muggers. She is so flattered of his actions, she chooses to kiss him. On another day, he fights the Goblin again at a burning building, turning down another offer that leads to getting wounded by him. They both however attend a Thanksgiving dinner that includes Peter's Aunt May, Harry and MJ, the latter two who are dating. But when Norman discovers who Peter is after recognizing his wound, he gets personal the following night attacking May. Harry ends his relationship with MJ when he notices the intimate tension between her and Peter. Norman continues his vendetta against Spider-Man by taking MJ hostage, along with a trolley full of children. Spider-Man is able to save them all but after succeeding, the Goblin continues his attack towards him. Their fight concludes when Norman attempted to kill Parker with his glider but he dodged it and the glider killed him instead. Norman's son Harry vows to avenge his dad by killing Spider-Man when the hero brought his corpse into his home, unaware of what really happened. When MJ confesses her love for Peter, he turns her down in order to keep her safe. As he leaves the funeral, the film ends with our protagonist narrating how he must accept his responsibility.
THOUGHTS
I have been seeing this film since its 2002 theatrical release and after all this time, I can’t get enough of it because that’s how great it is. What makes this film live up to it is that director Sam Raimi knew how special this character was and he found a way to perfect that with the changes he made. This character remains relatable and memorable is that he actually does learn from his mistakes and he is more self aware with his situations. In a way, Tobey Maguire is able to embody Spider-Man and nails both perspectives of Peter Parker, going from shy to brave. In all honesty, I feel like the changes he goes through is an allegory of puberty, from having an immature use of his abilities to being more responsible than he ever thought he’d be. The first time he saves MJ is satisfying because when he leaves and swings in joy, we know that he’s happy because he knows she likes him. So when he kisses for the first time after the second rescue, he knows that the love is real, making the scene more romantic. Even though he had the chance to be with her, he was bold to turn her down because it shows how superheroes have to make such sacrifices. It makes me look up to the character because I don’t see myself making a decision like that Also, seeing him defend himself from Flash Thompson is satisfying, especially for those who don’t like bullies. His overall arc here teaches viewers that sacrifices will always be tough, but will also be worth it in the long run. While Spider-Man is always the main reason to see a movie like this, there is such an interesting array of characters that keep us invested as well as the lead does. James Franco is great as the best friend who wants to be happy, but his distant relationship with his dad diminishes it. He never motivated himself due to the jealousy that Norman favored his best friend over him. With mistaking Spider-Man for murdering him, there is nothing but rage inside of him. Kirsten Dunst is also great as the damsel Mary Jane Watson who wants to be successful in life and is uncertain if she loves Harry or Peter. I liked how she wasn’t impressed of Peter’s actions towards Flash. It wasn’t just because she was dating the bully, but she felt that our protagonist went too far. Speaking of Flash, I gotta give a shout-out to Joe Manganiello as the iconic bully. He portrays him as modern Biff Tannen from Back to the Future, just plain mean. Just phoning that aspect and taking it up another notch, it’s enough to hate him and it works. Willem Dafoe nails every aspect of his role, to the uncertain Norman to the insane Green Goblin. Since the drug he took made him more ruthless, you just feel uch intimidation whenever he glides. While Rosemary Harris delivers on bringing the wise presence of Aunt May, but Cliff Robertson's Uncle Ben is the true mentor to Peter before death. "With great power comes great responsibility" is a great line that will forever be motivating. With that line alone, Peter pushes himself to live up to the maturity any adult should have. As a wrestling fan, it was great seeing Randy Savage play the wrestler Peter beat, Bonesaw. In that same scene, when Bruce Campbell shouts "The Amazing Spider-Man" for the first time, there are such chills because he says it in such a way that nails the comic book vibe. J.K. Simmons on the other hand literally is J. Jonah Jameson as he perfects the exact look from the comics and also nails the attitude of hating Spider-Man, which is exactly what the character is all about. The fight scenes and the visuals fairly hold up. I mean every fight Spider-Man has with the Green Goblin succeeds in keeping my eyes glued. It’s hard not to enjoy Danny Elfman’s score because every time the film starts, I am already transpired, hyped up for what would play out. Although this film feels perfect, I gotta admit that I have noticed a few flaws after all these years. First off, I know Peter doesn’t want anyone to freak out that he got bit by a lab spider, but he should’ve said something. If he doesn’t want to say he got bit, he should’ve at least said he saw the spider. It is funny how how he swings into a wall across the street but how does no one notice him? He didn’t have his costume yet so how was he not on the news either? I guess Daily Bugle didn’t have enough photographers yet. While it makes sense for Norman to have his tracks covered, how come his facility didn’t have cameras? I’m pretty sure even a classified place like that would still have cameras. It’s pretty crazy when the Green Goblin attacks the Daily Bugle but there two things that didn’t make sense: One, how come Peter didn’t sense him and two, how come he wasn’t credited for his photography? I’m certain that no matter what the subject and position of photography, credit has to be given in a tabloid newspaper. I get that Peter didn’t wear his mask against the muggers because it was dark in the alley they fought, but he should’ve kept it on anyway because it could've been possible for another bystander to pass by. The second you ignore all this, than you’re gonna be loving this film for what it is. Overall, Sam Raimi made a great superhero movie that will always be one to look back at. If you love Spider-Man, stop wasting time and check this out now.
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