Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 1: Why it still holds up today.

It’s not overstating it to say that Spider-Man is one of, if not THE most popular superhero in todays age. Since his inception in 1962 by Marvel comics creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (RIP), the web slinger has crawled his way into millions of hearts over his 64 years of being around. It’s pretty easy to see why- Peter Parker, the boy turned man behind the mask was an average person instead of a millionaire, or esteemed soldier, or revered God. People can relate to him because his struggles are ones far different than other superheroes at the time were. For many, their knowledge of Spider-Man comes from the comics of his that they read, and for others it might be from the TV shows they watched his adventures from. For me, My first memory of the icon was when I caught the ending of 2002’s Spider-Man, where Willem Dafoes Green Goblin got impaled by his own glider. As first impressions go I was a little scared since I was only about five or six years old at the time and I saw it on television, but for whatever reason that image stuck with me, and I found myself with an urge to watch the whole movie someday. When I did…. I thought it was really enjoyable, and I’ve watched it several times since then.

I suppose you’re wondering “Why? Why does this old ah movie hold up after 24 years and isn’t even the best darn one?” Well to quote the Green Goblin- “Well, to each their own.” And to be frank, I don’t consider this one to be the best Spider-Man movie out there, I prefer Spider-Man 2 and both of the Spider-verse movies when it comes to Spider-Man movies. But to say that this pioneer of the series is outdated or not good would be an insult, and simply wrong. It could be argued that without this movie, there would be no Iron man, no Avengers, no Guardians of the Galaxy, and certainly no future Spider-Man movies either. The first reason I would say it holds up is because of its director- Sam Raimi. For those who aren’t aware of him, he is a very stylized director, having wrote and directed the evil dead trilogy as some of his first films, and being respected as a creator. He knows his way around cameras and is very talented at coming up with creative shots that make the film feel like it is a live action comic book. Without him, its possible this movie wouldn’t be as talked about as it is today. The next thing this movie does right is the score. Danny Elfman is a phenomenal composer and his theme with the bongo drums added in is iconic, and what a lot of people think of when they refer back to the original spider-man trilogy. And then theres the casting. Although not the first pick for him, I think Tobey Maguire really captures the awkward and kind nature of Peter Parker, and his transformation into Spider-Man really is the heart of this movie.

It also helps that the rest of the main cast are very talented actors and actresses that embody their characters extremely well. Willem Dafoe is spectacular as Norman Osborn, and J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson is perhaps the best casted actor in these films. Likewise, Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robinson play Aunt May and Uncle Ben in a beautiful way- carrying pain and hope at the same time. And Peters friends Harry and Mary Jane are well played too by James Franco and Kirsten Dunst. Without these actors charm and charisma as these characters, I really don’t think that the original Spider-Man movie would be as loved as it is today. The film begins with a voice over and Peter Parker is portrayed as the king of losers, with nearly everyone, even the damn bus driver laughing at him as he trys to catch up to the bus. This immediately sympathizes Peter to the audience, as people can easily see themselves in his shoes, being late for something, or being bullied relentlessly. We’re introduced to his bullies and his friend Harry Osborn and his Father, Norman. We’re then showed both the origin of Peter Parker as Spider-Man and Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin back to back. Something that this film succeeds at is giving both its protagonist and antagonist equal time to develop, so that we get a good understanding of both their characters. They both quickly develop an ego, as both of them start off using their powers for their own personal gain. Norman has revenge on the people trying to cut his funding, and Peter uses his powers to cheat at wrestling and call “Matcho Man” Randy Savage Gay and then beats him up for money. We see Peters choices backfire in real time as his inaction causes the death of his uncle, and he races to enact revenge on the killer, who was the man who he let go. Although he already had his powers, this was the night Spider-Man was really born.

The rest of the film has great action setpieces and progresses in a dual narrative, as we see both Peter and Normans struggles to balance their normal lives as well as the alter egos they have. We see the input of random new Yorkers, such as the “He stinks, and I don’t like him” guy (I quote this randomly sometimes because I think it’s incredibly funny to this day) and of course J. Jonah Jameson, who’s insistant on exposing Spider-Man as a fraud and criminal instead of a hero. Then we are shown Peter pining for Mary Jane, who is now in a relationship with Harry. We also see the strain that being Spider-Man has on Peter, as his double life leads his loved ones to see him as not as dependable as he should be. Eventually Norman figures out that Peter is Spider-Man after spotting a cut on his arm that was made by Norman himself. This leads into the climax of the film, where the Green Goblin effectively takes over Norman entirely, as he attacks May and Mary Jane so he can hurt and kill Spider-Man. After a brutal fight Peter manages to overcome Normans assault and fights back, causing the goblin to try one last trick to end Spider-Man. It unfortunately doesnt work, and Norman ends up impaling himself upon his own glider. His last words “Don’t tell Harry” is the last bit of pure Norman that comes out before his death. After this fight, Peter knows he has to keep his loved ones at bay, since being Spider-Man is now more of a responsibility than he could have ever expected. The film ends with him swinging away, and Nickleback's “Hero” playing in the credits.

So, after nearly 24 years, how does Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man hold up? In my opinion, extremely well. Not taking nostalgia into effect, the special effects and camera work are very good, and everything that the audience looks at seems realistic enough to be beliveable. The tone mixes campy comic book dialouge with a fairly dramatic story to create a good origin for the webhead, and of course the talent of the actors and director working together with a unified vision. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly reccomend taking time to watch it- and then maybe Spider-Man 2 and 3 if you have time. And if you’ve already seen it- what did you think of it? Thanks for reading everybody, and have a fantastic time!