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Spider-man (2002)

B.D. Reid Film Reviews

By B.D. ReidPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
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Is this movie lame? Yep. Does that diminish how awesome it is? Not a chance.

Spider-man was one of my childhood heroes. In fact, he was one of the only characters I idolized who was actually a hero. With the trailer for No Way Home having finally come out, I decided it was time to explore these childhood favourites and see how well they held up.

Though I can’t state with absolute certainty that I feel unmoved by nineteen years and two schools’ worth of education affecting how I view movies, even those I loved as a child, I also cannot state that I would understand every criticism for this film, even with the release of better Spider-man films.

Ever since Andrew Garfield took up the mantle in 2011 and when Tom Holland leapt onto screens in 2016, there have been debates about which one is the best representation of the character. For my money, the truth is (always has been) that Tobey Maguire was a perfect Peter Parker, Andrew Garfield was a perfect Spider-man, and Tom Holland was a good combination of both. If the theories turn out to be true, then we’ll get to see them play off each other soon enough. But I digress…

Maguire does have the geeky/nerdy/dorky aspect of Peter Parker down. This is a character that I have no doubt gets bullied on a regular basic, and his soft voice really enhances that belief. Even when he’s trying to be tough, he just comes across as a puppy. With that said, this Parker is a little bit of a jerk in the beginning. When we meet Aunt May and Uncle Ben (played by Rosemary Harris and Cliff Roberston, respectively), they get brushed off by Peter, who just arrives home, goes right to bed, and barely gives them a word. In fact, before Ben is murdered, he and Peter share only one positive interaction, and it’s five seconds long. The rest of their time together, Peter either bites his head off or mourns his death.

Arguably, that makes his whole “Spider-man is a hero” theory work better. The whole reason behind his character is that he feels guilty for letting a robber go only for that robber to kill his uncle. By showing a tense relationship prior to the death, you could argue that there’s an added layer of guilt because Peter never showed Ben the love and respect that he felt for him. This can also further solidify his motivations because Ben’s death made Peter feel like he let him down and being Spider-man gave him a way to deal with his guilt, an idea that’s expanded on in the sequel.

There’s also the fact that this movie was deliberately written as a metaphor for puberty (at least male puberty). So, in a very real sense, this movie is essentially just a coming-of-age film about dealing with responsibility. This isn’t that much of a leap since Ben literally says the iconic “with great power comes great responsibility. There are also a handful of scenes that mirror very real interactions between parents and children about changing bodies, the parents feeling like the child is distant, or worrying about the child, even if they’re the one in the hospital.

However, after watching this film again, I feel like the thematic premise is more about identity and choice. Uncle Ben, in addition to his iconic line, says these words too: be careful who you change into. The Green Goblin often gives Spider-man the chance to join him, saying things like “I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero.” This is very much a movie about choice as it is much as it about responsibility. You see Peter making all the wrong choices between getting bitten and becoming Spider-man, but after Ben’s death, he at least tries to make better decisions. Despite everything, this is a very realistic character. He’s been a wimp his whole life and is suddenly given power, and immediately becomes corrupted by it until he sees the consequences of those choices. From then on, he’s determined to use his power for good and becomes unbending in that pursuit.

Green Goblin reflects the opposite. Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn is hilarious, and understated (I really hope he’s coming back, too). He’s had power for a long time and built his company from the ground up. There’s this sense that he just didn’t want to give up his power and turned to villainy to ensure that he kept it. I also really like how slowly they build up the reveal that Norman is the Goblin. While most everybody would know who he is (and anyone watching), they don’t just drop him into the movie as the Green Goblin. They take time to set up his motivations, his actions, and his character.

To be honest, the whole movie has a slower burn to it than I remember. Do not misunderstand me, the scenes are quick, to the point, and usually with cheesy or rushed dialogue, but the scenes do have a linear cause and effect. He’s not even the actual Spider-man until one hour in, which is about halfway. But it rarely feels that way because of how fast paced it can feel. The characters, though, are very well done. The entire movie is about Peter learning what choice and responsibility is. The Goblin first appears fifty minutes in, but he and Spider-man don’t meet until fifteen minutes later. This first hour is about setting up the characters so we know everything we need to about them during the second half, all while keeping up from being bored.

Harry Osborn (played by James Franco) is probably the best encapsulation of this idea. It didn’t dawn on me until this viewing, but there is so much here that’s been set up for future movies. Harry eventually donning his father’s costumed persona seemed so obviously planned out in retrospect. Here, Norman is more doting and loving towards Peter, and when Harry starts dating MJ knowing that Peter has feels for her, it now seems like a subtle revenge (“you took my father, I’ll go after the woman you love”). Having said that, after Pete sees them on the balcony, Harry doesn’t try to brush it off; he’s honest and open and says “Sorry I didn’t tell you.” Later on, when he finds out that MJ is into Peter, he tells his father, who praises him and says that he loves him. This builds up his resentment toward Peter further. Harry is probably the most developed character in this whole trilogy.

Another point about the Peter/Norman relationship, other than it being the impetus for Harry’s later actions, is the contrast between their relationships in and out of costume. Out of costume, Norman treats Peter like a son, praising him, helping him out, offering advice, and Peter treats him just as bad as he does Ben and May. In the costumes, while rivals, Norman still instinctively gives him advice, praises him, and offers to help him out, albeit in backwards “join me” fashion.

I’ll even go so far as to say that MJ (played by Kirsten Dunst) is not terrible. She’s not as three-dimensional as Zendaya’s or certainly Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, and I do think there may be an inherent difficulty in making her the “girl next door,” as it strikes me as odd that they aren’t better friends. There are moments where we get this sense that she truly cares for him, but I would think that being neighbors and going to school together every day would’ve yielded a better relationship, even a platonic one. However, this could be used to explain why she inexplicably says that she loves him in the end.

Well… actually, I like the chemistry between MJ and Peter in this film. They get a great deal of scenes together where they just chat about life, their ambitions, their future, and their romantic interests. There is a slow build to their relationship that isn’t really based on a physical aspect. There is an argument that MJ is only interested in Spider-man because of the adrenaline rush, but then why would she be interested in Peter. Like my thesis statement: Maguire is a good Parker. That said, I do find myself skipping the scenes where the romantic stuff comes up (usually due to second-hand embarrassment). Except for the upside-down kiss, which is so iconic, it’s no surprise that it’s been parodied to death. It’s still a very sweet, tender moment between the characters.

There’s also a darkness behind her character, too, and it ties well into my definition of the theme. She comes from an abusive household. Normally, characters who belong to this trope are psychopaths or ne’er-do-wells who learn to be nicer. But MJ is nice from the start. She’s even the only one on the bus who isn’t bullying Parker, telling the bus driver to stop the bus (though she could’ve done it so much sooner). Other than that, she’s imploring Flash to not beat up Peter, poses for his pictures, and tells Harry to defend him. She wants to get out of his father’s house and pursue her dreams of acting. She’s choosing to be better than her upbringing and break the cycle of violence.

I love J. Jonah Jameson and I love J.K. Simmons. That is all I have to say about him.

Spider-man has always been a very colourful character, and the use of colour in this film is fantastic. Every flame used pops off the screen, the red, blue, and green of the costumes help Spidey and the Goblin stand out against the yellow and beige backdrop of New York City. Even at night, the colours help draw your eye to important aspects of the scene. When Spidey first appears upside down, tracking down the carjacker, his face is completely visible, but then Spidey appears in the background, a black silhouette against a blue background.

The one thing I will say is missing from the other Spiderman movies is an iconic soundtrack. The Amazing Spider-man had very triumphant music but was toned down in favour of the more realistic world. The MCU has its typical humour mixed with drama but sounds like most of the other scores in that Universe. Danny Elfman created an iconic opening credits song that’s still sends chills down my spine almost two decades later.

The effects… are not as good as I remember. The rubberized CGI is more obvious to me now, but I don’t mind as much as I do the CGI in movies like Homecoming or Far From Home, which has objectively better CGI, but feels more animated, which can be weird in a real world. The silliness of this film helps lower our standards, allowing us to accept the illusion even more. But even then, there’s a lot here that’s done practically, sometimes against green screens. Therefore, the CGI only stands out more because it’s not a great focus in this film.

I love the sets in this film and the action sequences. The balloons at a parade, a room in a burning building, the Golden Gate bridge, and the finale in an abandoned building. There’s a lot of fun action being done in these sequences, and they feel more unique and engaging because of that.

This movie is a live-action comic book film, and it definitely feels like one. There’s not a single doubt in my mind that this film helped establish comic book movies as something that could be taken seriously. There are definitely some funky camera angles, but since this film was made by the same director as The Evil Dead trilogy, isn’t that kind of expected? I understand why a more cynical mind would not enjoy this film, and I definitely understand that we’ve gotten much better Spider-man films, but I do think this one is still something very special.

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About the Creator

B.D. Reid

A competition-recognized screenwriter and filmmaker, building to a career that satisfies my creative drive but allows me to have time for friends and family.

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