Spider-Man

Release Date: May 3, 2002

Watch Date: August 9 – August 11, 2023

“Average teenager Peter Parker is transformed into an extraordinary superhero after he is accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider. When his beloved uncle is savagely murdered during a robbery, young Peter vows to use his powers to avenge his death. Deeming himself ‘Spider-Man,’ he sets about ridding the streets of crime, bringing him into conflict with malevolent super-villain ‘Green Goblin.'”

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    Spider-Man is like Dr. Who in that everyone who knows about the character has “their version”. Some like David Tennant, some feel drawn to Peter Davison or Sylvester McCoy. But for Bob and I, our Spider-Man is Tobey Maguire. That was confusing if you don’t watch Dr. Who, those other actors I listed are people who have played the Doctor.

    Now you may be wondering what happened here, because we definitely skipped a film, and the explanation for that is simple. Bob was in the US for a few days, and XMen, for whatever reason, was unstreamable in America on Disney+ and he had to be the one to do the stream, so we just skipped to the next available Disney+ movie. We’ll go back in time and get back on track, but sometimes we have to make exceptions. This early in the list, it’s not like you really notice anyways and at this point they were all separate canons, so it’s not like there is an actual order of events to this.

    This feels like the first Marvel super hero movie. Now I know, I know Blade is technically one, I think? But nah, Spider-Man. Spider-Man showed us what a super hero movie could be if you took it seriously, which is strange considering the much more relaxed comic direction Marvel would end up going compared to DC, but still. They were trying new things, Marvel. A dude in a full body suit. A lot of CGI. Bringing classic, beloved, villains and heroes to the big screen. And they did it so beautifully.

    Now, I think a lot of people look at this film with nostalgia goggles. I do not think it’s as good as people remember. The actors, except for Willem Defoe and Tobey Maguire (when he’s in costume) are extremely wooden. It’s like they’ve never acted a day before in their life. The words and emotions don’t reach their eyes, and it feels sort of…dead. The other major problem is the movie tries to take itself seriously, but then delivers lines like “You’re the one who’s out Gobby. Out of your mind.” as if they’re in a comic book, and it comes completely out of left field and falls flat.

    But I don’t know, I don’t think we would have even had Disney attempting at an MCU if Spider-Man hadn’t come along and shown the fanaticism that people can have towards a comic book character. And that love for Spider-Man that this movie stoked has never died. There’s still games coming out, animated movies, when it didn’t look like the character was going to be an Avenger there was outrage, rioting in the streets (that last part might be a little over exaggerated). You ask nearly anyone my age who their favorite super hero is and they’re going to say Spider-Man, if not as their top hero, as a close second. XMen may have been the first blockbuster to focus on the good guy heroes, but Spider-Man defined the genre, and defined the character. Tobey Maguire is who many picture under the suit, a suit that is still what I picture when I think of the character. I mean just look at the reaction to this Spider-Man’s inclusion in more modern Spider-Man franchises! He’s beloved.

    The Green Goblin is a little cheesy in my honest opinion, I hate the growly voice, but I think that the actor did a fantastic job working with what he was given and providing an admirable performance of what a comic book character might consider insanity and split personality. Plus who doesn’t love the Green Goblin? Again, Willem Defoe is who we think of when we picture Spider-Man’s most epic villain, and it’s because of this movie and his performance.

    Bob did clarify to me that New Yorkers don’t actually tend to come together like this in the middle of extraordinary attacks on their city, except of course, when they do, so I’m going to have to disbelieve his opinion on the matter. This was also released, if not filmed, right before and after 9-11, and so the idea of New Yorkers banding together against a common enemy still loomed large in the hearts of humanity, and also just feels right. As Bob constantly shows, they love their city, and I don’t think it’s farfetched to think they’d protect it.

    All and all, if you’re going to look at this film with a purely critical eye, it’s probably going to let you down. But, I can’t look at it with that eye, nor do I want to. Spider-Man is part of my childhood, and I will always love it, whether or not it is right or wrong to do so.