Spider Man (2002)

Directed by: Sam Raimi | 122 minutes | action, adventure, fantasy | Actors: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, JK Simmons, Michael Papajohn, Ted Raimi, Cliff Robertson, Bill Nunn, Bruce Campbell, Stan Lee, Jophery C. Brown, Samantha Brown, Jacob Chambers

“Spiderman, Spiderman, Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size, Catches thieves just like flies
Lookout! Here comes the Spider-Man.”

Oh nostalgia! Who doesn’t know the world famous tune from the Spider-Man cartoon? The comic strip hero dressed in red and blue pajamas was already known in the 1970s. After a few bad TV productions, the superhero finally got a real cinema film. In the meantime, critics and fans had already sharpened their knives: Spidey on the silver screen? That couldn’t go well…

Miraculously, it went well. In fact: ‘Spider-Man’ became a blockbuster and the merchandise around the comic character was not to be dragged on. But what makes the film so much fun that entire tribes, including us sober Dutch, went to see the film? You will get the answer to this pressing question later. Let’s take a closer look at the story first.

Before we get to see the famous wallcrawler, we first get to know Spidey’s alter ego: student Peter Parker (Maguire). The ambitious Parker is an intelligent young man who is somewhat inept socially. Peter is not popular at school and is therefore bullied by his classmates. The result is that the introverted student withdraws further and further into his own world. Fortunately, Peter can still rely on his loving Uncle Ben and Aunt May. The student’s life changes when he is bitten by a radioactive spider during a school trip.

The spider gives Parker super strength, so our timid hero has suddenly become ten times stronger and he can run into walls. While the superpowers don’t just change Peter physically, his character also changes. Parker becomes arrogant and that costs his Uncle Ben’s life. Overcome with an immense sense of guilt, Peter now decides to fight crime as Spider-Man. For with great power comes great responsibility.

If you read the synopsis and also keep in mind that there is also a villain to be introduced, you can tell that the full 121 minutes of Spider-Man are packed. Maybe too full. An insecure director would soon indulge in ‘Spider-Man’. In addition to telling the origins of the title hero, you’ll also need to bring in familiar minor characters and pack enough action into the film to keep the uninitiated on their toes as well. Whether it succeeded is no longer a secret. Just look at the four star rating above this review.

The driving force behind ‘Spider-Man’ is director Sam Riami. The filmmaker we mainly knew from gory horror comedies like ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Army of Darkness’, remains proud. Raimi proves that he is both a skilled actor director and action filmmaker. The stunts in his first Spidey film look slick and due to the good character development, the extravagant action remains interesting to make even the most inveterate superhero hater give in. ‘Spider-Man’ is for everyone: for young and old. The balance between drama, romance and spectacle has been forged into a whole by Raimi in a very clever way.

Drama? In a Spider-Man movie? Yes, you read that right. In this superhero film, melodrama plays a major role. Perhaps even more than the usual action scenes. The dramatic input comes from Peter Parker. In addition to the title hero, Toby Maguire also plays the spiderman’s nerdy alter ego, and he does that very well. Maguire’s lanky, boyish look fits his role perfectly. The warm play and respect for his character will make you want to follow Maguire in his bizarre, yet moving adventures.

In addition to Maguire, character actors such as Willem Dafoe, James Franco and Kirsten Dunst also perform. Kirsten plays Mary Jane, Spider-Man’s love interest. The chemistry between Dunst and Maguire is very strong and that produces compelling moments. Dafoe is also on a roll as supervillain ‘Green Goblin’. The actor skillfully manages to navigate between acting and over-acting. While the goblin is quite over the top, the character never becomes too cartoonish or implausible.

All in all, you can conclude that the acting in ‘Spider-Man’ is good. Point.

Another good thing about the film is the pace. Raimi knows how to keep up the momentum, without overwhelming you with complicated information or irrelevant passages. ‘Spider-Man’ is smoothly edited and the fast pop-rock soundtrack enhances the energetic pace of the film. Of course you should not expect difficult high-flown music with a commercial film like this. Nice radio-friendly guitar music that accompanies the light-hearted atmosphere of the images. And in the case of ‘Spider-Man’ it works out well, the soundtrack sounds fresh and cheerful. And in short, that also applies to the film as a whole.

‘Spider-Man’ is a kinetic film that radiates passion. Raimi has put his heart and soul into the comic book adaptation and you can taste it. Both Spidey and Peter Parker are treated well and that results in a very enjoyable film that is easy to digest for anyone with even a little imagination. A classic.