Spider-Man

Sam Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man is obviously based on the comic book character of the same name and was obviously a big hit, as it has since spawned two additional films. Because of all of the fuss surrounding Raimi’s Spider-Man films, I decided to take a look back at the first film of this trilogy. Needless to say, I was not disappointed by this entertaining tale of origins and superheroes.

The tagline, “With great power comes great responsibility”, somewhat refers to the project as a whole. Here is Sam Raimi, director of Army of Darkness and the Evil Dead films, charged with bringing one of the most beloved and entertaining superheroes of all time to the big screen. Raimi certainly had his work cut out for him, but thankfully he knocks it out of the park. The film is colorful and bright, while at the same time teasing the dark potential of Peter Parker’s responsibilities as Spider-Man. This consistent juxtaposition is a nice precursor to the events of following films and also develops a building relationship with the audience and the characters within the film.

Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker, a teen who ends up getting bitten by a radioactive spider. Suddenly and hilariously, Parker is buff and he doesn’t need his glasses anymore. His neighbor and lifelong crush, Mary Jane Watson (the lovely Kirsten Dunst), starts noticing him and a relationship develops. Of course, Mary Jane is kind of flighty and doesn’t really know what she wants. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent that Mary Jane almost respects Parker too much to want to date him. The character of Mary Jane and the way the film is set up around her really makes for an interesting melodrama and really offsets the normative nature of most superhero films with unexpected character depth. To date, Batman Begins is the only superhero film that has given equal depth to characters.

Peter Parker, after the incident with the spider, ends up trying to show off a little bit and get a car that he thinks will help him win girls (specifically, Mary Jane). In the process, he ends up taking a questionable gig as a pro wrestler, gets stiffed on the pay and helps a thief get away. As karma and effect often work out, the thief ends up taking a personal toll on Parker and winds up influencing his descent into the crime fighting Spider-Man. This dark descent is chronicled not with moody lighting or brooding characters, but rather with real and raw emotional performances from the actors. Maguire is the pained and often tortured Peter Parker, doubled over with guilt and grief and striving to make things right in the only way he knows how.

As he becomes Spider-Man and becomes a hero, Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn is becoming a villain. Osborn is the father of one of Parker’s few friends, Harry, and he is a greedy corporate scientist. When a deal falls through and Norman loses everything he’s worked for, things turn sour. An experiment gone awry later and we have the Green Goblin, a villainous individual with a thirst for blood, vengeance and, sooner or later, Spider-Man. The Green Goblin is the perfect foil for the first Spider-Man film, as Dafoe’s performance never steals the show and doesn’t rip the spotlight away from what is essentially an origin film. Much like the villain-hero relationship in Batman Begins, Spider-Man is structured to allow the hero to grow on the audience and to allow the audience to identify with the transformation of Parker to Spider-Man.

The action is entertaining, but again it doesn’t overshadow anything. The real “wow” moments in the film are saved for the climax and for a few moments prior to that. We are shown that Spider-Man is a capable hero, but that Spider-Man needs growth. That growth is demonstrated in Parker’s inability to leave what he needs to leave behind in order to become the man he needs to be. “With great power comes responsibility”, but is Peter Parker ready? Raimi tenderly handles this issue with expert shot selection and by identifying his characters with color and bright scenes, leaving the darkness for rare moments and seemingly for more moments to come in subsequent films.

Spider-Man is a blockbuster, but it is also a film with heart and soul. The characters are engaging and intelligent, the writing is solid and the film graciously sets up Spider-Man for many films to come without sacrificing any of the real meat of the hero. Spider-Man’s complexities and confusion is left on the screen in a blaze of action/adventure bravado, touching romance and comic moments.

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