Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is an unassuming high school student in New York City. He’s in love with a girl, struggles to make friends, and deals with all of the issues of a typical teenager--except one thing makes him different. When on a class trip Peter is bitten by a genetically modified spider that causes him to gain spider-like abilities. Peter becomes Spider-Man and uses his powers to fight crime and bring justice to all those who deserve it. When new faces begin terrorizing the city, the young Peter must do all that he can not only to provide justice, but safety for the entire city--including the ones he loves.
The early 2000’s were prime time for superhero films. Films like X-Men and Blade took the world by storm and surely put a lot of pressure on Spider-Man, which, on paper, promised to be wonderful. Directed by the popular Sam Raimi, led by Maguire, and co-starring Hollywood studs such as Willem Defoe (Norman Osborne) and J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson) there was seemingly no way that Spider-Man would fail. All that viewers and critics had hoped would come of the superhero film came to fruition, as the entirety of the film, from acting to story and special effects to cinematography, remains one of the greatest superhero films to date.
There are so many things to love about Spider-Man, but I truly believe that the reason that the film has found continued success over the years is Spider-Man himself. A combination of the writing and Maguire’s performance bring to life an incredibly interesting and relatable character. Peter represents every person who has ever struggled with their identity, every person that has had the love of their life slip away, and every single person that has faced hardship. Spider-Man heavily focuses on these aspects of the main character and allows viewers from all walks of life to appreciate what is being said and done throughout the course of the film. While the narrative helps this character shine so brightly, Maguire finds himself in the role of lifetime, acting his ass off, and bringing to life one of the more iconic characters in Marvel lore. He’s genuine, vigorous, and emotionally driven throughout his performance of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. At every instance throughout the film Maguire allows viewers to feel for him through both his plights and his victories--and that’s a mark of genius in terms of Maguire’s acting abilities.
The animation, special effects, etc. play a role in making this film entertaining. The film relies so much on high-octane action sequences, without something near perfection in this field, Spider-Man fails. Through nearly every instance of action and animation, these aspects of the film come into play and they play out beautifully. Sure, there are moments that miss in terms of the special effects, but the reality is that this is 2002 and superhero films were far from what they are today. However, even in those moments of weakness in this regard Spider-Man manages to find success and become something brilliant.
The entirety of Spider-Man is something incredible. With seemingly never-ending fun, impeccable acting, and a narrative that not only entertains, but remains relevant to this day, this superhero film checks all the boxes of the highly-successful Marvel Cinematic Universe films of the past decade. To date this remains one of my favorite superhero films and compares to the likes of the more successful films of the genre. Spider-Man possesses not a dull moment and leaves fans feeling fully satisfied with all that the film has to offer. Not only does Spider-Man find success for itself, it prepares viewers for not one, but two sequels--ones that will surely not fail after seeing what Maguire and Raimi are capable of developing together.
Directed by Sam Raimi.
Written by David Koepp, Stan Lee, & Steve Ditko.
Starring Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Joe Manganiello, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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