Spider-Man (2002)

 

It may be hard to imagine nowadays, but comic book adaptations were for the longest time something on the periphery. Sure, we had some attempts, some horrendous (remember the Captain America-TV films?), some underrated ('Blade' & 'Blade II'), but it was Sony that kickstarted it with 'X-Men' and 'Spider-Man'. And we're so glad they did it right.

For 'Spider-Man', they hired Sam Raimi, which might seem like a weird choice, but Raimi has always been inventive with camerawork and he can infuse his work with a campy tone that fits comics like a T. So yes, this one is most agreeable. 

You pretty much get the origin story here: Peter Parker is a nerdy student who is very clever but who is almost invisible to girls and gets bullied by the jocks, until he gets bitten by a mutant spider and now he possesses spider-abilities. He feels extremely cocky about it until his uncle Ben gets shot and then he realizes the now classic line: "With great power comes great responsibility." So he dons the costume of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man and helps New Yorkers when and where he can. 

In the meantime, his friend Harry Osborn has some issues with his dad, Norman. Norman has to close a contract with the military, but it isn't going well. The performance enhancers are a little wonky and cause psychoses and aggression, but because Norman is desperate, he tries it out on himself, effectively splitting his personality and giving rise to the malicious Green Goblin.

Yes, it is the most classic of all Spider-Man clashes. And hot diggity darn it, it works. 

For the most part, the casting is spot on. Tobey Maguire has since been meme-ified way too many times, but he is actually pretty good as Peter Parker. He's unassuming and he feels like a guy that genuinely cares what happens to people around him. The supporting cast, with the likes of Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and especially Rosemary Harris as May Parker is great. 

But who really steals the show in every possible way, is Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn. The guy was born to play schizophrenic roles such as this one. Yes, he does ham it up a little as the Goblin, but there's a scene in here where he is discussing stuff with himself (Norman vs Goblin) through a mirror and it is pretty bloody excellent. It has that Gollum/Smeagol-vibe from 'The Two Towers', if you know what I'm referring to. 

Also: the design for the Goblin-suit is brilliant. It's supposed to be a military jumpsuit with helmet for the glider, but it's all green and the helmet has the exact look of the Goblin's face from the comics (which was also a mask, usually). On the one hand, it's so absolutely ridiculous, but on the other hand: that is its strength. It runs with it and that makes me love it all the more. 

Oh, and the best find bar none of the entire franchise and beyond? JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. I am not kidding: the guy fits that part like a glove and it's no wonder they brought him back as the same character in the Tom Holland Spiderverse. The dude is side-splittingly hilarious.

Sam Raimi still has his quirks, like inventive transitions and camera-angles, only this time on a pretty big budget. His love for a campy tone fits this one very well. Yes, later on, Marvel would take things a bit more seriously, but it is and always will be based on a comic book, so some silliness is implied every which way. It's a shame sometimes fans take it all a bit too serious, as it's pretty much about people in skintight spandex and funky colours. I love it to bits, but in essence there is goofiness. The music by Danny Elfman of course also acknowledges this with his idiosyncracies. 

If there is one thing that sadly doesn't hold up after a while, then it's a lot of the CG. It very often looks like crappy renderings of early 2000s videogames, which is a real shame. When Spider-Man is swinging between buildings, it's fairly okay, but the shots of Peter Parker running along rooftops and testing his new found powers are horrendous. 

Is it the best 'Spider-Man' out there? Maybe not, as the sequel is indeed better and the more recent adaptations are pretty excellent, but it sure is a damn fine comic book film and if you like comics and/or Spider-Man, you will enjoy this one immensely.