"Road to No Way Home" Re-Watch: "Spider-Man"

"Spider-Man" (2002)

 In my MCU re-watch, we are rapidly approaching "Spider-Man: No Way Home" which connects the MCU Tom Holland Spider-Man to his cinematic counterparts, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. So, I thought why not re-watch the Spidey movies that came before. The Maguire movies are the ones that I'm more familiar with. They came out shortly after I graduated high school and I think "Spider-Man 2" is a high water mark for comic book films.

The first "Spider-Man" movie came out in 2002, shortly after the success of the first "X-Men" movie in 2000. The thing I most remember about this movie prior to release was the teaser trailer. It featured a mostly unseen Spider-Man webbing a bank robbers helicopter between the Twin Towers. It was quickly pulled from theaters following the 9/11 terror attacks. I remember seeing it once at the drive-in and because it was pulled so quickly it's become something of a cinematic urban legend until the point I wondered if it was a Mandela effect situation. I just re-watched it and it is surreal and kind of chilling seeing the towers. I'm linking it here so you can watch for yourself if you've never seen it.

Principal photography on"Spider-Man" began in January 2001 and ended in July 2001. The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osobrn/Green Goblin, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, James Franco as Harry Osborn, Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker, Rosemary Harris as May Parker and J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. The film was written by David Koepp. It was directed by Sam Raimi. "Spider-Man" premiered on May 3, 2002.

Kiss me in the pouring rain.

I have watched this movie a lot since it was released in 2022 but I haven't watched it in a few years. I watched it kind of like I watched the first X-Men movie for this blog. Not everything in these early aughts superhero has translated well, but "Spider-Man" is pretty good. There is one slightly homophobic joke that Peter makes when he's in the ring with Bonesaw McGraw. He asks the wrestler if the outfit he is wearing was made by his husband. This of course infuriates Bonesaw. See, it's funny because insinuating someone is gay is super offensive if you're not actually gay. But that being said, everything else is fine. So, that was a nice surprise.

A Spider-Man movie had been in development since the early 1980's but it just didn't happen for a long time. There was Marvel's financial issues and the fact that technology just wasn't where it needed to be to make a Spider-Man movie that wouldn't have been super cheesy. Sam Raimi is not the first director that I would have thought of when you thought of the director of a "Spider-Man" movie. At the time Raimi was most well-known for his schlocky horror moves "Evil Dead," "Darkman" and "Army of Darkness." Raimi does a great job here. He brings his own style to this movie. It's interesting because this movie is set in modern times but at times it hearkens back to the 1960's and sort of evokes the styles of Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. I get this sense particularly when Peter is designing his costume so he can wrestle to get the money for the car he wants to buy. 

The cast is headed by Tobey Maguire. I think when "Spider-Man" premiered, I'd seen Maguire in maybe "Pleasantville" And "Wonder Boys." I know I have seen "The Cider House Rules" which came out before "Spider-Man" but I'm pretty sure I saw it after. Maguire wasn't necessarily people's first choice to play Peter Parker, but I think he really kills it. After Tom Holland, Maguire is my favorite of the three movie Spider-Men. That could be a controversial opinion but I stand by it. Maguire plays Peter as very derpy. And I kind of love it. He's awkward and kind of oblivious, whether he's talking to Harry or trying to get MJ's attention. It's this derpiness that makes him endearing and helps sell the evolution that Peter goes through. And it makes it very interesting during the times when Peter snaps, like when he goes after Uncle Ben's killer or later on in the movie when he's fighting the Green Goblin. The MCU gets a lot of credit for hiring ACTORS to star in their movies, but I think it's good to acknowledge that it was happening prior to "Iron Man."

Just breathe deep and relax, it'll only hurt for a second...

Seeing Willem Dafoe once again play Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" sort of gave me a new appreciation for his portrayal in this movie and re-watching it definitely deepened that. I remember not being super into it when I first watched it. I think a lot of it had to do with the Green Goblin armor, which I wasn't a huge fan of. If we're being honest, I'm still not a huge fan of it and I prefer the "No Way Home" re-design that he wears in the climax that I kind of wish had been in this movie. Dafoe is another high caliber actor that is kind of quirky and he really cranks all that up to 11 in this movie. The way that they illustrate that once Norman is exposed to the performance enhancer he has two definitive personalities is really cool. Whether it is through the mirror or a voiceover while the camera focuses on the Goblin helmet, I don't think it ever comes off as cheesy. Dafoe is certainly over-the-top as the Goblin, but that is tempered with his performance as Norman. And though they don't have a ton of scenes together, he and Maguire have a ton of chemistry which helps sell the rivalry.

Then there is Kirsten Dunst. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think she's a fantastic actress and I think she acquits herself very well as Mary Jane Watson. That being said, hoo boy, does she have little to no agency. It feels like this film version of MJ is just kind of at the whims of the men in her life. There is her abusive dad who she is desperate to get away from, which seems to be why she wants to go to NYC to become an actress. Then, she's dating Harry and the whole time she is the object of Peter's affection, until he saves her multiple times as Spider-Man and she starts crushing on him. It's a very Lois Lane/Superman dynamic and I'm sort of glad that Raimi doesn't focus on it too much. This movie is a great illustration of how thankless it is to be a non-powered female lead in a superhero movie. Dunst gets very little to do besides be pretty and scream as she's put in peril over and over and over again. But she sells it. And seems to make the most of it, so that's good, right?

Fresh off of "Freaks and Geeks," James Franco plays Harry Osborn, Norman's son and Peter's best (only) friend. I don't think I remembered how much of a douchebag Harry is in these movies. His relationship with Peter never really makes sense or feels genuine. It seems like they are friends only because the script needs them to be best friends. Harry is kind of a jerk to Peter and he blatantly goes after the girl that he knows Peter is in love with. Now, I get that Peter and MJ hadn't dated and that Peter had no real claim to MJ, but like, come on. Isn't this bro code 101? And then he lies to Peter about it while they are living together! And, he's so desperate for daddy's approval that he throws MJ right under the bus. I'm sort of glad this movie sets up the whole Harry/Spider-Man rivalry because he thinks Spidey killed Norman, because if Harry is going to be the worst he might as well just be the WORST. Shoutouts to the magnificent Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant, a role she'll reprise in the two Raimi sequels, and a then unknown Joe Manganiello as Peter tormentor/MJ high school boyfriend, Flash Thompson.

Overnight abs.

I know I briefly touched on Raimi bringing his own filmmaking sensibility into this big budget, blockbuster, mainstream superhero movie, but I wanted to mention a couple more things in regard to some of those moments. In the "fight" with Flash and Peter in the hallway when Peter uses his spider-sense for the first time is a great example. Time slows down and there are close ups of like a fly suspended in midair or a spit wad leaving the straw that is being used to shoot it. Then there is the close up of the cilia on Peter's fingertips right before he wall-crawls for the first time. Raimi was kind of known for these gross out horror movies and it feels like these moments are ways for him to bring that in to "Spider-Man" though on a much, much smaller scale. Another signature of a Sam Raimi film is the requisite cameo by "Evil Dead" star, Bruce Campbell. We get that in "Spider-Man" with Campbell playing the ring announcer at the wrestling match who also gives the Webhead his superhero name.

Superhero origin stories can be a bit of a drag, particularly if they are well known. I'd argue that the three most recognizable superhero origins are Batman, Superman and Spider-Man. Even comic novices know about the shooting of Uncle Ben that Peter could have prevented. They know about with great power, comes great responsibility. They know about the radioactive spider bite. Raimi doesn't waste a lot of time with all these things. Peter gets bitten in like the first 10 minutes of the movie. Uncle Ben is shot within the first hour. Raimi and Koepp, the screenwriter, know that these things are necessary, but they aren't the reason why people are here. It's what happens after that is the meat and potatoes. So unlike "Man of Steel," there is no wholly unnecessary like 30 minute prologue to the action.

The action scenes in "Spider-Man" veer from "wow, that's really impressive for a movie from the early '00's" and "uff this is a Spider-Man movie from the early '00's." There are some great action scenes in this movie. The climax is amazing from Spider-Man saving MJ and the sky car to his final confrontation with Green Goblin. That sequence I especially enjoy. I think the hand to hand fighting is really great and the slow-motion is used in exactly the right way which isn't always the case when it comes to slo-mo in superhero movies, "Black Adam" I'm looking at you. I also remembered the scenes of Peter web-slinging out of costume looking more crunch but they aren't that bad. Not great, but not as bad as they probably should have been. There are other times when it is kind of cringe-y, particularly when Spider-Man is engaging in street level acrobatics. You can almost see the wires that the person was on.

How green was my goblin?

There are a couple of iconic things that came out of this first Raimi "Spider-Man." The first has to be the organic webbing. It caused quite the stir amongst Spider-Man fans when it was revealed that Peter wouldn't have web shooters, but instead his body would produce organic webbing that would shot out of his wrists. It makes sense. If he has all these other spider powers, why not this? It is also kind of weird and icky to think about, but this is also a Raimi hallmark. I remember Raimi saying that he thought it would be unrealistic for audiences that a high schooler would be able to come up with devices like web shooters. I mean, I guess. I feel like if we're accepting that a teenager has spider-powers and is also whipping up a costume like the one he wears, then they can accept web shooters. 

Then there is the upside down kiss in the rain between Spider-Man and MJ. It's an iconic film scene. If you mention "Spider-Man," this is probably what you're going to think about. Even people who have never seen the movie, know about this scene. It's a lot of fun and if I had one minor quibble it's that I don't think that MJ's nipples needed to be quite so visible. It just feels like a touch exploitative and unnecessary, but other than that, really, really great.

If I have any complaints about "Spider-Man," its that this first movie feels a little light. There isn't a lot there. This is a standard origin story, but it doesn't go much deeper. Spider-Man is known for the soap operatic drama and there is some there with Norman and Aunt May gets some histrionics in that I appreciate, but it feels like a lot of that is set up for the superior sequel "Spider-Man 2." Also, the Peter/MJ romance comes off a little creepy in 2022. I get that people have crushes and sometimes those crushes turn into great relationships and loves. But like, I don't feel like they do a good enough job of fleshing out why MJ eventually falls for Peter. It feels more like, well, this is what is supposed to happen so it needs to happen.

All in all though, an enjoyable re-watch and I'm pumped to watch "Spider-Man 2."

What do you all think? How do you rate Maguire's Spidey? What do you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments.