spiderman

Oh the trials and tribulations Spider-Man went through to finally make it to the big screen. While
living in London, England as an adolescent in the early 1990s, Spider-Man comics were the only
American comics I could consistently acquire so I read them frequently. In the back of each issue
was a production update on the soon-to-be-made movie. This was in 1991 people, and “Titanic”
director James Cameron was then heading up the project with serious rumors that Arnold
Schwarzenegger would play Doctor Octopus. No joke. I’ll dig these old rags out of storage if you
want to see.

Well, ten years later and Sam Raimi brings Spidey to the silver screen. Worth the wait? Yes and
no. Raimi delivers a comic film that results in the strangest phenomenon. Usually in comic book
movies, the origin story of the character is so well-known it becomes a hindrance on screen.

Take “Superman: The Movie,” for instance. Director Richard Donner spends an hour of the movie
telling of his origins. Upon repeat viewings, you’re likely to skip it because it is so long and you
already know what’s happening. You want to see the superhero kick butt.

With “Spider-Man,” this works in reverse. Raimi’s origin story of Peter Parker getting bitten by the
genetically enhanced spider and then discovering all his abilities during a fateful day in high school
is infinitely more compelling than all of the Spider-Man action scenes combined.

What’s weird about it all is that there is nothing structurally or dramatically flawed about the action
scenes, nor the rest of the film post-origin story. Raimi is an extremely talented storyteller and his
handling of the plot is competent and visually excellent. Oh right! The plot.

Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire (“Seabiscuit”), gets bitten by a genetically enhanced spider
during a science fieldtrip and inherits the spider’s abilities on the human scale. He’s in love with
Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst (“Wimbledon”), who is the ultimate babe in high school.

Dunst, of course, doesn’t pay much attention to the nerdy Parker. When Parker’s Uncle Ben,
played by veteran actor Cliff Robertson (“3 Days of the Condor”), is killed by a thug that Parker
neglected to apprehend when he had the chance, the young boy vows to use his powers to help
people and fight crime.

Meanwhile, Parker’s best friend Harry Osborn has a very rich father, Norman Osborn, who in attempting to prove that a new combat serum works, tests it on
himself and becomes the psychotic villain, Green Goblin. It’s only a matter of time before Spider-Man and Green Goblin cross paths. In the interim, Parker can’t
find a job after high school, Mary Jane is in love with his best friend Harry and he doesn’t know that Harry’s dad is his nemesis. It certainly is raining crap on
Peter Parker.

The two best roles of the film are Willem Dafoe’s powerful portrayal as Green Goblin, in easily the most effective comic villain performance ever on screen, and J.
K. Simmons’ role as the tough talking editor-in-chief of The Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. Simmons and Dafoe chew up the scenery. Simmons with his jerk
comments at Parker and Dafoe with his convincing portrayal of complete psychosis. Just wait for the scene in which Dafoe literally talks to himself in the mirror.
Acting genius.

The film has great action scenes and superb special effects, with Spider-Man swooping around and dodging explosions and the like. It’s nice to finally see a
director commit to the comic style energy of fighting as Spidey flies twenty feet backwards into a lamppost after being smacked by Green Goblin. Dafoe is
deliciously funny and sinister, though his costume is the highest level of lame, looking more like a plastic Power Ranger and less like a real threat.

Maguire is at home as Peter Parker, and provides the perfect amount of humanity needed to create the character. His superb acting carries the movie and let’s
all thank Raimi for the foresight of lobbying to cast him because without an interesting hero, these ventures become stale fast.

The weakest link in this entire movie is Dunst, the incorrect casting choice for Mary Jane. I’d have chosen Nikki Cox…but that’s just me. Dunst comes off looking
stoned in all of the important scenes with Maguire, staring out lazily through those dead, glazed eyes. Shudder.

Visually stunning with deep character development, great pacing in most places and rapid comic action, “Spider-Man” at a glance is one of the best comic to
screen movies of all time, but there’s just something about it for me personally that keeps it from being a rewatchable experience. I can’t say it isn’t a great
movie, but there’s something missing in the aesthetic and the pacing that discourages repeat viewings for me. I confess I can’t put my finger on it. Either way, a
supreme filmmaking achievement for the director. Congratulations, Mr. Raimi.