Spider-Man (2002)

By the turn of the millennium, Spider-Man had been tantalisingly close to a proper big-screen outing for the better part of two decades, with rights disputes and development hell keeping the character in limbo long after his 1962 comic book debut in Marvel's Amazing Fantasy. When Columbia Pictures finally got the project moving with Marvel Enterprises and producer Laura Ziskin, the question was who could do justice to one of comics' most recognisable figures. The answer, as it turned out, was a director perhaps best known at that point for making audiences scream rather than cheer.

Sam Raimi arrived at this project with a career that had moved through some genuinely contrasting territory. Fans of horror will know him well from The Evil Dead (1981) and its gloriously unhinged follow-up Evil Dead II (1987), both of which showed a director with a clear eye for kinetic action, physical comedy, and a certain fondness for theatrical excess. Those qualities, odd as it might sound, translate rather well to the world of web-slinging. Raimi brought a pop-art energy to Spider-Man that kept it feeling colourful and slightly heightened rather than grim, a tonal choice that shaped the entire superhero genre in the years that followed. Released in May 2002, the film was a massive commercial event, opening to records at the time and confirming that the Marvel stable of characters could carry blockbuster productions in their own right.

In the lead role, Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker, a shy, bookish teenager in New York whose life changes after a bite from a genetically altered spider during a school trip to Oscorp. Maguire was something of an unconventional choice for a superhero lead, slight and understated where the genre often reaches for bravado, but that quality serves the character's origins well. Opposite him, Willem Dafoe brings considerable presence to Norman Osborn, a businessman and scientist whose own experimentation leads him down a far darker path. Kirsten Dunst plays Mary Jane Watson, the girl next door in the most literal sense, while James Franco appears as Harry Osborn, Norman's son and Peter's closest friend. Cliff Robertson rounds out the principal cast as Uncle Ben, whose fate provides the film's moral backbone. The supporting roster also includes a memorable cameo that fans of a certain era of professional wrestling have taken considerable delight in over the years. Raimi and his collaborators made a film that, whatever its rough edges, landed at exactly the right cultural moment. The two sequels he directed are ones I have covered separately, including Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), if you want the full picture of where the trilogy goes.

Toby Maguire is the ONLY Spiderman as far as I'm concerned. This is back when Spiderman didn't need some dookie ass device to shoot webs, his mutations caused them. Honestly? From the Macho Man Randy Savage cameo to the awkward acting of Toby Maguire, this is the OG Spiderman. In my humble opinion, it's the only GOOD Spiderman film. Meme-worthy too, which helps.

I find myself coming back to this one more than I probably expected to when I first sat down with it. There is something refreshingly unpretentious about a superhero film that wears its silliness without apology, and the organic web mechanics feel like a proper creative decision rather than an afterthought. The meme life this film has taken on is no accident either, it means the awkward moments have been absorbed into the culture rather than held against it. Sometimes a film earns its place not by being polished but by being, in its own odd way, exactly itself.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2002  | Watched: 2003-06-05

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Trailer

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
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Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
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Physical: Amazon US

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Sam Raimi: Evil Dead II (1987) · The Evil Dead (1981) · Spider-Man 3 (2007) · Spider-Man 2 (2004)
More with Tobey Maguire: Spider-Man 3 (2007) · Spider-Man 2 (2004)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)