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Spider-Man (2002)

★★★ — Spider-Man (2002)

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man had spent the better part of two decades in development hell before finally reaching screens in 2002, with the character's film rights passing through Cannon Films and James Cameron (who had an infamous treatment in the early 1990s) before Columbia and Marvel got the project moving in earnest. Raimi, best known at that point for the Evil Dead series and the underrated Darkman (1990), was a somewhat unexpected choice, but his genre instincts and visual energy suited the material well. Shot largely on location in New York and on studio sets in Los Angeles, the film carried a $139 million budget and became one of the first genuine post-9/11 blockbusters, arriving at a moment when American audiences were particularly receptive to a homegrown hero in a damaged New York skyline.

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.

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

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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)

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Viy (1967)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)