Review of Spider-Man (2002) by Jesse B — 18 Oct 2013

This movie came out when I was 11 and was absolutely huge for me. I grew up, like most people of my generation, watching saturday morning cartoons like Spiderman, X-Men, Batman, etc. I know the story and I love it. I think what strikes me most about Raimi's adaption is that it feels familiar. It feels like the cartoons I watched when I was little were magically brought into the real world. It does this all while being one of the biggest blockbuster movies I have ever seen. We all know that this movie set the standard for superhero movies more than a decade later.

As for the movie itself, McGuire is, and forever will be, Spiderman. He looks, sounds, and acts like how I imagine Peter Parker looks, sounds, and acts. He's very likable as the lead. One of the few superhero movies where you genuinely care more about the superhero than the villain. (Unlike Batman, for example).

Amazing supporting cast. Dafoe as Norman Osborne is so good; He's so evil. Franco and Dunst (holy kissing scene spiderman) play Harry and Mary Jane perfectly.

The movie has a good amount of cheesiness which I find charming. Unlike the most recent reboot of Spiderman (with Garfield) I love that this movie feels authentic to the source material and isn't being shopped at a particular demographic for monetary reasons. Peter Parker isn't cool. He's a nerd/photographer that is trying to be a superhero: he's agile, but clumsy. I like seeing him learn to be Spiderman as the movie progresses.

Got nothing but love for this movie.