A long long time ago I reviewed a movie that was adapted from a manga and I complained about how it didn't follow the canonicity of the source material regarding the main character's abilities. So is it wrong that I have to say that this ISN"T a problem for Spider-man? I mean, we all know nowadays that Spiderman didn't actually start out with the power to shoot out webbing from his wrists. And since the Amazing Spider man came out I'm sure you all are aware of this, but is that a problem? When I criticized Rurouni Kenshin for not properly representing the ultra-fast swordsmanship from the anime and manga, it was because there wasn't anything to counter it because the sword fights were so infrequent and they never properly represented it until the very end.
During Spider-man, the movie is filled with amazing special effects that were beautifully directed. The flying camera angles and swinging motions made the audience believe that they were Spiderman swinging from rooftops and protecting the city. there was a much greater experience there. Sure the origin behind the web shooting was missing, but the power remained the same. For Kenshin, his power was swinging his sword at lightning speeds, and we didn't see it no matter how skilled the swordplay was to begin with. In Spider-man, the audience comes to see Spiderman swing around on webs, and that is what he did, and he did it beautifully.
Now though, if we are to talk about Sam Raimi's Spider-man, we also have to talk about the period it was made in. Comic Book movies were just getting the big audience love thanks to Time Burton's Batman, so they needed to make the movie as accessible to the audiences. That's why a couple of details were left out of the movie, like his web-shooters or Gwen Stacy. Yes, Gwen Stacy, we get to her now. Anyone who's paid attention to the Spiderman mythos is aware of Gwen Stacy and her tragic death scene with the Green Goblin. But here's the thing, this was the first blockbuster Spiderman movie to make it with the audiences and we needed a way to get them to want to bring their kids to the next one. Would it have been good business strategy to kill off Gwen Stacey during the first movie? Not even Nolan did that. He waited until The Dark Knight to kill off Rachel.
But the writers knew that if they included Gwen, they would have to kill her off, and since the only real interesting thing about Gwen is to kill her off, there's no point to having her for the movies. We all saw what happened when the writers tried to shove emo down Peter Parker's throat later on.
And to be honest, I liked seeing Mary-Jane in the movies. She was nice, pretty, and an interesting female character at the time. She wasn't just some pretty girl, she had a rough childhood, and we got to see that. We saw her interact with Peter even before he became Spiderman. He was just a childhood friend that she grew up with, and she stayed that way for most of the movie despite that great kiss scene with Spiderman. She's a human character, not just a token love-interest like most people tend to portray her or represent her as.
And then we get to my favorite actor in this movie: William Dafoe. This man sold the Green Goblin. Not many actors can show a split personality as well as Dafoe did, though, like any true fan, I can acknowledge there were some sketchy dialogues. His grunts and dialogue as the Green Goblin felt very rehearsed and sometimes unrealistic, but other times, particularly the scenes where Normal Osborn talks to the Green Goblin, it truly felt like there was this great and menacing force that lurked inside this pleasant and mature man. I especially like the way he tried to persuade Spiderman during their first conversation when Spiderman was paralyzed.
Another I have to say is the guy who plays J. Jonah Jameson. This man felt like a real guy, and not as much of a jerk as he may seem. When I first saw the movie I didn't like him, since i was on Peter Parker's side, but he's a businessman who makes money selling news. He calls Parker's photographs crap cause honestly, even in the comics, Peter Parker isn't that good of a photographer. And second, because he needs to make it seem like he's not good so Parker won't get an ego or expect to push him around. He has the power and he needs to make Peter know this.
A big reason why I, especially now, love this movie is how human this movie is. The two things I loved most about the movie are the people and the filmography. The way the camera flows through the sky and catches Peter crawling along the walls is beautifully done and the attention the director and writers give to the screen time for each and every character makes this movie seem so realistic and relatable.
Now, like I always do, let's discuss the plot. And it's pretty simple. Like I said, the big impact of the movie are how the characters all relate to one another so a majority of the movie is devoted to character interaction. What is left of the movie to tell a more narrative story is two different stories that eventually collide into one another. The first is Peter Parker's growth into becoming Spiderman and all of the stuff that Spiderman learns to become the hero he is destined to become. The second is the origin story of the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, and how he grows into his new identity as a villain. It is so simple and the simplicity is what sells the movie. The story basically sets up two people who are destined to come into conflict and how these two forces decide to deal with the problems they face together.
The Green Goblin exacts revenge on his board of trustees when they turn on him and sell his company. Spiderman interrupts his fight and the two see the other as an obstacle. The Green Goblin first tries to persuade Spiderman into joining him, but when Spiderman rejects his offer, he tries to destroy him by crippling him emotionally by attacking his loved ones. This all collides into a spectacularly well choreographed fight between the Green Goblin and Spiderman as they throw all of their best weapons at each other. Ultimately Spiderman outweighs the Green Goblin and he discovers who the Green Goblin really is.
The movie ends with Peter Parker choosing not to be with Mary-Jane because when the Green Goblin found out about his feelings for her, he tried to use them against him. He can't have Mary-Jan be used against him, so he cuts off ties with her and walks off into the distance, leaving her heartbroken and his best-friend swearing revenge against Spiderman for the death of his father, the Green Goblin.
Now, some people may not like this movie, and that is their opinion, but often their reasoning baffles me. They tell me that the movie is cartoony in the bad way. They tell me Mary-Jane is a slut who jumps around between guys. They tell me the costumes were unrealistic.
Let me explain this to them. Comic books are not real life. Realism does not mean it reflects reality. Realism means the world has a sense of logic and reality in its own world. So, when a man has the power to shoot web out of their wrists and lift a cable car, you have to ask yourself, not is this realistic, but, does this look like it would happen in the world it was created in.
Now, about Mary-Jane's love life, Mary-Jane's first boyfriend, Flash, was a dick and they broke up after graduation. Then quite a while passed from Graduation to the present day, so Harry had more than enough time to try and get a romance between him and Mary-Jane, but let me explain something to you all. No relationship is made to last or made to stand against the tests of time. Not everyone is madly in love with their partner. People need to feel loved, and Mary-Jane didn't exactly have that great of an upbringing, so she probably needed to feel special to at least someone while she was trying to get out in the world. Mary-Jane's choices were understandable and relatable compare to her life.
And the last part, the costumes. I hear all the time about how Spiderman's costume apparently cost millions of dollars to make and how the Green Goblin's suit was clunky and plastic-looking. But let me explain something to you, 1. the material and expenses are not always convertible to movie logic. For what looked like a million dollar costume to us, was probably just a sewn together suit put together by a young man who had a nice sewing machine and a nice aunt to teach him how to mend clothing. and 2. The Green Goblin's suit was a PROTOTYPE. He stole it from his own company before they had time to cosmetically rebuild it. I doubt the first design for Halo's Spartan armor looked as smooth and fashionable when it was first designed. I'm sure the first was clunky and full of hard angles that looked aesthetically unpleasant.
The movie has a few problems, EVERY movie has problems. Citizen Kane's whole movie has a giant gaping plot whole in it and we still regard it as one of America's greatest masterpieces. And in my opinion, Sam Raimi's Spider-man is the best comic book movie ever made, even better than The Dark Knight.
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