Re-Review: Spider-Man (2001)

First of a huge series of reviews I need to get out! I'm so sorry for the delay in content, but I have been focusing on taking time to spend by my lonesome. That being said, here's my review of Spider-Man. I went and recently re-watched this, considering these movies are back out in theatres. Go watch them! They're playing in order every Monday for the next month and a half. Spider-Man 2 is out tomorrow.

PLOT: Actually very good!

Considering there's a chunk of this movie slightly missing, this movie is paced very well. It bounces back and forth between hero and villain, allowing you to see the plot at a pleasant rate that never once leaves you bored. The pacing is great and the plot is simple, a hero's journey as a villain tries to turn him to the dark side. Sam Raimi knows how to direct a simple story and has made his career off of cheese cornball films with great plot and characters. Speaking of...

CHARACTERS: Memorable!

Tobey Maguire, while certainly not at his best in these movies, is perfect as this version of Spider-Man. Meek, sometimes a little shy, but can deliver the emotional scenes when needed. You can also see the anger in his face when he loses his uncle and he delivers the loss powerfully (even with the fakest tears to ever fake being tears). All the casting (minus a few) is fantastic. Willem Dafoe is iconic as Green Goblin and is so delightfully hammy and over the top. J.K. Simmons is the perfect Jameson and will never be associated with any other character in my eyes physically. The late Cliff Robertson is an excellent Uncle Ben and makes you feel the loss with his final scene. Rosemary Harris is such a crazy good actor she can make some of the hokey writing she gets work. However, two actors I cannot stand in their roles. Kirsten Dunst lacks a clear direction as Mary Jane despite having played this type before and comes off as just nice, which is fine but has no real depth. It's unfortunate because I think she would've been a great Gwen Stacy as well, but movie-goers wouldn't be ready to handle that character just yet. However, Harry Osborn is just plain miscast. James Franco (besides being a bad person) is just not giving it his best here. He's wooden and stiff and never really feels genuine. His only good moment is at the end where he's grieving his dad. But, otherwise, we have several great actors giving it their all.

SHOTS: Great, until they aren't.

The early CGI is cartoonish and awful in certain scenes, which is why I say until they aren't. However, the incredible visuals are incredible, especially when they rely on practical effects. There are grand visuals, such as the final swing, the fight between Goblin and Spider-Man, and a few shots half way through, but they aren't nearly as iconic as the second film's.

SOUND: Ooh, boy, it's... hard to like this one.

On one hand, I can certainly appreciate the music and sound design. It evokes a grand orchestra constantly narrating Peter Parker's life and is very well done. It's an iconic soundtrack made by a person who I cannot in good faith respect. Danny Elfman was recently outed as an awful person and it sucks, but I will acknowledge at least the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. It's epic, sweeping, and always makes you feel like you're swinging around with Spider-Man while he saves New York. It's grandiose and beautiful. Additionally, the jumpscares that happen (yes, there are a few) have excellent sound design and really are quite creepy despite being a bit goofy.

WRITING (aka our Cons section): This is where the film loses points.

The writing in this film is so hammy and goofy, you'd swear you were watching Evil Dead. It goes from having iconic speeches like Uncle Ben telling Peter about responsibility to "You're the one who's out, Gobby. Outta your mind!". You'd swear that they hired the greatest writer in Hollywood for two scenes then hired a teenager to write their hamfisted corny one-liners. It's such a jump in quality that it kept taking me out of the movie. However, there are legit well-written scenes, such as the dinner scene or even the creepy phone call where Goblin kicks off the third act. It's well-done, but just cannot overcome Peter asking if Mary Jane was an angel (thanks, Phantom Menace!).

LITTLE THINGS: The strange extras and cameos.

There are a ton of actor cameos in this, first of all. Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi, of course, because this is a Raimi film, but then Randy Savage, Octavia Spencer, Elizabeth Banks, and Lucy Lawless just randomly show up. Lucy Lawless was working with Sam Raimi a ton back in the 90's, but the other three are just jarring... but in a fun way. Each one doesn't steal the show, but give it their all in hammy yet delightful performances. The late Randy Savage is just so memorable as Bonesaw in this. However, Bruce Campbell absolutely steals his scene and of course is the one who coins the name "Spider-Man" in this universe. But, when I talk about strange extras, I refer to the hilarious actors in the background of every shot or just in filler shots. Especially in the bridge scene, the extras are so over-the-top and hilarious that you can't help but get distracted by their random actions. Watch the film again and pay attention to the background, you'll get a whole new level of enjoyment.

VERDICT: The first true superhero movie of the 2000's to not suck.

While superhero movies had seen a downfall in the late 90's (as some are seeing now), they began to rise back up in the 2000's, but only Spider-Man was truly good. It had great action, a compelling story, hokey writing, and a stand out cast that made it just feel truly unique, especially in a sea of edgy films trying to be the next Batman when just being a superhero film was more than enough. Blade may have been kick-ass and X-Men was strange enough to work, but Spider-Man was the true revitalization of the genre that kicked off the Marvel Universe we have today!

SCORE: 8/10