Movies / Comics Movie Reviews

The Tangled Web of Spider-Man on Film (Part 1)

By Troy-Jeffrey Allen
July 9, 2012 - 19:21

As far as Hollywood cash-grabs go, Amazing Spider-Man isn't harmful but it is insultingly obvious. It also underlines a reoccurring problem with the Spider-Man franchise in general: The absence of a singular vision.

Say what you will about their chemistry but Dunst and Maguire made this kiss synonymous with Spider-Man.

In 2002, producer Laura Ziskin and Marvel Studios' Avi Arad officially revived the flickering superhero film genre with Spider-Man (2002). The movie surprised critics, was a box office hit, and put cult director Sam Raimi on the A-List, along with actors Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire. In a huge way, it also would continue the seemingly unstoppable forward motion that would become Marvel Studios as we know it today.

Dafoe's performance could have rivaled Jack Nicholson's in 1989's BATMAN if it weren't for the poor costume choice.

The original film certainly had its flaws (shrouding the always expressive Willem Dafoe in a Power Ranger suit, for starters), but director Sam Raimi's vision seemed to coalesce with screenwriter David Koepp's own. A master of his own unique brand of thriller/comedy, Raimi delivered a surprisingly sedated (for him) yet dizzying spectacle to match Koepp's urban boy adventure --- even if the effects didn't always uphold their end of the bargain.

By the time the announcement for Spider-Man 2 (2004) had arrived, Ziskin, Columbia Pictures, and Marvel now had the model for success and a larger budget to boot. Surprisingly though, David Koepp wasn’t invited to return. Instead, the script for Spider-Man 2 went through multiple drafts by multiple writers. The list included Michael Chabon (The Adventures of the Amazing Kavalier and Clay), Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville), and, finally, Ziskin's husband Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People).

Before MARVEL's THE AVENGERS, Spider-Man 2 had the most impressive superhero battles in film ever.

Spider-Man 2 was overwhelmingly popular with film critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a box office smash, but a second look exposes the film as a handful of highlights surrounded by a lot of awkward preachiness. Most notably, the high-speed subway fight between Doc Ock and Spider-Man is bookended by exhaustive soliloquies by Peter Parker (Maguire), Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), Harry Osborne (James Franco), Mary Jane (Dunst), and Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). It's apparent that the filmmakers wanted to transfer the expository thought balloon concept to celluloid, but it brings a lot of scenes to a grinding halt. 

Molina's Doctor Octopus gave the villain a personable quality never reached in the comics.

More over, Raimi's affinity for slapstick and physical humor is constantly at odds with Sargent's slice of life tale. Uncomfortably sandwiched between the writer and director's vision are chunks of what remains of Chabon, Gough, and Millar's drafts. This causes characters like Harry Osborn to suffer the most from this tonal tug of war, drastically shifting from moments of subtle character motivation to an over-the-top mad man.

Regardless, the movie is easily the best of the series. More importantly, theatergoers and critics gave the film a unanimous thumbs up, justifying the too-many-cooks structure. Unfortunately, this method would lead to the franchise's undoing and, arguably, much-needed rebooting.

End of Part 1

To Be Continued Tomorrow in The Tangled Web of Spider-Man on Film Part 2: Spider-Man 3 and Amazing Spider-Man!

Rating: 7 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12