Spider-Man
Review
by : Gareth
Von Kallenbach
Starring:
Toby
Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem
Dafoe
Directed by: Sam Raimi
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During my youth I read comics like many children do. I was
never a collector, but had subscriptions to a few series.
I recall Rom the SpaceKnight, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica,
Micronauts, Spidergirl and my favorite, Spider Man. Sure,
I read some of the others like Batman, Superman, The Fantastic
Four, and so on, but Spider Man was always the one I enjoyed
the most. The reason for this was simple: Spider Man had powers
that are unrealistic for a human being, but unlike most comic
heroes, he was a real person. Spider Man's alter ego Peter
Parker, had to deal with real-life issues such as money, taking
care of his Aunt, his job, his friends, school, and of course
women. This was not a person who had all the answers; he was
a regular person who fate selected to possess extraordinary
skills, and to use them for the good of others.
Following
the success of the "Superman" and "Batman" series' on the
silver screen, it seemed only natural that Spider Man would
be slinging webs on the big screen in no time, but a tangled
web of lawsuits delayed the debut for over a decade. In the
late 80's Cannon Films planned to release a film based on
Spider Man, only to see their company fold before it could
get off the ground. The years passed, and eventually 20th
Century Fox and James Cameron started production on a Spider
Man film, which unleashed a fury of lawsuits. It seemed that
21st Century Films, founded after the breakup of Cannon, claimed
they still had the rights to the character, and since they
sold the rights to various companies for television, video,
and other media outside of film, there were several parties
who had a claim to the property. When one lawsuit was resolved,
another would arise, since with Cameron onboard, the series
was a veritable gold mine.
Cameron
eventually left the project to do "Titanic", but after the
lawsuits were finally resolved, a slew of writers working
from the Cameron outline went to work bringing Spiderman to
the screen. Director Sam Raimi who was best known for his
"Evil Dead" films as well as producing the "Hercules" and
"Xena" series, was tapped to bring the film to life despite
never helming a film with a big budget. The task of bringing
Spider Man and his alter ego fell to Toby Maguire who was
Raimi's choice from the start despite the studio wanting a
more bankable lead such as Leonardo Di Caprio or Heath Ledger.
With the
star in place the task of finding a leading lady, and a person
to play the villain was a bit harder. John Malkovich was the
lead choice to play the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn, but he
passed on the role in order to devote more time to independent
films. The role eventually went to Willem Dafoe who has had
a solid career playing characters with a dark edge such as
his Oscar nominated role in "Shadows of the Vampire". With
production about to start, Raimi went to Europe to audition
Kirstin Dunst for the role of Mary Jane Watson. She was a
natural in the role and the chemistry between her and Maguire
was obvious.
With the
cast finally in place, the crew began filming in New York,
only to have the tragic events of September 11th cast a pall
on the film as the trailer and posters for the film had to
be recalled due to the prominant placement of the World Trade
Center towers in them. With all of the turmoil finally behind
them, the cast and crew signed on for a sequel before the
first film had made its debu,t thus ensuring future screen
adventures for the wall crawler.
The film
is faithful to the comics and tells of how kind but nerdy
Peter Parker (Maguire), is bitten by a radioactive spider
during a school visit to a lab. At first it goes unnoticed
by Peter, but he starts to display increased strength, agility,
and the ability to climb walls. Wanting to exploit his new
abilities, Peter becomes a professional wrestler and dressed
in a homemade costume, he starts to make a name for himself
in the ring.
Once again
fate steps in, and an action Peter does not take comes back
to haunt him, and causes him to rethink the gift he has been
given and the best way to use it. The fate in question is
the radioactive spider bite that transforms peter into a strong
and athletic individual who becomes intoxicated with his new
abilities, to the exclusion of his work and chores. He still
has an eye for the lovely Mary Jane Watson, but is uneasy
about approaching her due to his shyness. The mask he wears
as Spiderman gives him the confidence to do and say the things
that he has always wanted to as Peter, but was unable to do
so.
The film
stays very close to the comic series that inspired it, as
the origins of the characters and their relationships to one
another, as well as outcomes are faithful to their natural
beginnings. Peter finds himself battling all manner of criminals
and soon is pitted against his deadliest foe, The Green Goblin.
The Goblin is a very dynamic and interesting villain, as he
is a good man who becomes a modern day Jeckyl and Hyde due
to an experiment gone wrong. The Goblin is bent on revenge
for all those who oppose him or have wronged his alter ego.
His goal is to gain Spider Man as an ally or to destroy him
outright.
What makes
the Goblin so interesting is not his armor, air glider or
weapons, it is the performance given by Dafoe. His portrayal
of both Osborn and the Goblin is riveting. Dafoe walks the
fine line between madness and sanity, evilness and compassion
without being campy, and invokes a sense of compassion about
his character that is sadly lacking in most film villains.
The performance of Dafoe is every bit as gripping as his Oscar
nominated role in "Shadows of the Vampire", and might just
be rewarded with a supporting actor nod.
Naturally
Peter has to save the girl, the day, and defeat the Goblin,
all the while earning money from his job selling Spider Man
photos to the crusty J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), who
is the editor of the Daily Bugle. Maguire and Dunst are fantastic
as the chemistry between them is obvious and I look forward
to seeing their characters develop in future films. Dunst
is great as the pretty girl from the troubled family who is
misunderstood but never loses sight of her goal. She plays
Mary Jane as a strong, and caring woman without being a typical
damsel in distress. She comes across as a real person, and
is perfect as the girl next door whom Peter has admired from
afar since they were in the first grade.
The film
does a great job in showing the transition that Peter, Mary
Jane, and his friend Harry Osborn (James Franco, as the Goblin's
son), as they move from high school to the job market and
college over the course of the film, and in doing so, shows
how people change roles when they get into the real world.
Peter is getting away from the shy bookworm, and Mary Jane
is leaving the popular girl role to that of struggling actress
and waitress. The real star of the picture is Maguire, as
he gives a very realistic and sympathetic portrayal of Peter.
You can share the joy he has as he explores his new powers,
and you can feel the pain and isolation he endures as he is
unable to tell the ones he loves about his alter ego and learns
that his powers make those he care for a target for those
he battles.
There
are some very tender moments in the film and Maquire and Dunst
carry them off with a maturity that is beyond their years
and leaves little doubt that they are on their way to stardom.
Director Sam Raimi does a great job of getting the most out
of his cast while staying faithful to his material. The special
effects are great, but never get in the way of the story.
The scenes of Spider Man slinging his webs as he travels the
city are exciting and well crafted. As "Superman" many years
ago made audiences believe a man could fly, "Spider Man" takes
you along on the wild ride, complete with some outstanding
effects. I could go on forever praising this film but I will
summarize it as follows: not only is "Spider Man" a true classic,
and a great film, it is easily the best film adaptation of
a comic book character ever. The wait was well worth it.
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