Analyzing The Movie, Spider-man

The Last Film I Saw

The last film I saw was Spider-Man, and I really enjoyed it. The movie was about a young man who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and turns into a web-spinning superhero, doing his best to save a city from the charge of evil, while also trying to impress the girl next door. Of course, it is Spider Time, and the comics I read when I was a kid are all finally in a film.

Analyzing the Movie: Spider-Man

As the famed comic book goes, Tobey Maguire, who plays Peter Parker in the movie Spider-Man, is your typical weird teenager. He wears glasses, hangs out with his best friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco), and has a serious crush on Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), the girl who has lived next door to him since he was six. She, of course, doesn't even know he exists. Things get decidedly better for Peter, however, when he is bitten by a radioactive spider and develops superhuman powers that allow him to scale walls and shoot a web-like substance from his wrists. What should someone do with such powers?

The answer comes quickly for Parker after his beloved Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) is killed in a carjacking: Parker will create an alter ego known as Spider-Man and will use his newfound powers to fight evil on the city streets, especially against Harry's father, scientist Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), who mutates into the Green Goblin, a particularly sick fellow hell-bent on taking over the world. Peter pays a heavy price for being a superhero, as his uncle's words ring in his ears: "With great power comes great responsibility" (Lee & Ditko, 1962).

The Performance of Tobey Maguire

Well, Maguire did it. Even after many people complained about the casting of this soft-spoken, yet talented, actor as one of the comic-book world's greatest legends, a few of us out there had faith he could pull it off. Spider-Man is an introspective superhero, after all, and if you want someone to play him right, you need someone who can act. Maguire not only possesses the necessary skill to become the tortured Spider-Man, but he buffs up with the best of them as well. He could very well turn into one of Hollywood's sexier men—sexy but vulnerable. He ultimately played the best role for Spider-Man. It is also quite evident he and co-star Dunst connected on many levels.

The Chemistry Between Characters

Their scenes are all at once sweet and then sexually charged. Her Mary Jane is often relegated to the helpless female part, but Dunst infuses the character with a definite spunk as well as a bit of sadness. Dafoe does what he can with the villainous Green Goblin, but there have been better comic-book villains. Well, at least in my opinion. I have read and seen many better comic-book villains than that of the Green Goblin, but of course, I guess it works. It is a shame his face is covered up by an ugly mask most of the time; Dafoe's lean face by itself would have been sufficient. Also quite good in smaller parts (which will inevitably get bigger in the sequel) is J.K. Simmons as Daily Bugle editor Jameson (he just nails it) and Franco as Harry Osborn.

The Direction and Cinematic Experience

Not that there's any pressure or anything, but Spider-Man is one classic comic book you do not want to screw up when adapting into a big summer blockbuster; too many legions of fans to impress. Luckily, director Sam Raimi doesn't disappoint, remaining fairly faithful to the original source. The movie is pure fun, from the time Parker finds out about his superpowers, to the exciting climactic battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Particularly entertaining is how Peter learns to use his powers. What would a teenager with superhuman powers do first? Use them to try to win money to buy a car and impress a girl, of course. The look of the movie is also slick, even using a bit of the Matrix-like slow-motion shots. (Then again, Spider-Man does move pretty fast.)

Concluding Thoughts

The film, however, is not without some flaws. For one, it really isn't what you would call a balls-out action flick, which some people may be expecting. There are many moments of quiet contemplation on the part of a few characters. (The scenes where Norman Osborn talks to his evil alter ego via the mask are a little silly.) All in all, though, Spider-Man purely entertains and is a pretty good movie. Well, at least I enjoyed it when I watched it a month ago in theaters. Spider-Man fans should rejoice—Spider-Man is funny, touching, and true to form with Tobey Maguire and company fleshing out the well-known comic-book characters with style.

References

• Lee, S., & Ditko, S. (1962). The Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel Comics.