A Great movie deserves Great examination
I know there’s so many out there that hated Sam Raimi’s Spiderman from 2002, but I would contend the first film is not only one of the best superhero movies of all time-it’s also the best and only worthy live action Spiderman (Into the Spider Verse was an awesome film but it was animated so, my point stands). So much could be said about the comic book character of Spiderman himself, and the film stays very true to what Stan Lee had intended so I’ll try to stay on the movie specifically. Even though staying true to the heart of the character is a pivotal point in any superhero film. What exactly makes Spiderman such a classic in my mind? Let’s break it down.
The Film takes itself seriously: This should go somewhat without saying but let's be real….it doesn't. The movie isn’t without humor but it doesn't try to suffocate me with it while using a small throw pillow of situational gen z comedy. I’ve been attacked with the poor humor of Spiderman eating a churro in a crimeless city, with America’s ass (my sister had a field day with that), fat thor (don’t even get me started), Drax laughing at nothing every other second (that was a movie I almost turned off), and the list goes on. I don’t want people laughing at themselves every minute or I may as well be in a bad comedy show. The 2002 Spiderman is funny when it wants to be, and dead serious when needed. J Jonah Jameson is a riot and deliciously hateful of Spiderman, and Peter Parker is pricelessly awkward in his interaction with MJ to where its almost painful but endearing. However, no one is telling jokes when MJ is running from attackers in the rain, no one cracks a smile when Peter Parker is chasing his uncle's killer through a dark city with vengeance in his heart, and no one laughs or takes a selfie when Green Goblin impales himself and says “Don’t tell Harry.”
The incredible music score, the acting, the cinematography all help the film play out like an epic heroic tale. The weight to the film makes love, loss, heroism, villainy, and friendship are all concepts taken seriously.
The character arc of Peter Parker: Peter Parker is your average glasses wearing, insecure science geek who’s been in love with the literal girl next door since he was a child. He lives with his Aunt and Uncle and he’s an all around good kid, but he doesn't have any desire for heroism or greatness. Initially Peter’s motivation is simply to use his powers to get a car and therefore (in his teen mind) impress the girl. It takes a personal tragedy that he’s partially to blame for, in order to wake him up. This gets to the heart of most superheroes, and that's that they can never look the other way.
Peter Parker is cheated out of his winnings in a wrestling match by a shady businessman who is then robbed. Parker lets the robber get away because as the audience is probably feeling, the shady guy deserved to be stolen from. But by stepping aside for what was seemingly a deserved crime, his actions lead to the death of Peter’s uncle Ben. This horrible experience shows Peter that it’s never okay to allow wrongdoing. It’s a detail that's often overlooked in other Spiderman adaptations. But overlooking the death of uncle Ben and how Peter feels responsible is like overlooking how Bruce Wayne’s parents died. The origin story makes the hero who they are, it layers the foundation. Without it Spiderman is just a boy with powers in a suit who has no traumatic experience that led him to put himself at risk for other people.
The weight of characters and motivations: The alleged superhero films where jokes and CGI make the movie got old for me as soon as it surfaced. Granted, there were marvel movies that did it right balancing humor and intensity (Thor, Captain America, Avengers Age of Ultron), but I like characters to be on screen with a greater purpose than comedic relief. In Spiderman everyone in the story is tied together and they all play a significant role in the hero's journey.
Aunt May is the mother figure Peter desperately needs and one of the people in the world he loves most. Taking care of her not only shows us what a caring loyal nephew he is, but her comfort and advice helps him in films to come. How often in recent films do you see a young person tending to and respecting an elderly woman? In Tom Holland’s Spider Man, Aunt May is supposed to be “hot” and that seems to be her only character trait.
Mary Jane is the woman Peter loves and even though he can’t be with her (for various reasons throughout the film), he has a selfless protective nature over her. We’re shown Mary Jane has a rough life at home and can’t wait to get out into the city and make her own way. This makes her a sympathetic character and not just a love interest. We get she’s coming from a troubled home and why she had low standards for herself (like dating Flash Thompson). Yet we also get the sense she’s kind hearted because she sticks up for Peter in High school.
Harry Osbourne is Peter’s best friend but we get a sense from the opening of the film he has a troubled relationship with his father and doesn't want to be defined by his wealth. When Harry’s father becomes psychotic and Spiderman has to fight him (which results in Norman Osbourne’s death) then Harry swears vengeance against Spiderman putting a strain on their relationship.
Norman Osbourne initially likes Peter Parker and finds him to have great potential. This makes his dissent into villainy all the more crushing because he knew Peter Parker personally and was his best friend's father.
Everyone in the film has a role, a motivation and they all grow, some for good and some for the worse. But The writers clearly had a vision in mind unlike Spiderman Homecoming in which none of the supporting cast provide anything but weak humor.
The romance: Once again, not every hero story has to have romance, but if done well it gives the story a gripping emotional hook. Also, I just have to point this out because in modern films there’s this running trope where either characters meet and fall into bed, or they become a couple and we miss it cough* marvel. Black Widow Bruce Banner, Wanda and Vision, in both cases the couples were living together and we completely missed how it happened. Peter Parker and MaryJane in this film is a form of selfless love in which Peter doesn't get anything in return for his affections for most of the film.
He supports MJ in her acting dream even when she's dating the jerk Flash.
He drives across town to see her for five minutes when she gets off work even though she's with someone else and he isn't actively trying to get a relationship with her, he just wants to be there for her.
He saves her life frequently and it isn't even his idea to kiss her, she does it to thank him.
Basically this movie shows Spiderman as having selfless affections for her without the intent of ever having them returned. He can't help but love her, protect, support and care for her–but he would never ask or assume she would give him affection in return (1st Corinthians 13:4). It should be a note to modern film writers and anyone who hopes to write romance, love is not merely something to be expressed in words and certainly not in a casual fashion–but with actions. In the end of the film Spiderman makes the most selfless decision to give MJ up in order to protect her.
It’s a superhero movie that nails the theme: We’ve gone over what the qualifications are for a hero movie are, and Spiderman does them all. The movie relates back to Christian values and themes, like the obligation to help your fellow man with the gifts you’ve been given (with great power comes great responsibility), selfless love (Parker’s devotion to MJ), humility (Spiderman defends the city even though the papers hate him and label him a menace) and overall servitude for the sake of a belief. The film is clearly making a statement and has a constant theme: the necessity of forsaking personal desires in order to do what's right. When Spiderman leaves MJ in the end he says he’ll always be there for her, but he can’t be anything more than a hero or a knight for the city, he isn't allowed to have personal happiness or a life of his own because his life is given in service to a greater cause. At the heart of every hero story this element is there, that the hero is giving up their own happiness and personal desires for the greater good.
“Whatever life holds in store for me, I will always remember these words: with great power, comes great responsibility. This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I’m Spiderman.”