Spiderman Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)
by Eric Maus
“This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spiderman.”
Everyone loves Spiderman. Marvel’s web-shooting hero who swings from building to building, saving people in distress and battling villain after villain is definitely one of America’s favorite fictional characters. Director Sam Raimi and creator Stan Lee did an amazing job bringing the beloved comic book character to life on the screen.
In Spiderman (2002), we are introduced to Peter Parker, a humble high-school nerd, orphaned at a young age and now living with his aunt and uncle. He has a crush on his neighbor, Mary-Jane Watson, but is unwilling to confront her. One day, after being bitten by an exotic radioactive spider, things begin to change. Peter gains the ability to cling to surfaces, see with extremely clear vision, and shoot webs from his wrist. After thugs murder his uncle, Peter creates a suit and mask for himself, and anonymously begins a war against crime. The people of New York call him the Spiderman. All criminals seem to fear him; that is, until the Green Goblin arrives.
Spiderman (rated PG-13 for violence and action) is a terrific superhero origins movie. The visual effects are pretty stunning for the time, as is the cinematography. This film also hosts a terrific cast of actors; Kirsten Dunst does an excellent job portraying Mary Jane, while James Franco does an equally excellent job as Spiderman’s best friend, Harry Osborn. Willem Dafoe is eerily magnificent as the Green Goblin, and J.K. Simmons portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson is awesome and hilarious. However, Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spiderman outshines them all. This film is also filled with sound morals, such as the classic “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Peter uses his special abilities not for his own gain, but to benefit those around him. He stands up for what he believes in, against all odds. While the storyline is far from complex, it offers themes that are simple, yet good and solid.
Spiderman 2 (2004) continues the saga. Life is miserable for Peter. Mary Jane is engaged to someone else, his grades are slipping, and he struggles to balance his job with his superhero work. With the Daily Bugle newspaper constantly claiming that Spiderman is a criminal, Peter decides to end his career as a superhero. When an energy experiment goes horribly wrong, friendly Dr. Otto Octavius becomes the evil Dr. Octopus, controlled by his four robotic appendages. When he begins to tear NYC apart, the people realize they need Spiderman more than ever.
The team of writers responsible for this screenplay deserve a medal. This story is amazing, deep, and full. One of the keys to a good story is to have the protagonist suffer through a great deal, and not many suffer to the extent that Peter Parker does in Spiderman 2. Every miniscule detail reflects upon his hardships, and this makes his eventual victory so much more fulfilling. These guys understand the art of story, and they prove it to us here. The villain, Doc Oc, played by Alfred Molina, was very well constructed and developed, giving us something we aren’t used to; a terrific, seemingly unstoppable, bad guy. This film also pushes the sound morals of the first, although here they are presented more clearly and thoroughly. Spiderman 2 is definitely one of the best superhero movies ever made.
In Spiderman 3, Harry has finally discovered Spiderman’s identity, and is out for revenge, taking on his father’s role as the Goblin. A criminal named Flint Marko, after being transformed into the indestructible Sandman, begins raiding banks for cash to provide his sick daughter with health care. Peter is having an extremely hard time dealing with the stress, until his suit mysteriously turns jet-black, and his abilities become twice as powerful. His problems seem easily fixed, and his begins to go back to normal. However, the black suit seems to be affecting its wearer, as Peter begins to take on much darker qualities. Soon, even Mary Jane doesn’t recognize him any more. Is Spiderman becoming no better than the villains he swore to protect NYC from?
First of all, I am always surprised to find that this film is usually everyone’s favorite of the series. This is by far the worst. While the acting, action, special effects, cinematography, etc., are beyond amazing, the story is pretty messy. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that the black stuff from outer space that possesses Peter represents sin and it’s control over the life of a sinner. Ok, well, that’s a bit of a stretch. Actually, during a certain period of time (2006-2009), it was popular in superhero films for the hero to battle against his alter ego; someone exactly like him, just evil. Iron Man had Iron Monger, Wolverine had Sabertooth, and the Incredible Hulk had Abomination, so Spiderman had to have Venom, the black Spiderman. Not a bad idea in and of itself (Venom is a great character), it was just terribly executed in the movie. Spiderman’s ‘turn to the dark side’ is pretty lame, almost as bad as Anakin’s in Revenge of the Sith. I mean, we’re supposed to be convinced that Spiderman is becoming evil because he dances a lot, he styles his hair differently, and he wears black more often? I for one was not convinced. In addition, it’s hard to keep track of who’s good and who’s not. Harry begins by hating Peter, then loses his memory and loves him again, then gets it back and hates him again, then has a change of heart and loves him again. Sandman is criminal who isn’t really a criminal because he’s trying to save his daughter; plus, we discover that he murdered Peter’s uncle, but didn’t really murder him. Confused? You should be. Sam Raimi himself claims that this film wasn’t his fault, “They really gave me a tremendous amount of control on the first two films, actually. But then there were different opinions on the third film and I didn't really have creative control, so to speak.” That’s a direct quote. Yes, the action is amazing, but why couldn’t they have just kept the good guys good and the bad guys bad?
So, can there be too much of a good thing? Sure, but that’s not the issue we’re dealing with here. We see the mistakes that are created when sequels are handed to different directors; we saw them with the Narnia films, and we see them here. However, despite the problems with Spiderman 3, this series is incredible and well beloved. Enjoy it, before the Spiderman reboot hits next summer, and turns this trilogy into a thing of the past.
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